LunarFest is a festival celebrating the Lunar New Year in Vancouver. Part of LunarFest is The Lantern City which features lantern-themed art installations.
In 2026 LunarFest happens from February 14th to February 28th. Celebrating the Year of the Horse, its theme in 2026 is “Brave The Wind.” There are other activities in downtown Vancouver and on Granville Island. The Lantern City art installations, meanwhile, can be seen at five locations throughout most of the festival.
With slightly different start and end dates, special lantern art exhibits happen at Granville Island, outside the Vancouver Art Gallery, the Bentall Centre, Robson Plaza, and the Pendulum Gallery between February 2nd and March 9th in 2026.
See our article about LunarFest or visit the LunarFest Vancouver website to learn more about the festival. Continue reading or visit thelanterncity.ca to learn about The Lantern City.
The Lantern City at Lunar New Year in Vancouver
In 2026 Lantern City art installations are at five different venues in the City of Vancouver. You can see lanterns in front of the Vancouver Art Gallery and at Robson Plaza from February 14th until March 9th. There’s another installation at Ocean Artworks Pavilion on Granville Island between February 14th and March 8th. The fourth art installation is at the Pendulum Gallery from February 2nd until the 27th. There’s also one at the Bentall Centre from February 9th to March 9th.
The lantern art displays outside the Vancouver Art Gallery are in šxʷƛ̓ənəq Xwtl’e7énḵ Square at 750 Hornby Street. Their theme in 2026 is “Renewal.”
On Granville Island the art installation is at the Ocean Artworks Pavilion. The venue’s address is 1531 Johnston Street which is just a block or so from the Granville Island Public Market. The theme for the art there this year is “Forever Young.” The displays at the Bentall Centre at 505 Burrard Street are “Brave the Wind.” Meanwhile, Robson Plaza at 800 Robson Street is where you can find the “We Are a Family” exhibition.
Unlike the other lantern art installations in 2026, the displays at the Pendulum Gallery are indoors. The venue is in the HSBC Building at 885 West Georgia Street, so just across the street from the Vancouver Art Gallery.
Click The Lantern City for the event’s official website.
Other Activities at The Lantern City Venues
LunarFest is related to The Lantern City, and it has its own series of events.
In addition to the art displays, there are free LunarFest celebrations at many of the same venues throughout the run of The Lantern City. Activities include artist talks, various workshops, an artists market, and more.
Visit thelanterncity.ca or lunarfestvancouver.ca for the events’ official websites.
Other Information
Visit the lunarfestvancouver.ca and thelanterncity.ca websites to learn more about LunarFest and The Lantern City.
See our article about the Lunar New Year in the Lower Mainland and Vancouver’s January and February calendars of events to learn about other events taking place at the same time of the year.
Other articles that might be of interest include the following:
- Free January Events in Vancouver
- LunarFest Vancouver
- Chinatown Spring Festival Parade
- Dine Out Vancouver Festival
LunarFest and The Lantern City are put on by the same people behind TaiwanFest on the Labour Day Weekend in September. It too is a very interesting cultural event.
