Vancouver, British Columbia — Events
HSBC Celebration of Light
The annual HSBC Celebration of Light musical fireworks competition draws a crowd of an estimated 1.5 million viewers over the four nights, and people swarm over various viewing points in the city to enjoy the show. A team of pyrotechnic experts from Canada, as well as two other countries (it differs each year) wow the crowds with their spectacular firework displays set off from a barge anchored in English Bay, and the incredible explosions are perfectly co-ordinated to music (which can be picked up on local radio station Rock 101, 101.1 FM in simulcast).
Bard on the Beach
One of Vancouver’s most endearing summer events is a picnic in Vanier Park followed by an evening performance of Shakespeare. Plays are performed in huge open-ended tents overlooking the picturesque English Bay with a mountain backdrop. Plays of past seasons have included Twelfth Night, King Lear, The Tempest and Titus Andronicus.
Alcan Dragon Boat Festival
The International Dragon Boat Festival is an annual event that has become one of Vancouver’s most eagerly awaited family summer events. It is the largest and best dragon boat celebration in North America with more than 100 national and international teams taking part. A variety of entertainment accompanies the races, including cultural activities, food from a number of the city’s most popular restaurants, stage entertainment for the whole family, and an arts and craft market.
Vancouver International Jazz Festival
As one of the biggest musical celebrations in the world, the International Jazz Festival is the most popular cultural event in Vancouver, with performances by more than 1,000 blues and jazz artists from around the world. The 10-day program is full of famous names that play at various venues throughout the city, from formal concert theaters to open-air stages.
Vancouver Folk Music Festival
For nearly thirty years, one of Vancouver’s favorite events drawing old and young alike is the annual Folk Music Festival; with a host of performers spread across seven stages, set in the heart of the Jericho Beach Park. Day, evening and weekend tickets are available at varying prices, with ‘early bird’ tickets on sale from April.
Illuminares Lantern Festival
Basking hippos, floating fish, dragons and fairies come alive at the annual Illuminares Lantern Festival at the picturesque Trout Lake Park in Vancouver. This event is a family favorite, and the best way to enjoy the festival is to go early and picnic, and then watch the park transform into a twinkling, glittery magical realm as the sky darkens. There is plenty to see and do and people relish the opportunity to go all out, with fantastic lanterns of all shapes and sizes on display, and outrageous costumes too.
Vancouver Pride
The Vancouver Pride Week is a colorful, vibrant affair, celebrating the city’s Gay, Lesbian, Bi-sexual and Transgender (GLBT) community and its many supporters in a variety of shows, festivals, parties and the ever-popular Pride Parade. Each year, a special team comes up with a theme and specific image for the Pride Week, and in recent years, the focus has been on issues and battles faced by the GLBT community, but in a more celebratory than political manner.
Polar Bear Swim
Leaping into icy water in the middle of winter may not be everyone’s idea of fun, but the annual Polar Bear race has been running for nearly 90 years in Vancouver and every New Year’s Day, thousands flock to English Bay to take the plunge and celebrate the beginning of the year, led by the Vancouver Polar Bear Swim Club (one of the oldest and biggest of its kind in the world). Outrageous costumes are the order of the day and many come to participate in the Peter Pantages 100 yard (90m) race, named in honor of the founder of the club in 1920.
