Home Vancouver Activities and Things to Do Vancouver Summer Activities

Vancouver Summer Activities

Best Summer Activities

Vancouver is usually vibrant in the summer with its tourist attractions, Playland rides, beaches, parks, outdoor entertainment and festivals.

Some of the top events and attractions taking place in Metro Vancouver in the summer include Playland, Carnaval del Sol, Uptown Live, the PNE and various other events and festivals. There are also walking tours with Forbidden Vancouver and adventure games with Vancouver Mysteries, and Art Downtown happens a few times a week. For the full list of what’s happening, see our June, July, August and September calendars of events.

 

Vancouver’s Best Places for Summer Activities

The Lower Mainland typically has amazing summers, with July, August and September usually having the best (i.e. sunniest and warmest) weather. Vancouver is rated as one of the best, and arguably one of the most expensive cities in which to live. Summer is when Vancouver is at its peak – there is just so much to see, do and enjoy in the city in the summer.

 

Kitsilano Beach
Vancouver’s Kitsilano Beach

 

Vancouver’s Best Summer Outdoor Places

Below are some of the best places to spend summer days outdoors in Vancouver.

 

Camps & Beaches

 

Markets

  • Farmers Markets – great places to get fresh produce and artisan products include markets at Ambleside, Burnaby, Lonsdale Quay, Kitsilano, Ladner, Trout Lake, White Rock and other places.
  • Shipyards Night Market – an amazing event with food trucks, artisan vendors and live entertainment on Friday evenings in North Vancouver.
  • Richmond Night Markets – for shopping and a taste of the Orient, in Richmond.

 

Parks & Gardens

 

Other Places & Activities

 

Prince of Whales Boat Outer Deck
Sightseeing with Prince of Whales

 

Vancouver’s Top Summertime Attractions

Wondering what to do in town from June until September? Below are Vancouver’s top tourist attractions to visit in the summer. There are many more, which you can find at Metro Vancouver’s Top 24 Attractions. The following Vancouver attractions, however, are, in our opinion, five of the absolute best tourist destinations specifically during the summer.

 

Granville Island

Granville Island comes alive in the summer with street performers and all sorts of things to see and do, including the wonderful and free water park for kids, walks along the seawall and shopping in the market.

 

Grouse Mountain

After the snow disappears Grouse Mountain turns into a summer play area with its movie theatre, grizzly bear habitat, mountain biking, summer Lumberjack and Birds in Motion shows, and scenic rides up the chairlift. The temperature up the hill is usually cool and comfortable, which makes it a great place for hiking too. Want to get some serious exercise and save on the price of admission? Then hike to the top via the grueling Grouse Grind!

 

Playland and the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE)

Playland is Vancouver’s amusement park. It usually runs from early May until late September (with a break starting in the second half of August because of the PNE). In 2023 the first day of the season was June 3rd. Between then and September, the rides operated on weekends and select weekdays.

The last three weeks of the summer the Pacific National Exhibition is the place to find amusement rides, agricultural displays, outdoor concerts and performances of all kinds.

 

Forbidden Vancouver Walking Tours

 


VANCOUVER WALKING TOURS

A fun, educational and entertaining activity to do in the summer is take a walking tour. Forbidden Vancouver offers tours around Stanley Park, Gastown, the West End and other parts of downtown Vancouver. They are highly recommended for folks ages 14+.


 

Stanley Park

Stanley Park is one of Vancouver’s best places to visit any time of the year, Stanley Park is especially popular in the summer with its beautiful sandy beaches, giant outdoor children’s pool at Second Beach, and the Stanley Park seawall for cycling, walking, jogging and rollerblading around.

 

Whistler BC

Whistler is a couple of hours out of town, and most famous for its winter activities, but it is also a prime destination in the summer. The village is a beautiful place to walk around and enjoy a drink or meal at an outdoor patio restaurant. The Peak-to-Peak gondola offers access to world-class mountainous views, and the whole area is a hiking, mountain biker, cyclist and golfers’ paradise. On the way to Whistler, travelers can enjoy the Sea to Sky Highway views and places of interest along the way.

 

Vancouver Maritime Museum

Save 15% with WildPlay

 

Ropes Courses in Maple Ridge

One of the most fun places to spend the day in summer in the Lower Mainland is at WildPlay in Maple Ridge. The attraction features ropes courses up in the trees as well as a number of ziplines.

For an idea of what to expect, check out the following video. It features ziplines and ropes course elements on both the attraction’s Classic and Extreme courses.

WildPlay is recommended any time of the year. It’s especially popular though in the summer. It’s a great place for adults, youth and children ages 5 and older.

 

 

Vancouver’s Best Summer Festivals

Some of the Lower Mainland’s best summer events are the following:

For a full list of summer festivals and other special activities, check out Vancouver’s Top Festivals and Events.

For a complete list of the best summer events in the Lower Mainland, check out our July and August calendars.

 

Free Outdoor Movies

 

Other Information

Other articles that might be of interest include the following: