BC Living
11 B.C. Restaurants Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with Food and Drink Specials
3 Seasoning Recipes You Can Make Yourself
Recipe: Prawns in a Mushroom, Tomato, Feta and Ouzo Sauce
Attention, Runners: Here are 19 Road Races Happening in B.C. in Spring 2025
Nature’s Pharmacy: 8 Herbal Boutiques in BC
How Barre Enhances Your Flexibility
Inviting the Steller’s Jay to Your Garden
6 Budget-friendly Holiday Decor Pieces
Dream Home: $8 Million for a Modern Surprise
Local Getaway: Relax at a Nordic-Inspired Cabin in Golden
Local Getaway: Rest and Recharge at a Rustic Cabin in Jordan River
9 Travel Essentials to Bring on Your Next Flight
B.C. Adventures: Things to Do in March
B.C. Adventures: Things to Do in February
5 Beautiful and Educational Nature and Wildlife Tours in BC
AUDI: Engineered to Make You Feel
7 Relaxing Bath and Shower Products from Canadian Brands
8 Rain Jackets That Are Ready for Spring Showers
From music festivals to acrobats dancing in tall ships to a downtown zombie march, Vancouver offers plenty of ways to have fun without spending a cent
Now that summer is finally here, you want to get up and get out! But the season of being beach-ready and sun-kissed also means costly pre-tans, pedicures and property tax payouts. No worries: there are lots of things to do in Vancouver that don’t require a trip to the ATM.
So once you’re done with old standards like the Grouse Grind, the Seawall and Lynn Canyon, here are a few more incredible events to experience in Vancouver for free this summer…
Canada is marking its 150th this year, but as we all know our First Nations have a much longer legacy to celebrate, which will once again be on display in this annual cultural showcase. The largest edition to date, it will feature a mix of traditional art, stories, songs and dances, as well as a bit of hip-hop, soul, roots, and blues, courtesy acclaimed indigenous artists like JB the First Lady. Also on the menu: lacrosse, canoeing and food trucks galore! Trout Lake; 12 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Party4Health is a group devoted to mounting hip, healthy, substance-abuse free parties that “contribute to social, physical and community well-being in Vancouver.” They’ll be hosting several events around the city this summer, including this, their answer to a pub crawl; open to all ages, the beach crawl will help you recon the best sandy spots for the upcoming dog days, with stops all along the Spanish Banks, complete with frisbee, volleyball, slacklining, beach parties and more. Starts 5:30 p.m. at Hadden Park (Kits Beach)
Back for its 32nd swingin’ year, the Jazz Fest will be taking over pretty much every neighbourhood in Vancouver and parts of the North Shore with free concerts. The main stage on Georgia Street will also mark the official opening of the new public square behind the Vancouver Art Gallery, which has been under renovation for what seems like years! Our top picks: Festival d’été Afro-Canadian Collaboration at North Van’s Civic Plaza (14th and Lonsdale) at 3 p.m. on June 24, and local favourite Five Alarm Funk at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 24, on the main stage.Various venues across Vancouver and the North Shore
The 29th annual Concord Pacific Vancouver Dragon Boat Fesitval attracts over 100,000 spectators to the shores of False Creek and Creekside Park to cheer on teams of charity rowers and groove to live performances on the World Beat Stage from the likes of folk and funk rockers Samson’s Delilah and the worldly psychedelic beats of MNGWA. False Creek
This free public festival offers a single day of tours and behind-the-scenes access to 16 of the city’s most striking architectural creations, including historic Vancouver City Hall, the stunning “labyrinth of pipes, heat pumps and boilers” that is the False Creek Energy Centre, the Marine Building (a.k.a formerly the tallest in the British Empire) and the iconically majestic Orpheum. Various locations; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The little cousin of the big Pride Parade that’ll take over the West End in August, East Side Pride is an alcohol-free, family-friendly affair featuring drag performances, salsa lessons, live performances by local acts like alt-pop outfit Carousel Scene and plenty of vendors hawking eclectic array of wares. Grandview Park off Commercial Drive (1657 Charles Street); 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.
A touch of Santorini, Chania and maybe even a little Mikonos takes over the heart of Kits, as Broadway is blocked off for a kilometre, yielding to an array of vendors, food, live music and more bouzoukis than you can shake a souvlaki at.Broadway Street (MacDonald to Blenheim); 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; more information here
Who doesn’t love a good fish tale? This 25-minute multimedia installation captures the remarkable life journey of Pacific sockeye salmon as they make their way across three B.C. rivers, all digitally projected onto the underside of Cambie Bridge. View from Coopers’ Park; premieres Wednesday, June 28, 10 p.m.; runs nightly Tuesday-Saturday through September 24; capacity 800 people
Our country is 150 years old and there are just about that many free events taking place to celebrate. Our top picks include the Vancouver Canada Day two-day bash at Canada Place on July 1 and 2, with live entertainment, a pancake breakfast and, of course, fireworks; the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra Outdoor Canada Day Concert at 8:30 p.m. at Whistler Plaza; and the Surrey Canada Day celebrations at the Bill Reid Amphitheatre.
Fresh Air Cinema presents weekly free outdoor screenings of camp classics and family favourites, including The LEGO Batman Movie, Goonies, the Pride Week Beauty and the Beast singalong and closing with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.Stanley Park, Ceperley Meadow/2nd Beach in between the water and Stanley Park Drive; Tuesday nights after sunset
Billed as the city’s largest music and arts festival, a pretty impressive roster of more than 50 local bands, headlined by alt-rockers The Zolas, will perform across several stages, while attendees sample a 10-block spread of “food options, bustling patios, giveaways, special activities, and licensed beer gardens.”West 4th Ave. from Burrard to MacDonald; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
The largest Latin American festival in the Pacific Northwest, this south-of-several-borders street party is the perfect place to brush up on your merengue moves while noshing on tamales tolimenses.Concord Pacific grounds, north False Creek
Did you make a fool of yourself at Carnaval del Sol? Get some practice in for next year by checking out this annual open floor, with free salsa classes at 3 p.m., exhibitions from some of Vancouver’s finest at 5 p.m. and, all-new for 2017, an “after party” beginning at 7 p.m. that switches things up with a different style each week—from West Coast Swing to KizombaRobson Square
It’s the 10th anniversary of this yearly mash-up of food, culture and music from over 45 different cultures that make up the Lower Mainland’s diverse population. Once again, there are dance and choral performances throughout the day, a kids zone, a march of participating nations and this year’s headliner: B.C.’s own Nelly Furtado.Holland Park in Surrey
Another safe, sober, absurdly fun shindig from the aforementioned Party4Health. This one’s a full-on disco-themed bike rave with tricked-out rollers, costumed riders and hella twinkling lights will parade along a route to be determined.Route TBD; 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Learn to dance while you drink in nature’s splendour. If you didn’t hop onto the Zumba train back in the day, this series of free weekly classes should give your Monday evenings a lift (not to mention your butt!). North Point of Canada Place; Mondays 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. (no class Aug. 7 for BC Day)
Bang! Boom! Join hundreds of thousands of suburban families and packs of roving teens for the annual fireworks battle between Canada, Japan and the U.K. In honour of our country’s big birthday, this year each team was tasked with including an “iconic Canadian song” into their light show. English Bay, 10 p.m. nightly; Japan display: Saturday, July 29; U.K. display: Wednesday, August 2; Canada display: Saturday, August 5
Because it takes place the same weekend as the last Celebration of Light and the Pride Parade, the Powell Street Festival in Oppenheimer Park in Vancouver’s East Side is often overlooked. This is the event’s 41st anniversary, making it one of the longest continuously running cultural festivals in the Lower Mainland. Look for Japanese food vendors, traditional costumes and the breakout stars of Australia’s Got Talent, George and Noriko, who play Delta blues with traditional American and Japanese instruments. Oppenheimer Park in Vancouver; 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Billed as the 39th annual Vancouver Pride Parade (depending on whom you speak to, they might argue the 38th or even 37th), expect packed streets along the parade route and over 100 floats. Best spots to watch: Robson and Denman with drag hostess Conni Smudge, and Davie at Denman with running commentary by announcer Joan-E.Robson Street to Denman Street to Beach Avenue; 12 p.m. start
Anyone up for a 75-minute acrobatic show (à la Cirque du Soleil) performed in the masts of 100-foot tall ship moored in False Creek? The theme is climate change, and it’s explored via “an operatic fable about monarch migrants searching for refuge on a drowned planet, sung in many tongues.” Enough said!On the seawall in Southeast False Creek between the Cambie Bridge and Olympic Village
Join the lurching masses in full gory regalia as they terrorize downtown. The horde assembles at the Vancouver Art Gallery before shuffling west on Robson, then hanging a left on Denman and ending up at the Laughing Statues in English Bay. Then, it’s off to The Hindenburg on West Cordova for an undead after-party at the sort of “dive bar” that caters to dishevelled corpses like you! Meet at Vancouver Art Gallery (750 Hornby Street) at 3 p.m.; walk takes place 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.; after-party 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
