Come and discover Burnaby at the city's largest outdoor festival this weekend.

The Discovery Day Festival takes place at Deer Lake Park on Sunday afternoon. It will be the official opening of the newly renovated festival space at Deer Lake.

The event includes the official opening of the city's Spirit Square, in front of the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, and the unveiling of Vitality, a sculpture commissioned from Coast Salish artist Thomas Cannell.

The piece, part of the Lower Mainland public art Necklace Project, is representative of a family journey, according to the artist.

There will also be performances for adults and children alike, and arts and crafts make and take projects for the kids.

"We have a very exciting schedule this year," said Julie-Anne Slade, special events officer for the city.

There is a discovery zone for kids, with a climbing wall, mini-golf, lantern making and circus fun with juggling workshops and stilt walking.

There will be various performances for the children on the Discovery Stage, including performances of Chroma by the Burnaby Summer Theatre.

Chroma, a world of colour, is under attack by The Shade, played by Alex Rose, who consumes all the colours and keeps them in his well of darkness. Superheroes Dasos, played by Dustin Freeland, and Neela, played by Adele Noronha, must free the colours.

The small cast - all students of Langara College's Studio 58 theatre program - has created a piece that deals with classic themes such as good versus evil, as well as gender discrepancies and violence in classic superhero story lines.

The Spirit Square Stage will have more adult-oriented performances, such as capoeira performed by Ache Brasil.

There are also performances taking place in the studio theatre in the Shadbolt throughout the day.

The Discovery Day festival started 26 years ago as an environmental initiative between the Greater Vancouver Regional District (now Metro Vancouver) and Burnaby's parks, recreation and culture department, according to Denis Nokony, assistant director of cultural services.

The first Discovery Days took place near Burnaby Lake, moving to Deer Lake Park and becoming more arts-oriented once the GVRD stopped being involved, according to Nokony.

"Over the years it morphed into a much larger event," he said.

The festival gives Burnaby groups the opportunity to showcase their activities and wares to the public, he added.

"It provides a needed community fair," Nokony said, adding the cost of exhibiting at the event is subsidized.

In the past, the event has been tied into the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra's Symphony in the Park, which took place last weekend.

But this year the city decided to separate the two events, Nokony said.

"The demographics are a little different," he explained, adding the festival is more of a family event. "There's an emphasis on family fun."

Discovery Day goes from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, July 18, at Deer Lake Park. Admission is free, but parking is very limited, so those wishing to attend should make alternate transportation plans if possible.

The Spirit Square opening ceremony will take place from 1 to 1:40 p.m.