Festivals, Parades & Holiday Events Vancouver 2019

Owned by the City of Vancouver, the Pacific National Exhibition was founded in 1910 and includes cultural, music, sporting, and family entertainment that attracts 2 million visitors a year. Next: August/September 2020

Honda is the title sponsor for the world’s longest-running offshore fireworks competition, the Celebration of Light. The event, over three nights, attracts an estimated 1.2-million spectators to what is described as a giant block party on Vancouver’s English Bay. In 2019 the three teams represented India, Canada, and Croatia. Apart from the fireworks, festivities include music, food, and entertainment. Next: July/August 2020

The first Vancouver Pride Parade was held in 1981, and the event has grown to be one of the largest festivals in the city with spectators estimated at 600,000. The parade and festival celebrate the L.G.B.T.Q.2+ community and there are many rainbow-hued events in the days preceding the parade that typically has about 150 floats, dancers, and marching groups. Next: August 2, 2020

Canada Day at Canada Place in Vancouver is the biggest Canada Day event outside of Ottawa. It has been western Canada’s premier Canada Day event for more than 30 years. Next: July 1, 2020

Every April, millions of Sikhs worldwide celebrate Vaisakhi Day, a day that marks the New Year. The Surrey parade dates back to 1998 and is one of the largest outside India, drawing an estimated 500,000 people in 2019. Next: April 2020

This cultural street festival was resurrected in 2010, recalling the Italian heritage festivals of the 1970s and 1980s on Commercial Drive, known as Little Italy. Held annually on the second Sunday of June, Italian Day on the Drive is a lively celebration of all things Italian. Commercial Drive is transformed into a 14-block green, white, and red festa with live music, food vendors, and family fun activities. Next: June 14, 2020

The Harmony Arts Festival, organized by the District of West Vancouver, takes place over 10 days in summer in West Vancouver along the waterfront on Argyle Avenue. The festival includes musical performances, art exhibitions and demonstrations, and culinary events. Next: August 2020

The Abbotsford Airshow is a three-day event that attracts local and international spectators. Most years, the show features Canada’s Snowbirds, Canadian Forces parachute teams, entries from the Canadian Museum of Flight, and demonstrations by Canadian Forces CF-18 Hornets. Next: August 7-9, 2020

The Surrey Fusion Festival celebrates food, music, and culture. The two-day festival attracts about 100,000 people and includes more than 50 pavilions selling authentic cuisine and showcasing cultural goods as well as local and international talent performing traditional cultural dance, songs, and other forms of entertainment. Next: July 2020

This celebration of the Lunar New Year was first held in Vancouver in 1974. Organized by the Chinese Benevolent Association of Vancouver, the parade includes lion dances, cultural dance troupes, and marching bands. Next: January 26, 2020

Greek Day on Broadway takes place within a five block stretch on West Broadway from MacDonald to Blenheim that is closed to traffic. It is the finale event of the annual Greek Heritage Month festival in Vancouver. Organized by the Hellenic Greek Congress of BC, the festival has, of course, Greek food and drink, market vendors, entertainment, and live music. Next: June 2020

In 2020 there will be more than the usual merriment as the market, held at the Jack Poole Plaza, celebrates its 10th anniversary. This event is known for bringing European traditions to the city by recreating the twinkling pathways of a Christmas village and presenting opportunities to sample local delicacies, shop for gifts, and share holiday cheer. Next: Winter 2020

The Cloverdale Rodeo, organized by the Cloverdale Rodeo & Exhibition Association, is a four-day event held over the May long weekend. One of North America’s longest-running rodeos—it returns for its 74th year in 2020—it includes live entertainment and cowboys and cowgirls competing in rodeo events. Next: May 2020

Presented by Telus, the Vancouver Santa Claus parade has been promoting good cheer and providing kids with photo ops on Santa's knee for 16 years. Santa starts his route at West Georgia and Broughton and travels east along West Georgia, turns south on Howe, and parks the sleigh at Howe and Davie. The parade, owned and managed the Vancouver Santa Claus Parade Society, attracts about 300,000 people and benefits the Greater Vancouver Food bank and CKNW Kids’ Fund. Next: December 1, 2019

The Talking Stick Festival, now in its 18th year, is organized by the nonprofit society Full Circle. The event began as a way to celebrate Indigenous art and performances and has grown into a two-week festival with performances at locations across Vancouver. The Festival attracts about 20,000 people who enjoy events including the Wa× Hok en Shqalawin (Open Your Heart) Gala Celebration plus theater, music, dance, and staged reading performances and knowledge sharing. Next: February 2020

The Philippine Days Festival was first held at the Waterfront Park in North Vancouver in 2007 in celebration of the anniversary of the Declaration of Philippine Independence Day of June 12, 1898. The event is hosted by the Metro Vancouver Philippine Arts & Culture Exposition Society. About 12,000 to 15,000 people attend the two-day festival that highlights Filipino traditions, cuisine, and song and dance performances and showcases products and businesses. Next: June 13-14, 2020

The West Coast Christmas Show was first held in 2008 and marks its 12th year this November. The show has about 100 vendors with a variety of gifts such as original art, crafts, woodwork, toys, specialty foods, home decor, jewelry, candles, and soaps. Next: November 15-17, 2019

In 2020 the City of Surrey will host the 10th annual Party for the Planet, B.C.’s largest Earth Day celebration. The event, which attracts about 15,000 people, typically offers environmental workshops, a marketplace with sustainable goods, and a concert series. Next: April 25, 2020

This festival, produced by the Vancouver International Children’s Festival Society, traces its roots to 1978 when it began as a theater festival for children. Today, the festival, with its activity sites at Granville Island, presents a variety of events including theater, music, dance, circus, puppetry, and storytelling. Next: May 25-31, 2020

Celebrating Richmond’s historic connection to the sea, the two-day Maritime Festival at the Britannia Shipyards National Historic Site at Steveston draws crowds from across the Lower Mainland to the heritage site where they visit wooden boats, create works of art, and enjoy music and entertainment. Next: July 2020

First organized as a millennium project in 2000, the Surrey International Children’s Festival became an annual event in 2005. The festival celebrates the city’s diverse cultural heritage through performing and visual arts experiences. Each year about 15,000 people attend this City of Surrey festival. Next: May 21-23, 2020

Hobiyee, hosted by the Nisga’a Ts’amiks Vancouver, a nonprofit community organization society, was held at the PNE Forum in 2019. The event celebrates the waxing crescent moon in the latter part of winter each year. The Nisga’a of Ts’amiks Vancouver invite dance groups from other Nations to celebrate with them. The family-friendly event also includes stories and songs. Next: Winter 2020