10 New Vancouver Venues for 2019 Winter Meetings and Events

The iconic copper-roof Fairmont Hotel Vancouver completed the final phase of a five-year renovation this spring. The downtown hotel has a new lobby and restaurant, 557 new guest rooms, and an additional 8,000 square feet of function space. The last step of the $75 million project was the redesign of the Fairmont Gold experience, which now includes a ninth-floor private lounge and three-bedroom suites that have a living room, kitchen, and dining room that can seat 10 guests. The hotel also features two grand ballrooms, 22 function rooms, and a total 63,000 square feet of event space.

Located in Davie Village, the bar and lounge Kiss & Tell opened in November. Upon entering its distinctive red door, guests will find themselves in a glowing space with brick walls and retro wallpaper. On Tuesday nights, the venue showcases live entertainment including performances by singers, dancers, poets, and comedians while guests sip cocktails and enjoy healthy snacks from the menu. The space also has a heated patio with a retractable roof; overall the venue holds about 200 people.

In May, House of Funk Brewing Co. opened in the newly approved Shipyards Brewery District in Lower Lonsdale. As both a brewery and coffee roaster, the spot offers a variety of beers made with its small batch system as well as an espresso bar that serves freshly roasted coffee and baked goods. Located by the water, the venue can accommodate 65 guests in a space decorated with vintage-looking furniture, wooden barrels, a colorful graffiti-style wall, and florescent tube lights that give the space a neon glow in the evenings. Through two rainbow-shaded windows, guests can also admire the machinery that produces their beverages.

A restaurant and karaoke venue in Fairview, Privé has 10 karaoke rooms that vary in size; the largest fits as many as 25 guests. Opened in September, the venue encompasses a 7,000-square-foot interior and a 2,000-square-foot patio. Besides singing, guests can also spend time in the kitchen and bar area that serves food and drinks throughout the day, from brunch to happy hour to late-night. The venue also features a games lounge with darts, beer pong, large-size Jenga, and more.

The Wallace, a modern-industrial event space, opened in September on the third floor of the reconstructed Machine Shop. The 3,400-square-foot venue is a blank canvas for events that can be furnished and decorated to suit a variety of styles. The venue provides amenities such as a built-in projector, an in-house speaker system with two wireless microphones, 30 banquet tables, and 200 foldable garden chairs. The space has a capacity of 150 seated guests or 200 cocktail style. Its 2,400-square-foot terrace provides room for another 200 guests, as well as skyline and water views.

Another venue in the Shipyards District, the Pipe Shop is a restored heritage building from the 1940s that has been available for event rental since 2015. After a round of renovations, the 9,000-square-foot venue reopened in April with full heating and cooling systems, ceiling acoustic treatments, and upgraded lighting. The space is characterized by original wooden beams, festoon lighting, concrete floors, and wall-spanning windows. It can be styled to suit weddings, corporate events, markets, and more, and has a capacity of 300 seated guests or 500 for receptions.

Named for the loud method of communication on the trading floor, Open Outcry is a cocktail bar that opened in October in the former Vancouver Stock Exchange. The space embraces elements of the building’s history in its interior design, with Gatsby-style patterns and a period-theme mural. The bar offers several classics, martinis, and gin and tonics, as well as some of its own creations, and on weekdays it is open for lunch with dishes like corned beef sandwiches and duck confit. The venue seats 88 or holds 120 reception style, and has a semiprivate area for groups of 18.

A small wine bar, VV Tapas Lounge is situated in the new Strathcona Village condominium complex in downtown Eastside. Opened in September, the lounge offers an extensive drinks list with internationally and locally sourced wine, and a food menu with small plates like fresh shucked oysters and charcuterie boards, as well as desserts. With a capacity of 40 seated or 60 for receptions, the venue is available for wine tastings, family-style dinners, or private events. It has a trendy look with a vine-covered wall, a circular bar shelf, blue velvet booths, and oddly-shaped pendant lighting.

A speakeasy located on Main Street in Mount Pleasant, Key Party is fashioned with red walls, velvet curtains, and an elaborate mural that acts as the backdrop of the bar and the centerpiece of the space. The entryway to this secretive space is the facade of an old accounting office with “Zottenberg & Sons” printed in gold type on its window. From the same owners of the Rumpus Room next door, the 50-seat bar offers colorful cocktails, layered shots (including one that incorporates fruity tapioca pearls), and a list of bar snacks and small bites.

Browns Socialhouse Queen Elizabeth Theatre opened in October. The convivial concept—with an 80-inch double-sided TV and big projector screen for game days or private events—is located on the plaza at Queen Elizabeth Theatre. The 260-seat venue features a sushi bar, an expansive covered patio, and a tribute wall to the theater's performers over the past six decades.