Vancouver’s best places to experience history and culture include its museums, art galleries, historic sites, theatres and other performing arts venues.

This article contains information about the following topics:

Best Places for Culture | Best Places for History | First Nations Culture and History | Cultural Events Calendar | Other Information

Places for History and Culture

Vancouver is a cosmopolitan and ethnically-diverse city full not only of West Coast Canadian culture and history, including that of the local First Nations, but also the culture of its many ethnically diverse populations.

As you will see from the list of best places for history and culture below, Vancouver is much more than just a beautiful city surrounded by spectacular nature.

EXPLORE THE CITY ON A WALKING TOUR

Want to learn about Vancouver culture and history in a fun and informative way? Then join Forbidden Vancouver on one of their walking tours through Gastown, the West End, Stanley Park or elsewhere in downtown Vancouver. The tours are highly recommended!

For details, click the above banner icon or see our article about Forbidden Vancouver Walking Tours.

Other exceptional walking tour programs are Historical Chinatown Tours which runs year-round in Vancouver and Shipyards Pals which operates in the summer in North Vancouver.

Best Places for Culture

Looking for culture in Vancouver? Then check out the following places of significance:

• Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art – a First Nation art gallery in downtown Vancouver.
• Chinatown – this Vancouver neighbourhood is full of history and culture. (TIP: A great way to learn about the area is through a guided walking tour with Historical Chinatown Tours.)
• Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden – a beautiful place with authentic Chinese materials and design as well as informative guided tours.
• Vancouver Art Gallery – Vancouver’ main art gallery.
• The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra – the city’s professional symphony, which performs at various venues throughout the year.
• Vancouver Opera – with performances at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre and Vancouver Playhouse.
• Theatres
  • Arts Club Theatre Company – western Canada’s largest theatre company, with a couple of great little theatres in Vancouver, including The Stanley on Granville Street and the Granville Island Stage next to the Public Market on Granville Island.
  • Theatre Under the Stars – outdoor theatre each summer at Stanley Park.
  • Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival – Shakespearean theatre in giant tents outdoors from early-June to mid-September every year.
  • The Improv Centre – a theatre on Granville Island offering nightly improv performances.

Best Places for History

Looking for history in Vancouver?  Then check out the attractions in the following communities.

City of Vancouver

• Chinese Canadian Museum – a museum in Vancouver’s Chinatown that opened in 2023.
• Museum of Anthropology – home to a collection of First Nations’ art and other artifacts at the University of British Columbia (UBC).
• Museum of Vancouver – Vancouver’s history museum, located adjacent the planetarium.
• Old Hastings Mill Store Museum – a historic site near Jericho Beach.
• Roedde House Museum – an 1890’s home in Vancouver’s West End.
• Vancouver Police Museum – a place to learn about Vancouver’s history of crime and policing.
• CPR Engine 374 Pavilion – the first locomotive to pull a train into Vancouver was Engine 374 in 1887. Today the restored locomotive is in a small museum at the Roundhouse Community Centre in Yaletown.

Other Metro Vancouver Communities

• Burnaby Village – an outdoor museum featuring buildings and displays showcasing Metro Vancouver’s history.
• Gulf of Georgia Cannery – a historic cannery in Richmond’s Steveston Village.
• Britannia Heritage Shipyard – a historic neighbourhood in Steveston Village.
• Fort Langley – site of an HBC trading fort.
• Haney House – a former pioneer’s home that today is a museum in Maple Ridge.
• Irving House Museum – a historic New Westminster house built in 1865.
• London Heritage Farm – a historical farm in Richmond.
• Mackin House Museum – a historic house in Coquitlam.
• Maple Ridge Museum – a small museum that showcases the history of Maple Ridge.
• MONOVA – the Museum of North Vancouver showcases the history of the North Shore.
• Museum of Surrey – a museum with free admission in the Cloverdale District of Surrey.
• Port Moody Station Museum (now known as the POMO Museum) – an old train station with exhibits about the history of Port Moody.
• Stewart Farm – a historical site in South Surrey.

The Fraser Valley

• Atchelitz Pioneer Village – a museum and historic site with heritage buildings in Chilliwack.
• Chilliwack Museum and Archives – artifacts and exhibits about the city’s history.
• Harrison Sasquatch Museum – a free attraction in Harrison Hot Springs with exhibits about local culture and folklore.
• Kilby Historic Site – a museum and historic site in the Fraser Valley depicting area life in the 1920s.

Whistler and the Sea to Sky Region

• Britannia Mine – a museum located between Vancouver and Squamish that used to be the biggest copper mine in the British Empire.
• Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre – the venue features a Lil’wat Istken and Squamish Longhouse, theatre, archival museum and contemporary gallery.
• West Coast Railway Heritage Park – a train museum with vintage buildings, trains and other railway artifacts in Squamish.

Places to Learn about First Nations Culture and History

• Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art – an exceptional place for First Nation art.
• Coastal First Nations Dance Festival – at the Museum of Anthropology or other venue one weekend each spring.
• Museum of Anthropology at UBC – a museum featuring First Nations art, totems and other anthropology artifacts and information.
• Sasquatch Days – a festival in Harrison Hot Springs with war canoe races, a salmon BBQ and local Indigenous cultural performances in June.
• Spirit of the People Powwow – a First Nations powwow in Chilliwack each summer.
• Squamish Youth Nation Powwow – a major powwow event on Vancouver’s North Shore in July.
• Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre – located at 4584 Blackcomb Way in the Upper Village, close to the Fairmont Chateau Whistler and the Four Seasons. Admission is under $20 for adults and the centre includes a Lil’wat Istken and Squamish Longhouse, theatre, archival museum and contemporary gallery.
• Stanley Park’s Totem Poles – a collection of outdoor Indigenous art near Brockton Point in Stanley Park.
• Talking Stick Festival – a First Nations festival featuring indigenous art and performances throughout the region (February).
• Hoobiyee – a two-day festival celebrating the Nisga’a New Year with traditional storytelling, singing and dancing (February).
• Mother’s Day Powwow – a free event at the Trout Lake Community Centre with drum groups, market vendors and more (May).
• Stalew Pow Wow – a celebration of Indigenous culture at the Langley Events Centre (September).

For more information on local indigenous culture, see Lower Mainland First Nations.

Cultural Events Calendar

Being the incredibly multicultural city that it is, Vancouver hosts many cultural events each year, including the following:

January Cultural Events

• Robbie Burns Day – a day celebrating Scotland’s national poet, with small events around town.

February Cultural Events

• Chinese New Year –  celebrated each year in January or February with a parade in Chinatown and various other activities.
• Hoobiyee – a two-day festival celebrating the Nisga’a New Year with traditional storytelling, singing and dancing.
• Talking Stick Festival – a First Nations festival featuring indigenous art and performances throughout the region.

March Cultural Events

• Persian New Year Fire Festival – at Ambleside in West Vancouver. There are also Persian New Year events in North Vancouver and Coquitlam.
• CelticFest Vancouver – celebrating everything Celtic, including St. Patrick’s Day.
• Festival du Bois – BC’s largest francophone festival, held annually in Coquitlam.
• Coastal First Nations Dance Festival – showcasing Indigenous culture and dance (usually in early March).

April Cultural Events

• Easter – a Christian holiday with both religious and secular celebrations at churches and other venues throughout the Lower Mainland. (It usually happens in April, but occasionally in March instead.)
• Vancouver and Surrey Vaisakhi Parades – Punjabi festival events celebrating the New Year.
• Koningsdag: King’s Day – a Dutch cultural event celebrating the birthday of the king of the Netherlands. It takes place at the Shipyards in North Vancouver on or around April 27th.

May Cultural Events

• British Columbia Polish Festival – a celebration of Polish food, music, dance and culture in Port Coquitlam.
• European Festival – a festival at Swangard Stadium highlighting the best of European culture (late May).
• Cinco de Mayo – various celebrations around town, especially at Mexican restaurants.
• ExplorASIAN Festival – a series of events celebration Asian culture in Vancouver.
• TJ Fest – a community event celebrating Taiwanese and other cultures that’s hosted by the Tian Jin Temple in Burnaby.
• Mother’s Day Powwow – drum groups, market vendors and more at the Trout Lake Community Centre on the Mother’s Day weekend.

June Cultural Events

• National Indigenous Peoples Day – formerly called National Aboriginal Day, the occasion celebrations First Nations culture and people (June 21).
• 5X Festival – an arts festival celebrating South Asian culture (and formerly known as the City of Bhangra Festival).
• Greek Day on Broadway – an all-day street festival on Broadway Avenue in Kitsilano.
• Italian Day on the Drive – a celebration of everything Italian on Commercial Drive.
• Philippine Days Festival – a small community festival celebrating everything Filipino on the North Shore.
• Sasquatch Days – a small festival in Harrison Hot Springs with war canoe races, First Nations cultural performances and a salmon BBQ (late June).
• Scandinavian Midsummer Festival – a festival at the Scandinavian Community Centre in Burnaby.

July Cultural Events

• Bastille Day – a French festival celebrating the storming of the Bastille prison and start of the French Revolution on July 14th in 1789.
• Carnaval del Sol – a large Vancouver festival, usually at Concord Pacific Place, celebrating everything Latino.
• Caribbean Days Festival – a cultural event in North Vancouver (late July).
• Greek Summerfest – an 11-day festival celebrating Greek food, culture and music at St. Nicholas and Dimitrios Greek Orthodox Church at 4641 Boundary Road.
• Powell Street Festival – a two-day festival celebrating everything Japanese-Canadian in downtown Vancouver.
• Spirit of the People Powwow – a First Nations powwow in Chilliwack.
• Squamish Youth Nation Powwow – an Indigenous cultural event in West Vancouver.
• Taiwanese Canadian Cultural Festival – a series of events celebrating Taiwanese culture on the Canada Day Long Weekend.

August Cultural Events

• Arts Alive Festival – a community arts festival in Langley.
• Harmony Arts Festival – a large event with live music, outdoor movies and art exhibitions in West Vancouver.
• Korean Cultural Heritage Festival – a free festival celebrating Korean food, music and culture in Burnaby.
• Maple Ridge Caribbean Festival – a 2-day festival at the Maple Ridge Fairgrounds.
• Pakistan Festival – a cultural event in either July or August.
• TD Vancouver Chinatown Festival – a small cultural festival in Vancouver’s Chinatown between Columbia and Keefer Street.

September Cultural Events

• Polish Festival Vancouver – a free cultural event at the Shipyards in North Vancouver on the first weekend in September.
• Richmond World Festival – a free multicultural event at Minoru Park in Richmond.
• Taiwanfestl – a festival taking place along Granville Street on the Labour Day Long Weekend.
• Nikkei Matsuri – a Japanese festival in Burnaby on the Labour Day Long Weekend.
• Vancouver Fringe Festival – a live theatre festival featuring a wide range of performances by both professional and amateur actors.
• Stalew Pow Wow – a large celebration of Indigenous culture at the Langley Events Centre.
• Vancouver International Flamenco Festival – a series of Spanish dance performances and events.

October Cultural Events

• Chutzpah Festival – the Jewish performing arts festival takes place in November, but also starting sometimes in late October.
• Halloween – a major North American event where kids dress up and people give out candy.
• Oktoberfest – festive German beer celebrations take place at various places during the month.
• Thanksgiving – an important cultural event throughout North America, celebrated a month earlier than south of the US border.
• Diwali Fest – an East Indian festival with events throughout the Lower Mainland.

November Cultural Events

• Chutzpah Festival – the Jewish performing arts festival takes place in November, but also starting sometimes in late October.
• Remembrance Day – also an important cultural event in North America, when people remember past war and lives lost.

December Cultural Events

• Christmas – celebrated in many different ways throughout the region.
• Colombian Fiesta de las Velitas – a party hosted by the Colombian community and open to the public on or around December 7th each year.
• Dundarave Festival of Lights – a multicultural and Christmas-themed series of events in West Vancouver.
• Check out the Best Places for Christmas to see amazing holiday lights, carolers and festive Christmas cheer.

Other Information

As a cosmopolitan and ethnically diverse city, Vancouver offers a wide variety of museums, galleries, performing arts venues and places of historical significance for the region, which help make it one of the world’s best places to live and visit.

Other articles that might be of interest include the following:

• Multicultural Heritage Months in Vancouver
• Educational Places in Vancouver
• Vancouver Festivals and Events
• Shows & Entertainment Calendar
• Vancouver’s Top 100 Places
• The A to Z’s of Vancouver