South Surrey ‘Solstice Stroll’ set for June 27
Published 6:00 pm Friday, June 19, 2026
An evening that is all about love, remembrance and the beginning of summer returns to a quiet South Surrey garden next weekend.
This year’s 2026 Spirit Garden Candlelight Solstice Stroll – the 17th reprise of the event – is set for Saturday, June 27.
The garden, located at 2860 140 St., is an oasis of peace and beauty that has bloomed under the continued care of Joan and Jon Mara, who spearheaded the project in an effort to bring a plain, overgrown plot of city land back to life.
Over the years, it has become more than a simple garden, blossoming into a space where individuals who want to honour loved ones can add some greenery or colour of their own, and perhaps in doing so, find a place of healing, reflection and harmony.
“I always wanted this garden to just be this friendly, inviting place,” Joan Mara said earlier this month, estimating “well over” 100 of its plants are tributes to lost souls.
“That’s really what the solstice evening is about,” she added.
The event – starting from 8 p.m. – is open to anyone who’d like to experience the garden in the warm glow of candles that will mark each of the plants that have been added as tributes.
She encourages those who do come out – whether on June 27 or any other day – to do two laps of the garden, one in each direction, so as to “fully take it in.”
The best viewing during the solstice evening is from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m., Mara adds in a post to the White Rock/South Surrey Community Group Facebook page.