We had a fantastic time at the 2022 Dragon Boat Festival. The music was fantastic, especially…read moreDesiree Dawson on Sunday afternoon. Races were exciting, open to all ages and genders. How great it was to see that. There could have been more booths and displays, but the curtain is just rising after a pandemic shut down. It was very hot, but we found shade, and we were comfortable. The lines were long to get drinks, but there were lots of people racing, who needed to hydrate afterwards. All in all, we had a great time.

* Foreshadowing of the Olympics *…read more Ok, I love the various multicultural events we have in Vancouver. It is one of the highlights of living in Vancouver. But this one was really just WAAAY too corporate. Watching the races was fun. Although I do wonder why boat #5 won in SOOOO many races. What is up with that?!?!?!? But the bulk of the tents and activities were all major corporations with people mindlessly lining up for their chance to enter a corporate raffle/spin a wheel/get a free sample/etc. So you could have you picture taken in front of the Great Wall of China and get a Cathay Pacific logo on it at their booth, or spin a wheel at the Rogers booth after waiting in a 30 minute line where they hand you fliers about their mobile phone plans, or visit BC Hydro and be told how to save electricity, or stand on line for 30 minutes to get a free bottle of the latest energy drink. Oy...... Perhaps the most disturbing was the folks from Edgewater Casino that were handing out snacks to children and then grabbing the parents to tell them about the wonderful gambling "opportunities" at the Casino. I did enjoy the musical performance by En Karma (http://www.yelp.ca/biz/en-karma-vancouver#hrid:DzcF67lQ4m5fO6WYzGnlwg). They mix traditional bhangra with rock, R&B and reggae - giving a glimpse of the multi-cultural wonder of Vancouver. Bhangra at a Dragon Boat festival. Go figure! Overall I fear this was strong foreshadowing of what will be a terribly corporate time during the Olympics. Bleh!

Thank you Jason W…read more I got some peace, quiet and some rest in this busy airport. Great view of the runways and especially if you are a plane buff, it is always fun to watch all these planes taking off and landing. A lot of the crew and YVR workers seems to enjoy some quiet time here too. Definitely an Oasis if you want some quiet time in the busy YVR airport.

What's not to like about a lounge that offers expansive views of runways, taxiways, airplanes and…read moresome of the scenic panoramas the city of Vancouver has to offer? An upstairs extension of the Island Court dining area in YVR's domestic terminal, the observation area has plenty of seating for diners, binoculars for those who want to zoom into the flight deck and check out the pilots, and airport/Canadian trivia for the aviation geeks. Every airport should definitely have one of these for their resident plane spotters. This one certainly makes up for the lack of decent dining options in YVR.

Home of the Canucks hockey team in Canada. If you stay at the hotels nearby,grab a taxi or Uber…read moreafter games. It's crazy out there. Nice stadium where they were kind to help us get our tickets for the game. The Americans had see through bags to get through security. The Canadians just had to keep their bags small. Signs posted on where to go were great. We got to our seats no problem. Enjoyed the event. Keep up the great work.

so i finally made it to rogers arena for a vancouver canucks vs tampa bay lightning game, and this…read morefelt like peak vancouver energy. getting in was smoother than expected, security looked intense, but the line moved quickly and we were inside in minutes. after a full day of rain, stepping into a packed arena was an instant mood shift. you could feel it right away. we got in right at puck drop and the seats filled up fast. what makes it, though, is the game day experience. the tshirt toss had people off their seats, the jumbotron reactions were actually entertaining (not just filler), and hearing a full arena chant in unison "go canucks go" never gets old. even the intermission pee wee game had the entire crowd invested, which says a lot. pro tip: skip the $50 parking headache. take the vancouver skytrain and get off at stadium-chinatown, it's right there. bonus move is stopping by the downtown costco wholesale beforehand for the famous $1.50 polish dog and drink combo. inside prices are no joke, i paid $31 for popcorn and a drink (yes, both refillable, but still a moment). not gonna lie, the game itself was not great. canucks lost 6 to 2. but honestly, the crowd kept the energy up the whole time, and it stayed super family friendly. also worth mentioning: the 50/50 jackpot hit $186,230, so someone walked out with $93,115. casually life changing. walking back out into the rain with the post game crowd, it didn't even feel like a loss heavy night. between the atmosphere, the traditions, and how easy the whole experience was to navigate, this is one of those venues that delivers even when the team doesn't. would i come back? absolutely, just maybe not for the parking or the concession prices.

To sum it all up in one sentence, the Khatsalano street festival is very much worth a visit…read moreespecially if you love to vibe with people and enjoy great music together. If you want a comparison to the richmond night market, read around the middle part of this review. The only thing that i didn't like was the staff at the information booth because when i asked them about directions, they acted annoyed that i asked them a question. Their tone when they answered my question was not pleasant either. Maybe i caught them when they were in a bad mood. Luckily, that's the only single negative i have to say about this festival. The live music was SO good. I spent a good 15 minutes at each concert stage i passed by because it was so great watching people dance along and just vibing to the music. There was so much variety of music too. From what i remember, there was R&B/hip hop/rap in half french and english by Missy D. i also heard punk rock, and pop rock. The beer gardens near the block ends had a live DJ playing super upbeat stuff like pop, latinx, and EDM. There was so much activity around the beer garden. The queue to go inside snaked around the entire place until there was no more room to let more people in. People were vibing to the music and forming a crowd near the DJ showing off their best moves, it was so awesome to see. There was so many vendors selling and promoting things. I saw vintage clothing, music record labels, cell phone plans from carriers, arts and crafts, jewelry, informational booths promoting startups promoting various things, radio stations giving away stuff, and much more. A lot of the street vendors were giving samples or selling things at the booths outside their own store right behind them. I personally bought a bunch of instant noodles from an asian noodle vendor because they were having a pretty good deal and it came with some swag freebies as a bonus. I then spun a wheel at a startup company booth promoting their pop and won a free can of reduced sugar root beer. Score! The festival was crowded but the street was so wide that it was pretty easy to walk anywhere. The only real traffic jam of people was at the food truck area. It was very crowded because of the lines spreading towards the middle of the road partially blocking people who were passing by. There was plenty of portapotties evenly placed along the street with minimal wait which is great. They were disgusting inside but that's pretty normal at big festivals. The garbage situation appeared very well maintained because the streets were spotless. It was very easy finding a garbage can so I didn't have to hold onto my litter very long. There was definitely police present for crowd control at every block and walking along the street so i felt completely safe at the festival. COMPARISONS TO THE RICHMOND NIGHT MARKET: Compared to the the richmond night market, richmond tops khatsalano it in terms of variety of asian and fun instagram worthy pic making food. But khatsalano had awesome looking grilled burgers and so many food trucks that filled an entire block. Even more, they had actual restaurants selling food outside their retail shop which you could order from and enjoy eating outside. i didn't see any rides, carnival attractions, or carnival games at this event which richmond night market had a ton of. The music here is phenomenal and the vibes are so way more exciting here. Richmond night market, based on my last visit, appears to invite talent from basically anybody who *thinks* they can sing instead of established artists. The most lively area was only near the food area at richmond night market. Khatsalano was super lively wherever upbeat music was present which was basically around every block. The type of vendors selling stuff at khatsalano is way better. So much more variety of things you could buy instead of knock off anime merch or phone cases or the usual made in china stuff they got a richmond night market. Biggest difference is the admission is 100% free at Khatsalano. Richmond charges 7 bucks per person. (edit: $8.50 as of 2025!) OVERALL: Overall, If there's one free street festival in vancouver you shouldn't miss, it's the Khatsalano street festival. If you haven't been yet, don't miss next years event! 4 stars.

huge crowds turned out for the city's largest free music and art festival, taking over ten car free…read moreblocks along west 4th, from burrard all the way to macdonald. with over 200,000 people in attendance, the energy was high from start to finish. best to take transit or walk, parking is limited and can be a nightmare. caution, many cars get towed, if parked in the wrong spot. we always enjoy this event. it's well organized, lively, and fun for all ages. there were eight stages with live music, licensed beer gardens buzzing with people, and rows of food trucks dishing out everything from tacos to lemonade. water refill stations and a misting station offered some relief from the heat, a thoughtful touch on a hot july day. love all the community booths, tents, and brand pop ups lining the street, from small vendors to big corporate sponsorships. my favourite was the fjällräven tent with its spin the wheel and the ever popular blundstone boot toss where people lined up to test their aim. there was a lot of swag to be had and prizes to be won, some based on luck, others on skill, answering a question or by scanning and entering your name and email. the festival runs for one day, from 11:00 am to 9:00 pm, and everyone we encountered was in great spirits, friendly, patient, and just happy to be part of the fun. a sun soaked day of sound, street eats, and community. wear comfy shoes, bring sunscreen, and stay hydrated, you'll want to soak up every moment.

Beautiful arts festival, quite a few different range of artist from ceramics and sculpture (clay,…read moreporcelain, glass, etc.), jewelry, paintings, clothings, and much more. Nice attitude and atmosphere. Good and beautiful environment and inspiring! Do recommend to check it out although this year's Harmony Arts Festival is going to end soon. Music too and a nice view and tables to enjoy sitting there to listen to the music and chat.

Irving House, completed in 1865, is the one oldest homes in the Lower Mainland and it is the oldest…read moreheritage house museum in B.C.! Being a fan of Burnaby Heritage Museum, I never knew about this place until my family told me about it. I came here with my parents, and there were no other visitors other than my family during the entire tour of the house. Tracy, the tour guide, was super friendly and helpful with the tour and I was able to stop and ask any questions during the tour. I loved how Tracy did a vintage vacuum demonstration as I haven't seen anything like it before. I loved the fact that visitors could go upstairs and see the entire house! Many of the items in the home were original from the original owners, though some were purchased or donated from other sources.

Irving House was built in 1865, back when New Westminster was striving to be the capital of British…read moreColumbia. It was lived in by family members up to about 1950, when it was sold to the city of New Westminster, and turned into a historical centre. Thus, if you're a history buff, love antiques (especially Victorian-era pieces), or ever watched the show "America's Castles", you should take a tour of Irving House. The house was built in high style by Captain Irving, a man who made a lot of money in the California, Alaska, and BC Gold Rush, and virtually poured it into the house. The architectural details of the house are interesting and well explained by the costumed guides. Since I was practically the only visitor at the time, I pretty much got my own personal tour. According to them, all the furniture and pieces displayed in the house are authentic to the period - no reproductions (except for some fake food in the kitchen, perhaps). Many belonged to the Irving family and their descendants; others were donated. The house is currently decorated, Victorian-style, for Christmas. Lots of garlands, an amazing Christmas dinner setting, and a beautiful little Christmas tree. Those into old-fashioned decorations should check it out. Legend has it too, that the house is haunted by none other than Captain Irving himself. At the very least, you can see the bed he reportedly died in, and it's one enormous piece of furniture. My guide demurred on confirming the story that an indentation of a body can sometimes be seen in the bedcovers. I saw nothing on my visit, though. In any case, it is New Westminster's oldest surviving home, and thus probably one of the oldest homes in the Vancouver area. It's a wonderful glimpse into what life was like in the early years of British Columbia, if you were high society folk. Admission is by donation, so it's affordable even for writers to visit.

To admit, I most definitely was not expecting to stumble upon a cannery while getting lost and…read morelooking for Garry Point Park... but here we are! At the time of visit, admission was free for the day - yay! Having been to Tsukiji Fish Market in Japan, I was pretty excited to see how this cannery developed and to learn more about the industry. There are many exhibits on site to learn about the history of cannery and some interactive exhibits to understand what the daily life of a fisherman might have been like - fun photo opportunities to say the least. There are guided tours and events, too, so make sure to do some research beforehand if interested! After visiting the cannery, there's a little gift shop with souvenirs for purchase - highly recommend a stop here! I wish I had known about this earlier and budgeted more time to explore and learn...

It's a museum on the history of fishing and canning in Steveston. There are free admission on…read morecertain days during the year, especially in summer. Take advantage of that and learn a bit of the history. It is interesting. There are old artifacts of what the fishing boat interior looks like, living quarters of the crew, the canning process and assembly line. There is also an area for kids to learn and explore. A gift shop is by the entrance.

Celebration of Light is back for 2022 after a two year hiatus!…read more We were in town and got to catch the first week of CoL and it was Japan! This event is fully stocked with lots of food trucks, live music and other fun booths. All the locals we spoke to said get there early (like 2-3pm) to get a spot on the beach or just give it up and watch from the street, which would also be crowded. They do offer some stadium seats for a price (they sell out online early), but after reading the reviews, we decided to take our chances in the free public areas. Cactus Club at English Bay usually sells tickets too, but they were closed for a private event on this day. We forgot our invite! Haha. 3:30pm: We arrived and it didn't look too bad. There were still empty spots here and there on the grass and benches. We decided to grab some food and drinks nearby. 5pm: We got spots on one of the benches (no shade)! Still a decent amount of space in between people on the benches and lawn. 7pm: Red Bull air show. Exhilarating! Aerobatic pilot Pete McLeod is such a daredevil! 8:30pm: Starting to get too close for comfort. People jamming in spots that can't really fit an adult person. 10pm: The main event! Crowded everywhere...shoulder to shoulder. 25 minutes of spectacular fireworks! What a show! We were disappointed we couldn't hear the synced music though... I have to give props out to the Canadians. For the most part, this event was well organized and everyone behaved themselves more or less. There was a good amount of police presence. It was a cool to experience this event live once. I watched it on YouTube a couple days later complete with music and all from my couch at home and it might arguably have been even better.

FIREWORKS. I've…read moreseen the Celebration of Light twice now, and I love it. This is now a family tradition. You can pay for a ticket to reserve a seat on a bleacher or join the thousands who grab a blanket or lawn chair and park a squat or stand in the street for free for the same - or better - view. Bring a picnic and some cards and make a day of it. This is a must do Vancouver situation, held the last week of July/first week of August. Make sure to bring a radio to hear the music much better vs. through the speakers broadcast through the crowds. Be prepared to deal with the throngs of people walking afterwards and not finding a cab. You'll be pumped from the show(s) you see anyway to give you the boost to hike to your vehicle.