LunarFest in the Year of the Rabbit

Lunarfest Vancouver is an annual festival that takes place around Lunar New Year. It includes family-friendly activities, art displays and entertainment.

The festival is an inclusive event that celebrates Chinese New Year, Korean New Year, Vietnamese New Year and the Lunar New Year for other cultures too. It’s hosted by the same organization that runs TaiwanFest in September.

Lunarfest began on January 20th and ran until February 20th in 2023. It included a free event on the weekend of January 21st and 22nd as well as light displays and smaller activities at various other times. There was also a performance at the Orpheum Theatre on January 24th.

Dates for the Lunarfest in 2024 are to be confirmed.

To learn about the festival in 2023 see our article about LunarFest Vancouver.

For the festival’s official website visit lunarfestvancouver.ca.

Lunarfest Crafts and Lanterns

Lunarfest Vancouver

Lunarfest consists of a number of events, displays and activities outside the Vancouver Art Gallery, at Granville Island and in Jack Poole Plaza. In 2023 there may also have been something happening in Vancouver’s West End.

In 2023 the festival ran from January 20th until February 20th. There was a Lantern City exhibit in the North Plaza outside the Vancouver Art Gallery from January 20th until February 7th. The festival’s main LunarFest Celebrations, meanwhile, took place at the same venue, officially called šxʷƛ̓ənəq Xwtl’e7énk Square, on the weekend of January 21st and 22nd.

The same as in 2022, on Granville Island there was also a Lantern City exhibit, at the Ocean Art Works Pavilion, from January 20th until February 20th. The venue’s address is 1531 Johnston Street. It’s about a block southeast of the Granville Island Public Market. There was also an art exhibit and workshops at the same venue.

Also the same as in previous years, in 2023 there was a display of lanterns at Jack Poole Plaza. This year it was from January 20th until February 15th.

The other main LunarFest event in 2023 was the Together We Are concert on January 24th at the Orpheum Theatre. It featured music with singer and songwriter Ginalina, the Vivaldi Chamber Choir, Harmonia String Ensemble, Out in Harmony and West Van Youth Band. For full details about the concert click Together We Are Concert 2023.

For the festival’s official website visit lunarfestvancouver.ca.

Past Lunarfest Dates & Locations

In 2020 Lunarfest events and activities took place from January 25th (which was New Year’s Day according to the lunar calendar) until February 10th. In 2021 Lunarfest ran from February 11th to the 28th.

A few years ago Lunarfest-related activities took place at Oakridge Centre mall and in the plaza outside the Vancouver Art Gallery. There were also things to see at Queen Elizabeth Theatre and Jack Poole Plaza. In 2021, in addition to a few virtual events that people could enjoy online, there were lantern art displays that year outside the Vancouver Art Gallery and in Vancouver’s West End.

In 2021 the Community Lanterns display was going to happen between February 11th and the 23rd at Jack Poole Plaza. The dates changed, however, as was the location. The new dates were from February 20th until March 7th and the new location was English Bay at 1800 Davie Street.

The Coastal Lunar Lanterns displays in the north plaza of the Vancouver Art Gallery were available for people to admire between February 11th and the 23rd in 2022 as originally planned.

Lunarfest Performance in Vancouver — Lunarfest in the Vancouver Art Gallery Plaza

Vancouver Art Gallery Plaza – LunarFest Celebrations

In 2020 the main family-friendly Lunarfest celebrations took place in the Plaza outside the Vancouver Art Gallery on West Georgia Street on the weekend of January 25th and 26th. The event ran from about 11:00 am until 6:00 pm on both days.

Activities at the weekend event typically include crafts, fortune telling, live entertainment and various other activities.

Lunarfest outside the Vancouver Art Gallery is a smaller festival-type-of-event that’s free to attend and suitable for young children and their families.

Also in the plaza outside the art gallery is a lantern art installation every year. In 2023 its theme was “Our Wonderland” and it ran from January 20th until February 7th.

Musicians at Lunarfest Vancouver — Live Entertainment at Lunarfest Vancouver

Concerts and Performances

Lunarfest usually features a major theatrical or musical production in Vancouver. In 2020 it was a concert at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on Saturday, January 25th. In 2023 it was a concert on January 24th at the Orpheum.

A Taiwanese tradition during the lunar New Year is to have street banquets. In 2020 the Chai Found Music Workshop presented A Musical Banquet: A Feast of Sumptuous Classical Music. It was a Sizhu (i.e. chamber-music-style) interpretation of such an event. The performance featured a mix of contemporary classical compositions and both traditional Taiwanese and Chinese music. Tickets to the show cost about $20 (plus tax).

Jack Poole Plaza – The Lantern City

The Lantern City features an art display at Jack Poole Plaza most years. It is located at 1055 Canada Place on the western side of the Vancouver Convention Centre. The display isn’t an event – it’s simply an art exhibit that’s pretty to see.

The lanterns art installation was up for a few weeks in 2020 and 2022. In 2021 it took place at a different venue, in Vancouver’s West End instead. The Lantern City had a lantern art display again in 2023. This time the theme was “Lost in Nature” and it ran from January 20th until February 15th.

The art exhibit at Jack Poole Plaza is accessible to the public at any time of the day when it’s up. It’s most interesting, however, at night when it’s all lit up. If you happen to be in the area, like at an event at the Convention Centre or dining out at the nearby Cactus Club or Tap & Barrel restaurants, it’s worth checking out.