International Village Mall is a Vancouver shopping centre in Chinatown on Pender Street. It becomes especially alive during Chinese New Year.
Visit internationalvillagemall.ca for the mall’s official website.
In 2025 the Lunar New Year starts on Wednesday, January 29th. To celebrate the Year of the Snake, the mall has a special event on the Saturday and Sunday of February 1st and 2nd.
International Village Mall in Chinatown
Located at 88 West Pender Street in the heart of Vancouver’s Chinatown, International Village Mall is a medium-sized shopping centre with about 60 retail stores and other tenants.
Upstairs at the mall there is a Cineplex Theatre as well as a food court with close to 12 different ethnic food outlets.
TIP: There is free parking underground while you’re shopping. This is also good to know when seeing a movie at the theatre.
VANCOUVER’S CHINESE CANADIAN MUSEUM
The Chinese Canadian Museum is a fairly new museum, and a great one! It’s located just a few blocks from the International Village Mall. It’s definitely worth checking out!
Lunar New Year at International Village
Chinese New Year is a fabulous time to check out International Village Mall in Vancouver’s Chinatown. In 2025 the celebrations kick off on Saturday, February 1st. The festivities continue into Sunday, February 2nd, which is the same day as the Chinatown Spring Festival Parade. Activities at the mall run from 11:00 am until 5:00 pm both days.
Around the Lunar New Year thousands of people descend on the International Village Mall. There are special Chinese gift stalls throughout the mall selling everything from Chinese food to souvenirs, electronic gadgets and fashion accessories. There are also snake-themed crafts, art exhibitions, a God of Fortune to take photos with, and free games to enjoy.
The event blasts off with a climax on the Sunday of the New Year’s weekend with the renowned annual cultural extravaganza, the Chinese New Year Parade. That event features over 4,000 participating performers and tens of thousands of spectators.
Lunar New Year at International Village Mall is a sight to see and highly recommended. Especially on the day of the Chinese New Year Parade, you’ll feel like you’re in China!
TIP: As always, parking is free in the mall’s underground parkade for up to two hours while shopping at the mall. During the weekend of Lunar New Year, however, take public transit if you can. International Village is close to Rogers Arena which is right by the Stadium-Chinatown SkyTrain Station.
The Year of the Snake
In 2025 the Lunar New Year is on January 29th. That day marks the start of the Year of the Snake. It’s a symbol of intelligence, renewal and transformation in Chinese culture. People born this year (and in years like 2013, 2001, 1989, 1977, etc.) supposedly tend to be calm, loyal and thoughtful.
International Village Mall Video
To give you an idea of what the mall looks like at Lunar New Year, check out the following video. It includes scenes of the Lunar New Year festivities in February of 2018 and 2019.
As you’ll see in the video, the mall is several storeys high and has a large atrium in the middle. The building has a glass roof and there are stores on multiple levels. At New Year the place is packed with people. Live entertainment takes place on the ground floor in the middle of the atrium area some years (but maybe not in 2025). Vendor stalls line all the hallways in other parts of the mall.
Other Information
For more information about the shopping centre itself, see the International Village Mall website.
To learn about other similar events happening in other parts of the Lower Mainland around the same time, see our article about Lunar New Year in Metro Vancouver. There you will find information about other events including LunarFest.
For a list of other shopping centres, click Vancouver’s Best Shopping Districts, Malls and Markets.
And for a list of other festivals and events taking place throughout the year, check out Vancouver’s Festivals & Events Calendar.
