40+ Fun Date Ideas Around Vancouver

Looking for interesting date ideas beyond the usual dinner or drinks? Whether you’re a brand-new couple just getting to know each other or smug marrieds celebrating a silver wedding anniversary, you’re sure to find some appealing suggestions here for memorable dates in Metro Vancouver.

1. Get mesmerized by jellies

The Vancouver Aquarium isn’t just for schoolchildren on field trips. See sharks, sea lions, octopuses, sea otters and axolotls up close. Wander around the Amazon gallery to check out sloths, monkeys, scarlet ibises and parakeets. And be sure to spend some time in front of the huge tank of jellies, watching these otherworldly invertebrates gently drifting around.

2. Learn improv

Learn the power of “Yes, and…” at an improv workshop with Blind Tiger or The Improv Centre.

3. Eat brunch

Dinner dates are common, but brunch dates can be more fun and less pressure. Plus, you get to enjoy waffles, pancakes, Benedicts and smoothies. Eat as many of these as your heart desires at Bottomless Weekend Brunch at ARC at the Fairmont Waterfront.

4. Cheer for the home team

Spend a sunny afternoon rooting for the Vancouver Canadians at Nat Bailey Stadium. Even if you don’t love baseball, you can’t help but enjoy the sushi races at the top of the fourth inning. If you’re really hoping for sparks to fly, choose one of the many nights with post-game fireworks.

5. Dance outside

Put on your dancing shoes and make your way to Sunday Afternoon Salsa and Bachata in Robson Square. These free alfresco events feature lessons, social dancing and performances.

6. Smash stuff

Have fun breaking things—and letting someone else clean up the mess—at the Anger Room in Richmond. You can throw small things such as dishes and glasses, larger items including printers and televisions, or your own stuff.

7. Volunteer for a few hours

For a truly memorable date, spend part of a day giving back. As just two examples, you could volunteer at an event such as the Vancouver Pride Run and Walk, or take part in a beach cleanup organized by Surfrider.

8. Take a tumble

Do a drop-in class at Vancouver Circus School, where you can literally learn how to fall for each other.

9. Jump out of a plane

Want the ultimate adrenaline rush on a date? Jump out of a perfectly good plane in Abbotsford with Skydive Vancouver.

10. Take a hike

Lace up your hiking boots and take your sweetie for a long hike on the North Shore. If you’d prefer more of a stroll than a hike, head to Stanley Park, Pacific Spirit Park or the seawall.

11. Sing your heart out

Spend a few hours singing your favourite songs at fun karaoke spots such as Fantacity or Switch. Bonus points if you try a classic duet such as “Summer Nights” by John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John from Grease, or “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” by Elton John and Kiki Dee.

12. Laugh out loud

Spend an evening getting your funny bones tickled at an improv show by The Comedy Department in the West End or a stand-up comedy performance at Little Mountain Gallery in Gastown.

13. Visit a fortune-teller

Find out more about your future by visiting a psychic at metaphysical destinations such as The Oracle in West Vancouver or Phoenix Rising Metaphysical Emporium in Langley.

14. Learn a new artistic skill

Take lessons together in a new-to-you artistic pursuit. Tufted With Love offers classes in rug tufting, Kawaii Decoden, fluid painting, mosaic art and Cloisonné wire art. Baaad Anna’s teaches knitting, crocheting, felting and loom weaving. Claymates regularly offers multi-week pottery classes along with occasional 2.5-hour Clay Dates for two people.

15. Watch the skies

Connect with the cosmos at H.R. MacMillan Space Centre, then venture outside the city after dark to see all the stars in the night sky.

16. Look for filming locations

Everything from Smallville to Battlestar Galactica to Deadpool has been filmed here. Do a bit of internet sleuthing to find out the filming locations of your fave shot-in-Vancouver movie or TV show, then spend an afternoon visiting popular movie sites such as the Marine Building, the Vancouver Art Gallery and Simon Fraser University.

17. Visit an amusement park

Hopping on all the rides at Playland is the perfect date for teenagers, and there’s no reason adults can’t give it a whirl, too. Enjoy screaming your lungs out together on the Hellevator or the iconic wooden rollercoaster.

18. Go fly a kite

On a windy day, Vanier Park, Spanish Banks and Richmond’s Garry Point Park are all perfect places to fly a kite with your boo.

19. Get cooking

Learn new cooking skills by taking a class together on Thai cuisine, seafood, brunch and much more at The Dirty Apron.

20. Go whale watching

 

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Go on a tour with Vancouver Whale Watch or Prince of Whales to see these majestic mammals in the wild. Or just wander along the seawall and hope for the best—orcas, humpbacks and a lone grey whale have been spotted feeding along our shorelines frequently in recent weeks.

21. Hang out with cats

 

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Visit all the feisty felines at Richmond’s RAPS Cat Sanctuary, the largest facility of its kind in Canada. Visitors and volunteers are welcome at this no-kill sanctuary, which is filled largely with cats deemed unadoptable due to age, disease or behaviour problems. Or grab a coffee and spend some quality time with all the adorable adoptable animals at Catfe in downtown Vancouver.

22. Visit a dog park

Even if you don’t have a pooch of your own, off-leash dog parks are some of the happiest spots in the city to while away an hour or two. Highly recommended are both Hadden Park and Coopers’ Park.

23. Pick berries

A fun warm-weather date is picking strawberries, blueberries or raspberries at Canwest Farms in Richmond. Try not to eat too many at once!

24. Cook your own food in a restaurant

Enjoy all the best parts of cooking at home combined with the best parts of eating out by visiting a Korean restaurant where you barbecue the meats yourself, such as Kook or Sura.

25. Do a sauna and a cold plunge

As Scandinavian folks have long known, a cycle of sauna-cold-relax is good for you both physically and mentally. Places are popping up all around Vancouver where you can feel the heat then take the plunge, including Tevah, AetherHaus and Kolm. Or head out on a floating sauna with High Tide Sauna, where you can work up a sweat before plunging off the boat into the Pacific Ocean.

Read More: Where to Relax in Vancouver for Every Wellness Seeker

26. Learn about Vancouver’s macabre history

If you and your bae have an affinity for the macabre, visit the Vancouver Police Museum and Archives to wander through Vancouver’s old morgue and learn about the city’s history of crime and violence. Or venture out with Forbidden Vancouver Walking Tours to learn about crime, ghosts or the dark secrets of Stanley Park.

27. See art outdoors

Walk along the waterfront and admire all the larger-than-life public art. Top Instagram-worthy stops include A-maze-ing Laughter in English Bay, Digital Orca outside the Vancouver Convention Centre, LightShed in Coal Harbour and Engagement in Sunset Beach Park.

28. Eat a lot of street food

Bring a healthy appetite to the Richmond Night Market, where more than 100 food stalls are the main attraction.

29. Throw axes

Try throwing axes—not at each other!—at Academie Duello. Practicing this ancient skill is a surprisingly joyful activity.

30. Visit a board game cafe

 

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Head to Pizzeria Ludica in Vancouver or New Westminster, or visit Mench Cafe in North Vancouver to play a board game while noshing.

31. Test your knowledge

Work as a team answering trivia questions. Popular weekly trivia nights include Wednesdays at Moose’s Down Under and Mondays at The Junction Pub.

32. Watch a drag show

Head to 1181 Lounge, Numbers Cabaret or countless other lively destinations along Davie Street to check out a drag show.

33. Try to escape

Challenge yourselves to figure out the clues and solve an escape room before the timer runs out. Popular choices include Find and Seek and i-Exit.

34. Learn how to make dumplings

 

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Sign up for Judy Lam Maxwell’s dumplings class and learn how to make delicious dumplings by hand. Plus, you’ll be taught a bit about Vancouver’s Chinatown at the same time.

35. Do a private jam sesh

Rent a studio at Pandora’s Box and make some beautiful music together.

36. Browse a farmers’ market

Stroll around a farmer’s market on a sunny weekend morning. Enjoy live entertainment, grab lunch from a food truck, and pick up fresh ingredients to make dinner later.

37. Do a food tour

Food tours aren’t just for tourists. Learn about Vancouver’s delicious dining scene while visiting multiple restos with Vancouver Foodie Tours or Taste Vancouver Food Tours.

38. Hunt for bargains

Summertime weekend mornings are ideal for finding garage sales, or all year round, you can visit shops selling antiques and one-of-a-kind treasures.

Read More: Top Brands, Bargains and Hidden Gems: 8 Thrifting Secrets from Local Pros

39. Have a picnic

It’s a classic date idea for good reason: picnicking is fun. Load up a picnic basket, then head to Third Beach in Stanley Park, David Lam Park in Yaletown or Trout Lake in East Vancouver. For the ultimate upscale picnicking adventure, sign up for this year’s Le Dîner en Blanc Vancouver.

40. Wander around IKEA

 

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For a fun, low-cost date, head to IKEA. The people-watching is always interesting, or you might find a bargain in the as-is section. End your outing in the store’s eatery with a hot dog or Swedish meatballs.

41. Watch a movie

Instead of heading to a regular movie theatre, watch a film outdoors on a giant inflatable screen with Evo Summer Cinema. Or head to the Rio Theatre to watch old movies such as Terminator 2 and Fight Club.