Word Vancouver

Word Vancouver is a free festival that brings together readers and writers for a series of literary-themed events, both online and in person.

In 2026 Word Vancouver runs from September 10th to 28th, with the festival’s main event taking place on September 19th.

Word Vancouver Literary Arts Festival

Hosted by the Vancouver Book and Magazine Fair Society, Word Vancouver inspires creativity in readers and writers alike. The festival debuted in 1995 as Word On The Street Vancouver. After running for a number of years, it rebranded to Word Vancouver in 2013. The annual celebration has grown a lot since then and is now the largest free literary festival in Western Canada.

For full festival details, click wordvancouver.ca.

2026 Word Vancouver Program

The theme of the 2026 festival is “finding joy in darkness”. This year’s events are curated by guest Indigenous curator Frances Koncan and guest 2SLGBTQIA+ curator Nicola Harwood. Their programming brings together a diverse lineup of writers to help with workshops, readings, virtual events and other activities. There’s also a literary art fair and an online silent auction.

Below you’ll find details about various festival things to do between September 10th and 28th in 2026.

Opening Night: September 10th, 2026

Word Vancouver kicks off with an opening night event on Thursday, September 10th. It takes place from 6:30 to 8:00 pm at the Main Branch of the Vancouver Public Library, located at 350 West Georgia Street. Hosted by the two guest curators, this event serves as an introduction to the festival’s ideas and readings, along with a few of this year’s featured writers. The event gives attendees an idea of what to expect over the following couple of weeks.

For full details about this event, click Opening Night 2026.

Festival Day: September 19th, 2026

The main day of Word Vancouver 2026 is Saturday, September 19th. That’s when dozens of activities take place at Robson Square at 800 Robson Street, including the World Vancouver Book Fair which runs from 11:00 am until 5:00 pm. See below for the full schedule of events organized by the different rooms.

Room C010

11:00 am – 4:30 pm: Silent Writing Room

For more information about the festival, visit wordvancouver.ca.

Robson Square

Festival Day: September 19th, 2026 (Continued)

Below are even more activities happening at the Vancouver Public Library in various rooms on the festival’s main day.

Room C215

1:00 pm – 2:00 pm: Short Can Be Sweet
2:30 pm – 3:30 pm: It’s Complicated: The Art of Compassion When Writing About Others

Room C225

11:00 am – 12:00 pm: Poetry Jam – Open Mic and Writing Session
12:30 pm – 1:30 pm: 50 Ways to Murder at Home – Sisters in Crime – Canada West
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm: (Text)iles
3:30 pm – 4:30 pm: Parade of Storms

Room C400

11:00 am – 12:00 pm: Writing for Children: What’s all the Fuss? Queer Resilience and Joy Writing for Children and Youth
12:30 pm – 1:30 pm: Songs and Stories
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm: The Work of Noticing
3:30 pm – 4:30 pm: Imagining Other Fiction, Democracy, and the Human Cost of Progress

For full details about the festival, visit the official wordvancouver.ca website.

Room C420

11:00 am – 12:00 pm: Hidden Truths
12:30 pm – 1:30 pm: The Shape of Suspicion: Crime and Consequence
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm: For the Love of Storytelling: Writing Between the Noise
3:30 pm – 4:30 pm: Through Coast and Forest – Where the Path Leads

Room C440

11:00 am – 12:00 pm: Memory or Imagination
12:30 pm – 1:30 pm: The Federation of BC Writers and You
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm: Free Verse
3:30 pm – 4:30 pm: Resiliency and the Creative Process

Room 485

11:00 am – 12:00 pm: Love as Transformation
12:30 pm – 1:30 pm: How I Happily Marketed My Book
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm: Circles of Joy
3:30 pm – 4:30 pm: Live Editing

Children’s Tent

11:00 am – 12:00 pm: Love is Everywhere (for ages 3-5)
12:30 pm – 1:30 pm: Growing Connections: Stories of Language, Friendship, and Belonging (for ages 6-8)
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm: Choosing To Be Curious (for ages 10+)
3:30 pm – 4:30 pm: Our Children’s Exhibitors Showcase

For full festival details about the event, click wordvancouver.ca.

Other In-Person Events

Word Vancouver features several events on other dates too, as listed below. Most of them happen at different locations in Metro Vancouver.

Sunday, September 13, 2026

3:00 pm – 5:00 pm: Dead Poets Reading Series (at Outsiders and Others at 938 Howe Street in Vancouver)

Wednesday, September 16, 2026

6:00 pm – 8:00 pm: Twisted Poets (at Britannia Library at 1661 Napier Street in Vancouver)

Thursday, September 17, 2026

10:00 am – 11:00 am: Herbert Spencer Elementary (at UBC Robson Square at 800 Robson Street in Vancouver)
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm: New Westminster Tweedsmuir Elementary (at 1714 8th Avenue in New Westminster)

For more information, visit the official wordvancouver.ca website.

Wednesday, September 23, 2026

10:30 am – 11:30 am: In Conversation with Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas, The Lost Haida Manga (at Tsawwassen First Nation Site School at 2300 Falcon Way in Tsawwassen)

Thursday, September 24, 2026

6:30 pm – 8:30 pm: Chapbook Making Workshop, UBC Library Writer-In-Residence Kevin Spenst (at Enabling Arts at 343 Railway Street in Vancouver)

Saturday, September 26, 2026

10:30 am – 11:30 am: Author Storytime with Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley (at Kinder Books at 101-810 Quayside Drive in New Westminster)

Monday, September 28, 2026

10:00 am – 11:00 am: Small Brave Moments: Stories That Help Us Try (at Ocean Park Library at 12854 17 Avenue in Surrey)
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm: Big Feelings, Brave Steps: Stories About Courage, Anxiety, and Kindness (at Guildford Library at 15105 105 Avenue in Surrey)

For full festival details, click wordvancouver.ca.

Online Events

In addition to the virtual events listed and described below, a silent auction runs online until October 4th in 2026. The items for sale are donated and all proceeds help Word Vancouver remain free for everyone.