The Eastside Culture Crawl is a visual art, design and crafts festival. It showcases the work of hundreds of local artists at studios across East Vancouver.
In 2024 the 28th edition of the event runs from Thursday, November 14th, until Sunday, November 17th. Taking place around the same time are the North Delta Artisan & Gift Market, Holidays at Hycroft in Vancouver, and a Made in the 604 Pop Up Market in North Vancouver. At Jack Poole Plaza there is also the Vancouver Christmas Market.
For information about the above and other great events this time of year, see our November Calendar. To learn more about the Eastside Culture Crawl, continue reading.
This article contains the following information about the Eastside Culture Crawl:
When and Where? | Culture Crawl Events and Exhibits | Eastside Culture Crawl Video | Other Information
Eastside Culture Crawl
The Eastside Culture Crawl is a free festival. It takes place every year around mid-November. The events feature the work of local Vancouver-based artists.
The event has grown from its origins in 1997 to include as many as 500 artists and close to 80 venues in Vancouver in recent years.
During the event there are workshops, demonstrations, talks and studio tours. Participating artists include painters, sculptors and potters. There are also artists specializing in jewellery, wood, glass and other mediums.
When and Where is the Culture Crawl?
In 2024 activities happen on November 14th to 17th. Hours on the Thursday and Friday are from 5:00 pm until 10:00 pm. On the Saturday and Sunday things run from 11:00 am until 6:00 pm.
The festival occurs at various venues in East Vancouver between Victoria Drive, Columbia Street, First Avenue and the Burrard Inlet waterfront. One of the most popular venues is Parker Street Studios in the 1000 block of Parker Street. It’s a massive warehouse that’s full of artists’ studios.
Culture Crawl Events and Exhibits
Art studios have open houses all around the region during the Eastside Culture Crawl, and individual artists host special exhibitions.
Main events listed on the festival’s website include Take Flight (a silent auction and Art Roulette), Studio 101 (workshops for youth), and the annual series of films and videos. There’s also a special Out of Control exhibition to see during the month of November. Talks with various artists are available online as well.
David Wilson’s Art Studio
For an idea of what to expect in 2024, one example of an event in 2021 was David Wilson‘s “Day Into Night.” It was part of the Open Studio Festival Weekend. You could see his work at Parker Street Studios in Suite 206 at 1000 Parker Street from November 18th until the 21st. No appointment was necessary. You could just show up between 5:00 pm and 10:00 pm on the Thursday and Friday or between 11:00 am and 6:00 pm on the Saturday and Sunday.
Below is what David Wilson had to say about his Eastside Culture Crawl art.
“Day Into Night features my traditional approach to painting, … the rainy streets, the long dark shadows, the bright lights, and people seeking shelter from the elements. The work speaks to our collective experience of living in this city. But the exhibition also includes loosely rendered monochromatic works on paper, board, and canvas, infused with text, symbols, and other media, integrating a new narrative into this portrait of ‘the present.’”
To learn more about David Wilson’s work, click davidwilson.ca.
Eastside Culture Crawl Video
To give you an idea of what to expect at the Eastside Culture Crawl, check out the following video. It shows scenes of the open house at Parker Street Studios. There are lots of events like this at different venues, and different kinds of events too. The open house at Parker Street Studios, however, is one of the largest and most popular events.
Parker Studios is a massive facility that’s full of dozens of artists’ studios. There are studios to explore on all four floors!
Art we saw on our visit in 2021 (some of which you’ll see in this video) includes works by David Wilson, Lori Goldberg, Jennifer Harwood, Yasmeen Strang, Michael Soltis, Carla Tak, Krista Johnson, NikNaz Kahnamoui and other artists. The video starts in David Wilson’s studio.
Other Information
For more details about this event, see the Eastside Culture Crawl website.
If you like this kind of event, other ones you should check out are Art Vancouver and the West of Main Art Crawl. They both happen in the spring. The first is a big art show at the Vancouver Convention Centre. The other one is an event where lots of Vancouver art studios open their doors to the public (kind of like the Eastside Culture Crawl, except in the west side of the city).
Other articles that might be of interest include the following:
- Best Places for History and Culture
- Vancouver Art Gallery
- Lower Mainland Christmas Craft Fairs
- Vancouver’s November Calendar
- Free Events in November in Vancouver
