We’ve already rounded up all of the hot events taking place in Toronto and Montreal this summer and now we’re back with 30 epic events taking place in Vancouver over the next few months.
From beach festivals to street parties and food fests, Vancouverites are going to be busy in the best possible ways this summer.
So grab a pen and mark your calander, these are the 30 summer events you need to check out.
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Vancouver Craft Beer Week
Date: May 27th – June 5th
Where: Throughout the city
Music, food, and beer – what more could you want at a summer event? For ten days you can check out some of the best local and international craft beers and events set up throughout the city. Not to mention there will be plenty of live music so you can get your summer started with a bang.
TEDx Stanley Park
Date: May 28th
Where: Queen Elizabeth Theatre
With the theme of Ideas to Action, this year’s event features over a dozen motivational and inspirational speakers as well as four TED Talk videos.
European Festival
Date: May 28th – 29th
Where: Swangard Stadium
Featuring food and performances from dozens of European cultures, the European Festival offers a variety of ethnic food, dancing, and musical performances.
Photo – Ukrainian Festival
Bard on the Beach
Date: June 3rd – September 24th
Where: Vanier Park
The Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival features world-class series of Shakespearean productions and has been going on for over 25 years. If you like theatre and you like Shakespeare, then this is a festival you won’t want to miss. This summer’s performances include Romeo and Juliet, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Othello, and Pericles.
Italian Day
Date: June 12th
Where: Commercial Drive
Italian Day on The Drive represents the celebration of Italian culture and the contributions made to Vancouver by Italian immigrants. This vibrant cultural street festival will feature amazing food and incredible music and it’s an event you won’t want to miss.
Levitation Vancouver
Date: June 17th – 18th
Where: Malkin Bowl
This two-day festival features a wide range of international and local talent across the musical spectrum, with an emphasis on artists that have an experimental and/or psychedelic edge. You’ll also find art installations and plenty of food trucks.
Photo – Levitation Austin
Dragon Boat Festival
Date: June 17th – 19th
Where: False Creek
The Festival combines competitive and recreational dragon boat racing with live music, circus acts, family entertainment and local and international food.
Car Free Day
Date: June 18th – 19th
Where: Commercial Drive, Main Street, and Denman Street
Car Free Day is celebrated on Commercial Drive and Main Street on Father’s Day Sunday, on Denman Street the day before, and in Kitsilano on both days of the Father’s Day weekend. There are plenty of festivities and events lined up for all of those neighbourhoods.
Tough Mudder
Date: June 18th – 19th
Where: Whistler
Rally up your toughest crew and head to Whistler for a weekend of obstacles, challenges, and plenty of fun. Get ready to get dirty.
Photo – Obstacle Race Magazine
TD Jazz Festival
Date: June 24th – July 3rd
Where: Throughout the city
The TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival is BC’s largest music festival and attracts close to 1800 artists. The festival consists of some 300 concerts at close to three dozen venues over the course of two weeks.
Greek Day
Date: June 26th
Where: Broadway Avenue
Come celebrate all things Greek. There will be plenty of live music, activities, dancing, and of course, incredible food.
Food Cart Fest
Date: June 28th — September 6th (every Sunday)
Where: Olympic Village
Dubbed “Vancouver’s largest gathering of street food,” the 2016 Food Cart Fest will bring together the city’s best food carts. Aside from food, this summer event will also feature community markets, live music, kids’ activities, and more.
Canada Day
Date: July 1st
Where: Throughout the City (and Country, duh)
There will be events throughout the city but the busiest spot will definitely be at Canada Place. Don’t forget to check out the fireworks in Burrard Inlet.
FVDED In the Park
Date: July 2nd – 3rd
Where: Holland Park
This large urban music festival features over two dozen hip-hop, R&B, electronic and rap music artists. Jack U, Zedd, Travis Scott, Bryson Tiller and Carnage will be headlining.
Indian Summer Fest
Date: July 7th – 16th
Where: Goldcorp Centre for the Arts
This multi-arts festival features some of the finest artists and visionaries from Canada, South Asia and beyond. From award-winning novelists to innovative social entrepreneurs to world-renowned musicians, Indian Summer Festival has presented emerging artists as well as Nobel, Booker, Grammy and Oscar prize nominees on its stages.
Photo – Indian Summer
Center of Gravity
Date: July 8th – 10th
Where: City Park
For three days you can catch some extreme sports and some incredible musicians like Skrillex, Ice Cube, Afrojack, and Machine Gun Kelly, all while partying on the beach in beautiful Kelowna. Don’t forget your sunscreen, this event is going to be hot.
Symphony in the Park
Date: July 10th
Where: Deer Lake Park
There’s nothing quite as magical as listening to the symphony under the stars. Make your way to Burnaby’s Deer Lake Park for a free performance by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.
Pemberton Music Festival
Date: July 14th — 17th
Where: Pemberton, BC
Rally up your troops and dust off your camping gear, Pemberton is back with its annual summer music fest. This year you can take in the sounds of Pearl Jam, The Killers, J. Cole, Snoop Dog, Kaskade, and many more. Early bird and advance tickets are already sold out with regular tickets starting at $315.
Vancouver Folk Festival
Date: July 15th — 17th
Where: Jericho Beach
The Vancouver Folk Festival is a cultural institution and has been attracting music aficionados for 39 successful years. This year Lord Huron, The Americans, Martin Harley, and many more.
Carribean Days
Date: July 23rd — 24th
Where: Waterfront Park
Hosted by the Trinidad and Tobago Cultural Society of BC, Carribean Days features live music, incredible cuisine, carnival and culture that only the Caribbean can offer. Over the years, the festival has grown into the largest Caribbean event on the local calendar.
Honda Celebration of Light
Date: July 23rd, 27th, and 30th
Where: English Bay
This is easily one of the must-attend events of the summer. The festival features live music and a world-class fireworks competition with pyrotechnic displays by a different country each night.
Photo – dalan861228
Pride
Date: July 31st
Where: Events throughout the city
Come celebrate Vancouver’s LGBTTQ community. Catch the amazing parade that takes place along Denman and Robson Street and then head to Sunset Beach for live music, food, and plenty of activities.
KitsFest
Date: August 5th — 7th
Where: Kitsalano
This sports festival will take place on Kits beach and feature non-stop yoga, tennis, volleyball, water polo, basketball, and lots of live music.
Crankworx
Date: August 12th — 21st
Where: Whistler
Crankworx brings the world’s downhill, slopestyle and enduro legends home to the superfans, rising stars, industry innovators and the next generation of mountain bike riders for 10 days of competition and mountain bike culture.
Photo – Laurence-Ce
SeaWheeze
Date: August 12th — 13th
Where: Vancouver Convention Centre and throughout downtown
This two-day event is packed with running, yoga, and plenty of good times. Hosted by lululemon, this annual weekend includes a half marathon, sunset yoga along the ocean, and the epic SeaWheeze Sunset Festival which will be taking place at Brockton Fields Stanley Park this year.
Abbotsford Air Show
Date: August 12th — 14th
Where: Abbotsford Airport
This three-day event draws aircraft and spectators from around the world which highlights appearances by Canada’s Snowbirds, Canadian Forces parachute teams, and demonstrations by Canadian Forces.
TD Chinatown Festival
Date: August 13th — 14th
Where: Chinatown (Columbia and Keefer Street)
Come to Vancouver’s historic Chinatown to experience the biggest multicultural summer celebration in town. Festival activities included day market, “Historical & Food Tasting Walking tour”, multicultural stage performances, and an epic street fest.
Photo – Mashed Thoughts
Diner en Blanc
Date: August 18th
Where: Location will be disclosed the day of
The annual dinner soiree is back for its 5th year and will invitethousands of participants to dress in all white and bring their our own chairs, table, food, cutlery and dishware for an unforgetable dinner under the stars.
Vancouver Craft Brew Cruise
Date: August 19th — 20th
Where: False Creek
Beer and boat cruises go hand-in-hand. Which is why there’s no better way to spend August 19th and 20th than aboard one of the largest ships in the local harbour. There will be two sailings available, each running for a three-hour tour around the False Creek. Aboard you’ll have access to some of the best local craft brewers and their tasty brews.
The Fair at the PNE
Date: August 20th — September 5th
Where: Pacific National Exhibition
The annual fair returns this August with all the classic attractions and plenty of food options. Don’t forget to eat your body weight in mini donuts and go for a ride on the wooden roller coaster…just maybe not in that order.
Photo – Karla Lim
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