LunarFest Vancouver is a celebration of the Lunar New Year. The arts and cultural festival features live entertainment, lantern displays and more.
This year’s festival ran from January 27th to February 22nd. It featured lots of interesting activities, including on the Lunar New Year weekend during the festival’s first few days, and on the Family Day Long Weekend of February 15th to 17th. The first day of the Year of the Snake was January 29th.
Visit lunarfestvancouver.ca for the festival’s official website.
This article contains the following information about LunarFest:
LunarFest Schedule | The Lantern City in Vancouver | LunarFest Community Celebrations | LunarFest Concert | LNY Splash | Other Information
LunarFest Vancouver
The Lunar New Year is a traditional celebration in a number of Asian cultures. It’s the first day of a calendar based on the cycles of the moon where one of 12 zodiac animals represents each year. 2025 is the Year of the Snake (or at least that’s the case in most cultures celebrating the day).
LunarFest is an annual celebration of the Lunar New Year in Vancouver. The festival first began in 2009. It was a notable part of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games and has been taking place since then. The festival features artistic displays, exhibits, performances and workshops over a few weeks in February (and in late January this year).
Hosted by the same organization behind TaiwanFest in September, the LunarFest series of events ran from January 27th through February 22nd in 2025. Other events related to LunarFest that also celebrate the Lunar New Year are The Lantern City and LNY Splash. The first of these features a number of lantern art displays in downtown Vancouver. The second showcases a number of films at the VIFF Centre.
The series of events is inclusive to everyone. It’s an expression of several Asian cultures with the goal of bringing local communities together.
Visit the lunarfestvancouver.ca website to learn more about the festival.
LunarFest Schedule
LunarFest Vancouver 2025 ran from January 27th to February 22nd. The theme of this year’s festival was “Fluidity in Diversity.” Locations and dates of things you could check out are listed below.
The Lantern City
Lantern displays took place at the following locations this year:
- šxʷƛ̓ənəq Xwtl’e7énḵ Square (750 Hornby Street) – January 29th to February 18th.
- Granville Island at Ocean Artworks (1531 Johnston Street) – January 29th to February 17th.
- Pendulum Gallery (885 West Georgia Street) – January 29th to February 18th.
- Bentall Centre (505 Burrard Street) – January 29th to February 18th.
- Robson Plaza (800 Robson Street) – January 29th to February 18th.
Continue reading, see our article about The Lantern City or visit the website thelanterncity.ca to learn more about the above art installations.
LunarFest Celebrations
Other events and activities took place at the following locations in 2025:
- Ocean Artworks at Granville Island (1531 Johnston Street) – select dates between February 1st and 17th.
- Net Loft at Granville Island (1650 Johnston Street) – select dates from February 8th to 17th.
- Pendulum Gallery (885 West Georgia Street) – select dates between February 11th and 22nd.
- The Post at 750 (750 Hamilton Street) – on February 8th and 15th.
- UBC Anime Club (6133 University Boulevard) – on February 12th and 14th.
- Vancouver Central Library (350 West Georgia Street) – on February 14th and 15th.
Details about these events can be found further below in this article.
LunarFest Concert: Fluidity in Diversity
A special free performance took place in downtown Vancouver this year.
- The Orpheum (601 Smithe Street) – January 27th at 7:00 pm.
The concert featured the Suona Gang, Harmonia String Ensemble, West Van Youth Band and two violin soloists. Click 2025 LunarFest Concert for full details.
Continue reading to learn more about some of the featured events listed above.
The Lantern City in Vancouver
There were The Lantern City art installations at šxʷƛ̓ənəq Xwtl’e7énḵ Square (outside the Vancouver Art Gallery), the Pendulum Gallery, Bentall Centre, Robson Plaza and Granville Island in 2025. The displays were free to admire and each location had a different theme.
Details about this year’s exhibitions are below.
Lantern City at the Vancouver Art Gallery: Hundred Pace Snake
The art installation in front of the Vancouver Art Gallery took place in šxʷƛ̓ənəq Xwtl’e7énḵ Square which is in the 800 block of West Georgia Street between Howe Street and Hornby.
The theme of this year’s lanterns outside the art gallery was “Hundred Pace Snake.” The lantern art recognized and showcased the diverse communities of Metro Vancouver. It featured a combination of a snake and the sea. The displays at this location could be admired anytime between January 29th and February 18th.
Lantern City at the Bentall Centre: Coastal Lunar Lanterns
A lantern art installation was also set up at the Bentall Centre at 505 Burrard Street. It’s a couple blocks away from Canada Place and the Coal Harbour Seawall.
The display at this venue could be seen anytime between January 29th and February 19th in 2025. This year the art was called “Coastal Lunar Lanterns” and it had an Indigenous theme.
Visit the lunarfestvancouver.ca website to learn more about the festival.
Lantern City at Robson Plaza: We Are Family
Another lantern art installation was available to check out at Robson Plaza at 800 Robson Street. It was up between January 29th and February 18th this year.
This year’s display was “We Are Family.” Inspired by the process of snakes shedding their skin, this display left the past behind and showcased all the diverse communities within the city.
Lantern City at Granville Island: Forever Young
This part of The Lantern City art installations was on display at Ocean Artworks on Granville Island from January 29th until February 18th. The lanterns were free to see at any time between these dates and they had a “Forever Young” theme. The lanterns were meant to inspire the creativity of children as well as the inner child in everyone else.
Ocean Artworks is a covered, outdoor pavilion and public space located at 1531 Johnston Street. It’s close to the Granville Island Public Market and, almost, but not quite, directly under the Granville Street Bridge. The lanterns were great to see in combination with a visit to the market and other shops at Granville Island, or while in the area for shopping, dinner at a restaurant or seeing some theatre.
Best times to check out the lanterns were at night (when they were at their prettiest), or during the day when LunarFest Community Celebrations were also taking place.
(TIP: Granville Island is famous for its unique shops, art studios, restaurants and theatres. It’s also next to the False Creek Seawall which is a great place for walks and leisurely bike rides.)
Visit the lunarfestvancouver.ca website to learn more about the festival.
Lantern City at the Pendulum Gallery: Comics on the Island
An exhibition was also set up inside the Pendulum Gallery. Located at 885 West Georgia Street, the featured displays were comics about different human emotions. The stories were depicted from the perspectives of the Taiwanese. The exhibition was available to check out between January 29th and February 21st this year.
(TIP: The Pendulum Gallery is across the street from the Vancouver Art Gallery, which was another location with lantern displays from January 29th to February 18th. It’s worth checking out both locations while in the area!)
Visit the website thelanterncity.ca to learn more about Lantern City events.
LunarFest Community Celebrations
Events and activities are usually held at a couple of different locations, including Ocean Artworks on Granville Island. The other regular venue is šxʷƛ̓ənəq Xwtl’e7énḵ Square (which is the north plaza outside the Vancouver Art Gallery). In 2025 there were also activities at the Pendulum Gallery, Bentall Centre and other venues.
The schedule of community events and activities that happened this year is below. (Note: Exact details were subject to change.)
Saturday, February 1st, 2025
- 11:00 am to 4:00 pm – Artists Market (at the Ocean Artworks Pavilion on Granville Island)
Sunday, February 2nd, 2025
- 11:00 am to 4:00 pm – Artists Market (at the Ocean Artworks on Granville Island)
Friday, February 7th, 2025
- 11:00 am to 4:00 pm – LunarFest Craft Workshop (at the Ocean Artworks Pavilion)
Visit the lunarfestvancouver.ca website to learn more about the festival.
Saturday, February 8th, 2025
- 11:00 am to 4:00 pm – Artists Market (at the Ocean Artworks Pavilion)
- 11:00 am to 1:00 pm – Year of Transformation Workshop with Christine Mackenzie (at the Ocean Artworks Pavilion)
- 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm – LunarFest Craft Workshop (at the Net Loft)
- 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm – Suona: Sounds from the East with Suona Gang (at the Ocean Artworks Pavilion)
- 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm – Reinventing the Written Word: Calligra-ffiti Workshop with Godkidlla (at The Post at 750)
Visit lunarfestvancouver.ca for the full festival program.
Sunday, February 9th, 2025
- 11:00 am to 4:00 pm – Artists Market (at the Ocean Artworks Pavilion)
- 11:00 am to 1:00 pm – Suona: Sounds from the East with Suona Gang (at the Ocean Artworks Pavilion)
- 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm – LunarFest Craft Workshop (at the Net Loft)
- 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm – LunarFest Craft Workshop (at the Ocean Artworks Pavilion)
Tuesday, February 11th, 2025
- 4:00 pm to 4:30 pm – Guided Tour with Ruan Guang-Min in Mandarin (at the Pendulum Gallery)
Wednesday, February 12th, 2025
- 12:30 pm to 2:00 pm – Artist Talk with Ruan Guang-Min (at the UBC Anime Club)
Thursday, February 13th, 2025
- 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm – Artist Talk with Ruan Guang-Min (at the Pendulum Gallery)
- 7:00 pm to 7:30 pm – Guided Tour with Ruan Guang-Min (at the Pendulum Gallery)
Visit lunarfestvancouver.ca for the full festival program.
Friday, February 14th, 2025
- 11:00 am to 4:00 pm – LunarFest Craft Workshop (at the Ocean Artworks Pavilion)
- 7:00 pm – Artist Talk with Ruan Guang-Min (at the UBC Anime Club)
- 2:30 pm to 4:00 pm – Artist Talk with Godkidlla in Mandarin (at the Vancouver Central Library)
Saturday, February 15th, 2025
- 11:00 am to 4:00 pm – Artists Market (at the Ocean Artworks Pavilion)
- 11:00 am to 4:00 pm – Dumpling Game (at the Ocean Artworks Pavilion)
- 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm – LunarFest Craft Workshop (at the Net Loft)
- 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm – Reinventing the Written Word: Calligra-ffiti Workshop with Godkidlla (at The Post at 750)
- 2:30 pm to 4:00 pm – Artist Talk with Ruan Guang-Min in Mandarin (at the Vancouver Central Library)
Visit lunarfestvancouver.ca for the full festival program.
Sunday, February 16th, 2025
- 11:00 am to 4:00 pm – Artists Market (at the Ocean Artworks Pavilion)
- 11:00 am to 4:00 pm – Dumpling Game (at the Ocean Artworks Pavilion)
- 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm – LunarFest Craft Workshop (at the Net Loft)
Monday, February 17th, 2025
- 11:00 am to 4:00 pm – Dumpling Game (at the Ocean Artworks Pavilion)
- 11:00 am to 1:00 pm – LunarFest Craft Workshop (at the Ocean Artworks Pavilion)
- 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm – Transformation and Adaptability Workshop with Clarissa Banos (at the Ocean Artworks Pavilion)
- 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm – LunarFest Craft Workshop (at the Net Loft)
Tuesday, February 18th, 2025
- 4:00 pm to 4:30 pm – Guided Tour of Comics on the Island exhibition (at the Pendulum Gallery)
Saturday, February 22nd, 2025
- 11:00 am to 11:30 am – Guided Tour of Comics on the Island exhibition (at the Pendulum Gallery)
- 1:00 pm to 1:30 pm – Guided Tour of Comics on the Island exhibition in Mandarin (at the Pendulum Gallery)
Visit lunarfestvancouver.ca for the full festival program.
LunarFest Concert
The featured LunarFest Concert in 2025 took place at 7:00 pm on Monday, January 27th. It was held at the Orpheum Theatre and tickets were on a pay-what-you-can scale ranging from $8 to $18.
LunarFest invited everyone to celebrate the Year of the Snake in harmony. The show’s lineup included the Suona Gang, Harmonia String Ensemble, West Van Youth Band, and violin soloists.
Visit the LunarFest Vancouver website for full details about the concert.
LNY Splash
LNY Splash is related to both LunarFest and The Lantern City. This third series of events included a number of films on the Saturday and Sunday of February 8th and 9th, 2025, at the VIFF Centre in downtown Vancouver.
LYN Splash Films
The LNY Splash film lineup for 2025 is below.
Saturday, February 8th, 2025
- Hao Are You (Germany/Vietnam)
- Stand Up Story (Hong Kong)
- Granny Must Die (Taiwan)
Sunday, February 9th, 2025
- Come Home, My Child (Taiwan)
- Picnic (South Korea)
Visit the LNY Splash website for more information about the films.
Other Information
Visit the official LunarFest Vancouver website for more information about the LunarFest event. Visit The Lantern City website for more information about just the lantern displays.
See our article about Lunar New Year Celebrations to learn about similar events celebrating the same occasion.
Other articles that might be of interest include the following:
- The Lantern City
- Historical Chinatown Walking Tours
- Vancouver Festivals and Events
- Shows and Entertainment Calendar
- January and February Calendars of Events
- TaiwanFest in September
