8 Events you need to attend in Vancouver
Through 12 months and all four seasons, Vancouver’s festivals and events celebrate every facet of the city. From culinary to culture, performing arts to Pride, film to family-friendly fun, you’ll find a festival or special event that shines the spotlight on your interests.
1. Art! Vancouver
Every Spring since 2015, Art! Vancouver hosts a world-class art event, featuring reputable art galleries and artists from across Canada and around the world. Located in the Pacific Northwest, home to a culturally rich, historic, and thriving fine arts scene, Art! Vancouver is held at the beautiful Vancouver Convention Centre East Building’s waterfront venue, providing a stunning and inspirational setting for art enthusiasts and collectors to immerse themselves in a wide array of juried fine art. As the first international art fair to be held in Vancouver, they are determined to establish Vancouver as one of the most exciting and well-known fine arts destinations in the world.
2. Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival
Every June through September, Bard on the Beach professional Shakespeare Festival brings to life the magic of Shakespeare’s great plays. The Festival site is located on the waterfront in Vancouver’s Vanier Park, adjacent to the downtown core. The Bard on the Beach festival experience is about more than simply the performances. Patrons can pre-book a picnic and dine at tables on the festival site before the show, purchase premium beers and wines and Bard’s signature popcorn plus other light snacks, participate in post-show discussions with Company actors and bring the kids to Family Night events.
3. Celebration of Light
You haven’t really seen fireworks until you’ve experienced Vancouver’s Celebration of Light. One of the city’s signature summer events, the festival lights up the sky over English Bay for three nights at the end of July. Three countries compete each year to wow Vancouver crowds, choreographing their spectacular displays to music as they’re launched off a floating barge in the bay. Chrysanthemums, peonies and horsetails explode above the city, with a mighty crack that bounces of the mountains. Crowds flock to the waterfront, around English Bay and Burrard Inlet, setting out picnic blankets and folding chairs on the beach to take in the show. Bring a picnic and make a night of it! Alternatively, book a place in one of the official VIP viewing areas, which range from family-friendly bleachers to private cabanas.
4. Vancouver Christmas Market
The Vancouver Christmas Market returns to Jack Poole Plaza – home of the Olympic Cauldron - November 22 – December 24, 2017. The city's signature yuletide celebration offers its largest festivities to-date, with more than 75 huts stuffed with sweets, treats, and treasures. Wander the market’s winding alleys and discover authentic German delicacies: sizzling sausages, warming Glühwein (mulled wine), old-world confections, and so much more! Be dazzled by the glittering carousel, a 30-foot tall walk-in Christmas tree boasting 36,000 twinkling lights, live entertainment, and a multitude of festive family activities. Make sure to book your tickets in advance to avoid disappointment.
5. Vancouver Whisky Festival
2018 celebrates the 3rd Annual Vancouver Whisky Festival! The event that celebrates the water of life. Join brand ambassadors from Scotland and around the world – and taste whisky from Scotland, Ireland, Canada, USA and Japan. Experience flavours beyond traditional whisky regions, including India and Taiwan. Meet whisky bloggers, writers, connoisseurs and amateurs alike. Share your appreciation and thoughts on these vintage brown spirits. Pursue Vancouver’s growing whisky culture with like-minded enthusiasts!
6. Dine Out Vancouver Festival
Tourism Vancouver's Dine Out™ Vancouver Festival is Canada's largest annual food and drink festival, attracting over 100,000 local and visiting food enthusiasts to experience the city's exceptionally diverse culinary scene. Over the 17 days of the festival, a delicious schedule of culinary events allows festivalgoers to enjoy unique culinary experiences not available throughout the rest of the year. These can include guided dining adventures, brunch crawls, cooking classes and cocktail masterclasses, dinner and film pairings, debates, guest Chef lectures, BC VQA wine and craft beer tastings, street food markets and more!
7. Vancouver International Wine Festival
The Vancouver International Wine Festival, Canada’s premier food & wine event aims to provide an informative, educational and entertaining wine experience for the public and trade and raises funds for the Bard on the Beach Theatre Society. VanWineFest is Canada’s premier wine show and is widely considered to be the best wine event in North America. With ~25,000 admissions and at 39 years of age, it is one of the biggest and oldest wine events in the world. Its slogan is “The Wine World is Here”. It has been voted the “#1 Food, Wine & Hospitality Event in Canada” the last four years in a row by New York’s BizBash. If you’re lucky enough to be in the city when the festival is on, it is a must-visit!
8. Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival
The Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival story is one of romance. It is an annual celebration that marks the reawakening in the community of all that makes us alive and human. We smile at one another. We take our lunches under the spreading blossoms. We spend the warming nights beneath illuminated clouds of flowers. We celebrate as men and women have celebrated since time immemorial, with poetry, music, dance, good food and drink, laughter, and love. The idea of the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival is to celebrate how fragile blossoms interrupt our drudgery and open us not only to the sweet energy of our own lives but also to one another. Under these cherry trees, there are no strangers. This is a time for conversation, romance, inspiration and change. We remember once again that we are growing things. Visit, and you’ll understand just what we mean!
Inspired to explore this amazing destination, request our brochure here. If this article has inspired you to visit Vancouver, our team of expert advisors would be happy to personalise your perfect holiday, just call us on 0161 888 5632 or click here to explore more holidays with First Class Holidays.
