Vancouver in February Video

As you’ll see in our Vancouver in February Video, February is a time for sunsets, cultural events, Family Day, Chinese New Year and other great events.

It’s also the month of Valentine’s Day, the Nisga’a New Year and prime ski season.

February in Metro Vancouver

February is a short month, and sometimes a wet one too, but it’s also a time of increasingly longer days, sunsets, snow sports and fun both indoors and outside.

The average temperature is between 1 and 8 degrees Celsius, depending on the time of day, and the month typically gets around 12.5 cm of rain, which makes it one of Vancouver’s wetter months.

Check out the following video about Vancouver in February to see what the month looks like most years. Although you’ll see snow in a number of the scenes, February is typically more soggy than white! It can also be a beautiful month though too!

For the script that goes with the video, plus details about featured places, see further below. And for a comprehensive list of February events, check out our February Calendar or Festivals & Events Calendar.

Vancouver February Video

Here’s our Vancouver in February Video. Scenes in it are primarily from 2017, but also from 2018 as well as earlier years. Hope you enjoy it!

Note: Pretty much everything in the video happens again in 2019. One exception though is the annual Chutzpah! Festival. Instead of happening in February this year it takes place in the fall of 2019.

February Video Script

The following is the script from the video and links to featured places and events for further information. Text in “quotes” is the script that you hear spoken in the video. Bullet points provide descriptions of scenes in the video and additional information.

Vancouver Sunsets

“February can be a fun time to be in Vancouver. It usually rains a fair bit, but on clear days the sunsets are amazing.”

Views of Vancouver and the sunsets in the video are taken from Lonsdale Quay near the North Shore’s SeaBus terminal.

Vancouver Dine Out Festival

“In early February the Vancouver Dine Out Festival features special three-course dinner menus at restaurants with views of the city, restaurants at parks and restaurants in the mountains.”

The festival actually runs from mid to late January until the first weekend or so in February.
Restaurants featured in the video include the Top of Vancouver at the Harbour Centre (just above the Vancouver Lookout), Horizons at Burnaby Mountain (which closed permanently as of February 2020) and the Observatory at Grouse Mountain.

Grouse Mountain Above Vancouver — Grouse Mountain in Winter

Lower Mainland Ski Hills

“Speaking of mountains, February is a prime month for skiing. Rain in town means snow on the hills.”

The first ski hill photo is of Grouse Mountain. The second is of Sasquatch Mountain in the Fraser Valley (and which used to be called Hemlock). The third skill hill photo is also from Grouse Mountain. It was taken at one of the resort’s Jam Over the City events.
For more information about these and other local resorts, click Lower Mainland Ski Hills.

Winter Wander

“Back in the city, February is when Winter Wander takes place at Vanier Park, where for just a few dollars you can visit the Maritime Museum, and explore a ship, and at the Space Centre and Museum of Vancouver learn about astronomy and Vancouver’s history.”

Winter Wander usually takes place on the first Saturday in February. Tickets cost just $5 and include admission to the Maritime Museum, H.R. MacMillan Space Centre and Museum of Vancouver. It’s a great deal for people wanting to see some of the city’s best museums for cheap!

Astronaut Display at Vancouver Space Centre — An exhibit at the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre

“Rain or shine, February is also a time for winter markets, including the one at Nat Bailey Stadium, and year-round markets like at Lonsdale Quay.”

The Riley Park Farmers Market takes place in the parking lot at Nat Bailey Stadium from November until April. In the warmer months it then continues across the street at Riley Park. In winter it’s a huge market and in the summer it’s a medium-sized market.
Lonsdale Quay has a public market year-round in North Vancouver not far from the SeaBus terminal. Granville Island also has a fabulous indoor and year-round market, although it’s not featured in the video.

Valentine's Locks at Lonsdale Quay — Lonsdale Quay on Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day

“Of course, February 14th is Valentine’s Day, which means chocolate, romantic places and dining out.”

The chocolates featured in the video are from Olde World Confections which makes many of its own candies in-store at Lonsdale Quay Market. The outdoor scenes with the chocolates are from the plaza outside the market.
The restaurant in this section is Altitudes Bistro at Grouse Mountain.

Family Day Weekend

“In mid-February there’s the Family Day Weekend, when young families explore historic sites and do craft activities at shopping malls.”

In past years Family Day in BC has been a statutory holiday on the second Monday in February. Starting in 2019, however, it takes place on the third Monday to coincide with Family Day in other provinces.
The photo of the family of four is from Fort Langley where some years the historic site has costumes available that families can dress up in.
Family Day events at most shopping malls are pretty simple affairs. Some are slightly more elaborate, like at Lonsdale Quay where they offer face painting and a small number of farm animals for kids to pet. Central City sometimes also offers live entertainment. Most shopping centres though offer some kind of crafts activities for children. Photos of people at craft tables in the video are from Oak Ridge Centre in Vancouver and Central City in Surrey.

“It’s also a time for having fun at community centres and the Children’s Arts Festival in Richmond.”

Rec centres all over the Lower Mainland put on special Family Day events. Some are small affairs and others are fairly significant. Some facilities offer free or discounted family swims and skating, while others offer games, crafts and even bouncy castles.
The Children’s Arts Festival is a Family Day event at Minoru Place in Richmond. It’s an extensive event with live entertainment and family-friendly activities both indoors and outside.

Family Day Snowmen — A Snow Family at Capilano River Regional Park

“The holiday is an opportunity for spending time outdoors with family, and having fun.”

The photo of the snowman family is from the Cleveland Dam at Capilano River Regional Park in North Vancouver. Interestingly, although it doesn’t snow much in Vancouver, in both 2017 and 2018, there was snow on the ground and sun in the sky on the Family Day Long Weekend.
The photo of the family tubing is from Cypress Mountain, but it could just as easily have been from Mount Seymour which has a similar tubing park.

“Local attractions offer special Family Day deals, and Cypress Mountain has evening fireworks.”

All Lower Mainland ski hills offer some form of discounted skiing over the Family Day Weekend. Some offer half price lift tickets for residents of BC while others offer free skiing for children when accompanied by an adult.
Cypress Mountain is the place to see fireworks on the Family Day Long Weekend. Most years it has fireworks on both the Friday and Sunday evenings of the long weekend.

Cypress Mountain at Night with Fireworks — Family Day Fireworks at Cypress Mountain

24 Hours of Winter

“Also in February is Grouse Mountain’s 24 Hours of Winter with skiing all night and a torchlight parade.”

On one weekend in February Grouse Mountain is open from the Saturday morning until the Sunday night with non-stop skiing and other activities including a special evening torchlight parade. Click 24 Hours of Winter for details.

Chutzpah Festival

“The Vancouver Jewish Community meanwhile hosts the Chutzpah Performing Arts Festival.”

The Chutzpah Festival features music, theatre and dance. Most performances are at the Vancouver Jewish Community Centre’s Norman Rothstein Theatre, but some take place at other venues too. The Chutzpah Festivals runs from mid-February until around mid-March.

(Note: In 2019 the Chutzpah Festival takes place in October and November instead of in the spring.)

Black History Month & Talking Stick Festival

“Black History Month films take place at the Vancity Theatre, as do Indigenous films from the Talking Stick Festival which also has events at the Roundhouse.”

The Vancity Theatre is a movie theatre and host venue for the Vancouver International Film Festival which takes place in the fall. The theatre shows non-blockbuster films year-round though, and February is no exception. The venue is located on Seymour Street in downtown Vancouver.
February is officially Black History Month in Canada. As a result, a variety of events take place to celebrate and acknowledge the importance of people of African descent, both here in North America and around the world. Films at the Vancity Theatre are just one of several different kinds of events celebrating Black History Month in Vancouver.
The Talking Stick Festival is a First Nations festival which features films at the Vancity Theatre, but also other visual and performing arts events around town. Many of its events take place at the Roundhouse Community Centre including an indoor Powwow.

Hoobiyee – Nisga’a New Year

“Another First Nations event is Hoobiyee, the annual Nisga’a New Year celebration.”

Hoobiyee (pronounced Ho-bee-yeah) takes place on the first Friday and Saturday of the month at the PNE Forum. It’s a free event and features Indigenous dancers from around the province.

Chinese New Year

“Chinese New Year takes place in February most years too, with the parade in Chinatown, special events at Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden, lion dances everywhere, and celebrations at Richmond’s International Buddhist Temple.”

Chinese New Year takes place in February in about two out of every three years. In other years it happens in January.
The Chinese New Year Parade is a large event that can attract as many as 100,000 people. It takes place in Chinatown on the Sunday after Chinese New Year and runs along Pender, Gore and Keefer streets.
On the same day as the parade the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden hosts a Temple Fair where admission is by donation. In recent years, the garden has hosted the Lanterns in the Garden event on a number of evenings at and just after Chinese New Year.
Lion Dances take place at shopping centres and commercial neighbourhoods all around the Lower Mainland. The one in the photo was in the food court at the Lonsdale Quay Market.
One of the most interesting places to be on Chinese New Year’s Eve is at the International Buddhist Temple in Richmond. Admission is free and the venue is lit up and looking quite spectacular at night.
For more information about Chinese New Year, click Lower Mainland at Chinese New Year.

Vancouver Chinatown at New Year — Chinese New Year Parade in Chinatown

In Conclusion …

“In short, as days are getting longer, February is a month for dining out, celebrating special occasions and spending time with family and loved ones. It’s a month of spectacular sunsets, and being increasingly outdoors.”

Scenes in the last few frames of the video include people dining at Horizons Restaurant at Burnaby Mountain during a sunset in late February and children playing on swings at Dundarave Beach in West Vancouver. The last photo, similar to the first one in the video, is the view of downtown Vancouver taken from Lonsdale Quay.