The Vancouver Thai Festival is a free event showcasing Thai food, music and culture outside the Vancouver Art Gallery. It typically takes place in the fall.
The event used to take place in the summer. After multiple years of cancellations, it returned in 2024 and took place on September 28th and 29th. Exact dates for the festival in 2025 are to be confirmed.
Thai Festival in the Art Gallery Plaza
The Thai Festival was back last year after a five-year hiatus. The festival used to take place in July, but has since moved to September. The event last year was held at its usual location, the Vancouver Art Gallery North Plaza. It may be held there again in 2025, although this is to be confirmed.
The event is free to attend. Last year saw a raffle draw with the chance to win a pair of Air Canada tickets to Bangkok. Raffle tickets cost $20 and there was a max of 500 to sell at the festival.
Festival Venue
The Thai Festival takes place in the North Plaza outside the Vancouver Art Gallery which is located at 750 Hornby (at the corner with Georgia Street). At the festival there’s a stage where dances and other performances take place, and in the plaza there are a number of food stalls and other vendors.
What to Expect
Vancouver’s Thai Festival is a small to medium-sized festival. There can be up to 500 people there, and a number of food vendors selling everything from Thai curries to other tropical dishes.
The Thai Festival is also an opportunity for local Thai dancers and other performing arts groups to share their talents and culture with Vancouverites.
At the festival you can expect to see lots of dance groups, colourful costumes, people speaking Thai and delicious spicy smells.
If you are downtown, like Thai food and want some culturally-interesting free entertainment, then the Thai Festival is well worth checking out. Again, it’s not a huge event, but the food is tasty and the performances are enjoyable.
Performance Schedule
Below was the live entertainment schedule for the 2024 festival. The schedule may look the same in 2025. Details, though, are to be confirmed.
Saturday, September 28th
- 1:00 pm – Classical Thai live music
- 2:00 pm – Classical Thai dance
- 3:00 pm – Muay Thai boxing
- 4:00 pm – T-pop dance
- 5:00 pm – Thai rock band live music
Sunday, September 29th
- 1:00 pm – Classical Thai live music
- 2:00 pm – Classical Thai dance
- 3:00 pm – Muay Thai boxing
- 4:00 pm – Grand raffles
- 5:00 pm – Thai singer live performance
Other Information
To learn more about the event, click Thai Festival.
For a list of other festivals, see Vancouver’s September Calendar or Festivals & Events Calendar. For a list of other free events taking place this same month, click Free Events in September.
Other articles that may be of interest include:
- City of Vancouver
- Vancouver Summer Activities
- Shows and Entertainment Calendar
- ExplorASIAN Festival in May
