Art Vancouver

Art Vancouver is a contemporary art fair featuring international artwork, panelists, classes and more at the Vancouver Convention Centre in the spring each year.

In 2025 the event runs from April 24th to 27th. If you like art, you’ll love this event! It’s impressive! Not only can you admire the art, you can also buy it!

For tickets and full details about the event, visit the artvancouver.net website.

This article features the following information about Art Vancouver:

International Art Exhibition at the Art Vancouver Fair in 2025

Art Vancouver is one of the largest and most prestigious international art fairs in Western Canada. The event provides a global stage for art galleries and artists to showcase and sell their pieces to thousands of people. Not only is the fair an exceptional place to check out different styles of artwork, but there are also guest speakers, panelists and live demonstrations to enjoy.

At the fair, an Art Masters painting competition takes place in front of guests. This is when different artists use a mystery box of supplies to paint something extraordinary within a limited amount of time. Spectators usually get to vote for the piece they like the most. There are also Art Classes at Art Vancouver most years. The instructional workshops typically happen on-site during the show and include admission for one day.

Art Vancouver is organized by the Vancouver Visual Art Foundation which is also responsible for the free Art Downtown Summer Program in Vancouver. It’s a popular event that art lovers from across the world travel to see. As many as 10,000 or more people attend in a typical year.

For tickets and the event’s official website, click Art Vancouver.

When and Where

Art Vancouver runs from Thursday, April 24, until Sunday, April 27th, 2025. Thursday is when the VIP Preview and Face of Art Runway Show happen. It is also the day that alcoholic beverages are likely available for purchase. The events on this day runs from 6:00 pm until 10:00 pm.

The rest of the art show is open to the public for three more days, from the Friday to the Sunday. Hours on Friday are from 1:00 pm to 9:00 pm and hours on Saturday are from 12:00 pm to 9:00 pm. The show concludes on Sunday. On that day it runs from 11:00 am until 5:00 pm.

Art Vancouver is held at the Vancouver Convention Centre. The event happens inside the Canada Place East Building, located at 999 Canada Place.

The venue offers parking but is also transit-friendly as it’s close to the Waterfront SkyTrain Station. The beautiful location also offers paths for walking and cycling right along the waterfront. The Coal Harbour Seawall connects to Stanley Park and makes for a wonderful way to take in the views that Vancouver has to offer.

For tickets and the event’s official website, click Art Vancouver.

Admission

General admission to the Art Vancouver fair for one day costs $25 for everyone ages 12 and over in 2025. Children ages 11 and under enter for free.

Multi-day passes are also available for those who want to visit the fair multiple times. The passes cost $90 for all four days or just $50 for the Friday to Sunday.

Tickets for the special Opening Night Premiere Party cost $45 in 2025. The event features a preview of all the art, music and a Face of Art Runway Show.

For people who want to experience all that Art Vancouver has to offer in 2025, VIP Passes include access to early previews, opening night activities and all regular show days. VIP Passes cost about $105 per person.

Note: Early bird passes are available until January 6th! You can save around 35% on all ticket sales until then.

For tickets and the event’s official website, click Art Vancouver.

Exhibitors at Art Vancouver

Art Vancouver is not exclusively for paintings or drawings. Instead, it’s a contemporary art fair showcasing different forms of art including photography, sculptures and more. Most of what you’ll see are paintings, but there is a lot more too.

Art Vancouver typically features around 60 or so exhibitors. Some are from Canada, but many are from other parts of the world. In fact, artworks from over 10 countries were featured at the art fair in 2024. There were artists from South Korea, Japan, Nigeria and Ireland to name a few. Artists from Iran, Argentina and the United States were also at the event.

TIP: Be sure to chat with the artists. They are more than happy to tell you about their art. You’ll learn some pretty interesting and amazing things from them! So many pieces of art have a story!

The list of artists participating in the 2025 event is to be announced as of December. To see the full list of artists who participated at the 2024 event click Art Vancouver Exhibitors.

HOTELS IN DOWNTOWN VANCOUVER

Looking for a place to stay overnight that’s close to the Vancouver Convention Centre? Then check out the deals at StayVancouverHotels.com. Book your hotel through them and you’ll get a bonus gift! Hotels close by include the Pinnacle Harbourfront Hotel. The Westin Bayshore is between the convention centre and Stanley Park. There are lots of other great hotels to choose from too.

2025 Schedule

Art Vancouver features guest speakers, classes, art demonstrations and performances. The fair’s partial schedule for 2025 as of December is listed below. Exact times and details are subject to change.

Thursday, April 24th (2025)

6:00 pm – VIP Preview
7:00 pm – Doors opens for everyone else
8:00 pm – Face of Art Runway
10:00 pm – Doors close

Friday, April 25th (2025)

1:00 pm – Doors open
2:30 pm – Intuitive Art Class
6:00 pm – Alcohol Ink Art Class
9:00 pm – Doors close

Saturday, April 26th (2025)

12:00 pm – Doors open
1:00 pm – Bright Blossoms Art Class
2:00 pm – Art Talk
4:00 pm – Alcohol Ink Art Class
6:30 pm – Art Masters Competition
9:00 pm – Doors close

Sunday, April 27th (2025)

11:00 am – Doors open
12:00 pm – Intuitive Art Class
3:00 pm – Warm Landscapes Art Class
5:00 pm – Doors close

For the full program, visit the Art Vancouver website.

Art Vancouver Video

To give you an idea of what to expect at Art Vancouver, watch the videos below. The first one shows scenes of the Opening Night event at the Vancouver Convention Centre in 2022. The second video shows scenes of the event from 2023.

Some of the art featured in this second video includes pieces by Paul Ygartua, Karissa Narukami, Elizabeth Cross, Mila Chanel, Lee Kyo Dong and Iva Staykova (all of whom are artists based in the Lower Mainland).