The “Vancouver in May Video” features Cinco de Mayo celebrations, Victoria Day festivities, May Day events and other festivals in Vancouver in May.

Watch the video and enjoy!

Video of Vancouver May

As evident in the video below, May in the Lower Mainland is a time of ethnic festivals, fireworks, car shows, rodeo events, parades and so many wonderful activities.

Important Notes: Some events have changed since we produced this video. In 2019 the Richmond Ships to Shore Festival isn’t happening – it only takes place in years when there is a major ship visiting the area. Also, since last year, the Illumination Night Market is no longer operating, and in 2019 the European Festival has a new venue (at the Vancouver Alpen Club).

For more information on the places, festivals and events featured in the video, see below.

Video Festivals & Activities

Major events taking place in Metro Vancouver in May and featured in the above video include the following:

• Casa de Amigos – Mexican Cinco de Mayo celebrations at Robson Square on and around May 5th. (Note: as of 2018 the Casa de Amigos event no longer takes place. Other Cinco de Mayo events still do however.)
• Ships to Shore Festival – a maritime festival that features midway rides, outdoor concerts, boats and fireworks at Garry Point near Steveston Village. (Note: the Ships to Shore Festival doesn’t take place every year, and when it does it doesn’t always happen in May. 2018, for example, is a year when the festival doesn’t take place at all as there are no tall ships scheduled to be in the area.)
• Playland – an amusement park that opens for the summer season in early May.
• BMO Vancouver International Marathon – a Boston-qualifying marathon that goes from Queen Elizabeth Park, through Stanley Park and finishes in downtown Vancouver in early May.
• Mother’s Day – a special day for mothers on the second Sunday in May.
• Mother’s Day Tea and Plant Sale – an annual plant sale and Mother’s Day Tea at London Heritage Farm near Steveston Village.
• Ambleside Artisan Farmers Market – a Sunday farmers market in West Vancouver’s Ambleside Park.
• Burnaby Artisan Farmers Market – a Saturday farmers market that takes place in the parking lot of Burnaby‘s City Hall.
• Steveston Village Farmers Market – a bi-weekly market at Richmond’s Steveston Village on Saturdays from May until September.
• Richmond Night Market – a large Asian-themed night market with hundreds of vendors and a collection of life-sized model dinosaurs on display.
• Illumination Summer Night Market – a night market in Richmond that has added a number of light displays as of 2017. Previously it had been called the “International Summer Night Market” as well as the “Panda Night Market.” (Note: 2017 was the final year of the Illumination Summer Night Market.)
• Shipyard Night Market – a slightly upscale summer night market at Shipbuilders’ Square in North Vancouver’s Lower Lonsdale neighborhood.

• Cloverdale Rodeo & Country Fair – a major rodeo event with amusement rides, rodeo shows, live entertainment and a parade on the May Long Weekend in Surrey.
• Royal Victorian Party – old-fashioned birthday celebrations in Surrey on the Victoria Day Long Weekend.
• Fort Langley May Day Parade – a community parade in Fort Langley that features numerous antique cars and tractors on the May Long Weekend.
• Vancouver All British Field Meet – a car show at VanDusen Garden featuring hundreds of British-built cars on the Saturday of the May Long Weekend.

• European Festival – a festival celebrating European culture at Swangard Stadium in Burnaby at the end of May. (Note: in 2019 the event takes place at the Vancouver Alpen Club, so not at Swangard Stadium.)
• Ladner May Days – a community fair with a midway, live entertainment and rides at Memorial Park in Ladner on the last weekend in May.
• Vancouver International Children’s Festival – a festival for children and their families at Granville Island from late May until the beginning of June.
• Surrey International Children’s Festival – an event for elementary school-aged children at Surrey’s Bear Creek Park at the end of May.

May Video Places

In addition to major festivals and events, the above May Video also features a number of landmark venues in Metro Vancouver. Key places in the video include the following:

• Downtown Vancouver – the video starts and finishes in downtown Vancouver with a view of Canada Place and the Vancouver skyline from Burrard Inlet.
• Robson Square – the location of the Casa de Amigos Cinco de Mayo event at the corner of Howe Street and Robson near the Vancouver Art Gallery.
• Garry Point Park – a 75-acre park in Richmond not far from Steveston Village. It is here that the Ships to Shore Festival takes place with its concerts, amusement rides and evening fireworks.
• North Vancouver – location of the CityFest youth event and skateboard competition in early May. The venue itself is at the skatepark and surrounding area by Centennial Theatre which is at 2300 Lonsdale Avenue.
• Queen Elizabeth Park – a beautiful city park where the BMO Vancouver International Marathon starts.
• Chinatown – the second photo of the BMO Marathon is on Pender Street in the heart of Chinatown.
• ARC Fairmont Waterfront Restaurant – the restaurant featured in the first photo about Mother’s Day brunches. In the background through the window in the photo is the Vancouver Convention Centre.
• Hart House – a heritage building at Burnaby’s Deer Lake Park that has a restaurant that serves Mother’s Day brunches.
• London Heritage Farm – a historical farm in Richmond and the location of an annual plant sale and Mother’s Day Tea.
• Ambleside – a beautiful park with a sandy beach in West Vancouver where the Ambleside Artisan Farmers Market takes place on Sundays from May until October.
• Steveston Village – a historic fishing village in Richmond which is home to the Steveston Farmers and Artisan Market which takes place on Sundays from May until October.
• Burnaby – Metro Vancouver’s third largest city and home to the Burnaby Artisan Farmers Market which takes place  on Saturdays in the parking lot at Burnaby City Hall.
• Richmond Night Market – the Lower Mainland’s largest night market at 8351 River Road in Richmond.
• Illumination Summer Night Market – Metro Vancouver’s original Asian night market at 12631 Vulcan Way in Richmond.
• Shipyard Night Market – an upscale summer night market in North Vancouver at Shipbuilder’s Square close to Lonsdale Quay and the SeaBus terminal. The market features free live music on Friday evenings from May until September. In the video the band playing is Persons of Interest.

• Surrey – Metro Vancouver’s second largest city and home to the Cloverdale Rodeo, Stewart Farm and Bear Creek Park (where the Surrey International Children’s Festival takes place).
• Stewart Farm – a historical farm at Elgin Heritage Park in Surrey that hosts the Royal Victorian Party event on the May Long Weekend.
• Fort Langley – a small picturesque town that’s home to the Fort Langley National Historic Site and Fort Langley May Day Parade on Victoria Day.
• VanDusen Garden – a botanical garden run by the City of Vancouver that’s open all year long and serves as the venue for the Vancouver All British Field Meet car show on the May Long Weekend.
• Swangard Stadium – an outdoor stadium facility at Central Park in Burnaby where the annual European Festival takes place.
• Granville Island – a famous artisan and entertainment district that’s home to the Vancouver International Children’s Festival at the end of May.
• Bear Creek Park – a popular park in Surrey that’s home to the Surrey International Children’s Festival in late May.

Other Information

For specifics on what to see and do in the month, see Vancouver’s May Calendar.

For a list of major events throughout the year, see Vancouver’s Festivals & Events Calendar.

For other videos about Vancouver, check out our selection of Lower Mainland Videos.

For a similar video about the sights and sounds of Vancouver a month earlier, click Lower Mainland April Video.