When the sun comes out, there is no better place to be than Vancouver. Summer usually means a packed schedule with a number of amazing events! Locals make the most out of the summer by attending tons of exciting outdoor parties, festivals, and celebrations, so why not join them? Check our list of the major events in Vancouver and hop right into the unforgettable summer, the Vancouverites’ favorite time of the year! Source: https://www.straight.com/life/1092996/best-free-canada-day-2018-celebrations-metro-vancouver
Canada Day
The summer starts with the annual Canada Day celebration at Canada Place on July 1, 2019. This event attracts over 250 000 visitors every year who join the largest Canada Day celebration in western Canada. The program starts off at 9:30 am with a traditional Citizenship Ceremony that welcomes 60 new Canadians into the country. Visitors can enjoy a day of live entertainment, family activities, tons of food, exhibits and much more. In the evening the sky lights up with fireworks and the crowd cheers as Vancouver celebrates Canada’s 152 birthday.
Date: July 1
Location: Canada Place and surrounding city streets
Car Free Day On The Drive
Commercial Drive is a creative neighborhood on the east side of the city with unique shopping, food, and entertainment. The local community supports the eclectic vibe of this area and spreads the love for its heritage history. The first Car Free Day took place right here in 2005 and ever since then Commercial Drive stays to the story behind the festival to provide car-free spaces and green culture for the communities. This year, the festival will stretch across 15 blocks featuring amazing local musicians, artists, delicious food and tons of activities and entertainment. Take a bus or Skytrain and join the festivities car-free!
Date: July 7, 2019
Location: Commercial Drive
The Honda Celebration of Light
The world’s largest offshore firework competition is a week-long festival and for its 29th year, it will feature the thrilling line-up of pyrotechnic competing teams from India, Canada, and Croatia. Performing for the first time in Vancouver, India, and Croatia are set to take to the skies above English Bay.
Saturday, July 27, 2019 - India
Wednesday, July 31, 2019 - Canada
Saturday, August 3, 2019 - Croatia
Location: English Bay
The Vancouver Pride Festival
Hosted by Vancouver Pride Society, The Vancouver Pride Festival takes place every year on the first week of August. The Vancouver Pride Parade usually happens on the Sunday in West End, along Davie Street. This street is famous for its rainbow colors and gay-friendly atmosphere at any time of the year. The Pride Festival is full of events, music, rainbow colors, crazy costumes and festive atmosphere celebrated not only by Vancouver’s LGBTQ2+ community but by the entire city and visitors from around the world.
Date: July 29 - August 5, 2019
Location: West End / Davie Street
Bard On The Beach
Western Canada’s largest professional Shakespeare Festival, Bard on the Beach celebrates the 30th anniversary season. The Festival offers Shakespeare’s plays, related dramas and a few special events from June through September in Vancouver’s Vanier Park. In 2019, this season runs with four productions on two stages: the hilarious Wild West story The Taming of the Shrew; the Elizabethan-era romantic comedy, Shakespeare in Love and two innovative new productions: Shakespeare’s All’s Well That Ends Well, set in India and sparked with South-Asian music and dance, and Coriolanus, a no-holds-barred political tragedy.
Brahm’s Tams Drum Circle
Brahm’s Tams Drum Circle is a semi-informal gathering of drummers at Stanley Park’s Third Beach on sunny Tuesday evenings in the summer. The location is just a short walk north of the Stanley Park Teahouse which is located at 7501 Stanley Park Drive. It’s a free event where dozens of drummers and thousands of drumming fans gather to listen to the beats of djembes and watch the sunset over English Bay. The months of June, July and August are always the best to attend as they attract the biggest crowds. Sessions usually start in the late afternoon and are in full swing and at their busiest by sunset.
