TAIWANfest is a festival celebrating Taiwanese food, music and culture in downtown Vancouver on the Labour Day Long Weekend in September.
The festival runs from September 5th to 7th in 2026. This year’s theme is “Islands in the Wind”.
Visit vancouvertaiwanfest.ca for the festival’s official website.
This article contains the following information about TAIWANfest:
When is TAIWANfest? | Where is TAIWANfest? | Festival Activities | TAIWANfest Schedule | TAIWANfest Market | Documentary Films | TAIWANfest Video | Tips & Advice | Other Information
Vancouver’s TAIWANfest Taiwanese Festival
TAIWANfest is a cultural festival that features concerts and other live entertainment as well as talks, films and an artist market. It also has visual arts exhibits, family-oriented activities and a street party with food and market stalls.
Another event organized by the same organization behind TAIWANfest is LunarFest which happens during the Lunar New Year season in January or February. LunarFest is also very interesting and features a number of events and artistic displays.
Click TAIWANfest Vancouver for the festival’s official website.
When is TAIWANfest?
TAIWANfest takes place on the Labour Day weekend in September. This year’s festival is on the weekend of September 5th to 7th.
This year’s events on all three days include activities along Granville Street between noon and 6:00 pm. On the Saturday and Sunday, there are also activities in the North Plaza outside the Vancouver Art Gallery from noon until 10:00 pm. On the holiday Monday, the activities and performances in the plaza run from noon until 6:00 pm.
Where is TAIWANfest?
The festival’s in-person activities take place at various venues in downtown Vancouver. The main locations include šxʷƛ̓ənəq Xwtl’e7énk Square (outside the Vancouver Art Gallery), on Granville Street, at the Vancouver Playhouse, the Vancouver Public Library, and the Annex theatre.
The Vancouver Art Gallery’s address is 750 Hornby Street. Officially called šxʷƛ̓ənəq Xwtl’e7énḵ Square, the plaza is the large open square along West Georgia Street between Hornby and Howe streets. In the plaza during TAIWANfest there are food vendors and an artist market as well as live entertainment on the Pancouver Stage.
The Granville Street activities happen along the 500, 600 and 700 blocks of the street. In this area there are exhibitions and workshops as well as market vendors.
An event on September 6th takes place at the Vancouver Playhouse at 7:30 pm at 600 Hamilton Street. Other events happen over the weekend at the Vancouver Public Library at 350 West Georgia Street. The Annex, meanwhile, is adjacent to the Orpheum Theatre, at 823 Seymour Street, which is between Robson Street and Smithe Street.
Click TAIWANfest Vancouver for the festival’s official website.
Festival Activities
There are a fair number of things to see along Granville Street during the Taiwanese Cultural Festival. Admission is free for the street party which runs each day.
At the festival, you’ll find lively street activities, cultural exhibitions, and family-friendly workshops. You can also enjoy food vendors offering flavours from around the world, along with live performances taking place throughout the weekend.
TAIWANfest Schedule
Below are just some of the schedule highlights of the festival in 2026. (Note: Times and other details are subject to change.)
Saturday, September 5th, 2026
- 10:30 am – Hope Talk: Songs Remembered (Vancouver Central Library)
- 12:30 pm – Introduction to Taiwanese Tea Culture (Granville 600)
- 1:00 pm – Scottish Country Dancing Workshop (Vancouver Art Gallery Plaza)
- 2:00 pm – Collective Island Workshop (Granville 600)
- 2:30 pm – Work and Story Songs (Vancouver Art Gallery Plaza)
- 2:30 pm – Hope Talk: Into the Community: Gender, Community, and Power in Indigenous Societies of Eastern and Southern Taiwan (Granville 700)
- 3:45 pm – Leaving Home A Second Time: A Chinese Canadian’s Scottish Fiddle Journey (Vancouver Art Gallery Plaza)
- 4:30 pm – Touching Colour: Sashiko Coaster Workshop (Granville 600)
- 4:30 pm – Community Sharing Session: Examining the Lived Experiences of Women (Annex)
- 4:30 pm – Work and Story Songs (Granville 700)
- 5:30 pm – Funking Up the World (Vancouver Art Gallery Plaza)
- 7:00 pm – When the Mountains Sing (Vancouver Playhouse)
- 7:00 pm – TECTONIC (Vancouver Art Gallery Plaza)
Sunday, September 6th, 2026
- 12:00 pm – Where is Taiwan Cacao? (Granville 600)
- 12:30 pm – Timeless Echoes: Tradition Reimagined (Vancouver Art Gallery Plaza)
- 12:30 pm – The New Soul of Hakka Mountain Song Workshop (Annex)
- 1:00 pm – Hope Talk: Room for Love (Granville 700)
- 2:00 pm – Expression of Language (Vancouver Art Gallery Plaza)
- 2:00 pm – Make Your Own Japanese Lucky Ornament (Granville 600)
- 2:30 pm – Scottish Highland Dance Demonstration Workshop (Granville 700)
- 3:15 pm – Scottish Country Dancing Workshop (Granville 700)
- 3:30 pm – Where Culture Meets Movement (Vancouver Art Gallery Plaza)
- 4:30 pm – Collective Island Workshop (Granville 600)
- 4:30 pm – Islands’ Talk: A Historical Conversation Among Scotland, Canada, and Taiwan (Annex)
- 5:30 pm – Island Love (Vancouver Art Gallery Plaza)
- 7:00 pm – TECTONIC (Vancouver Art Gallery Plaza)
Monday, September 7th, 2026
- 12:00 pm – Collective Island Workshop (Granville 600)
- 12:00 pm – Young & Loud – Gen Alpha Rock (Vancouver Art Gallery Plaza)
- 12:00 pm – Rhyme Incense DIY Sachet Workshop (Granville 700)
- 12:30 pm – Hope Talk: Stories in Conversation (Annex)
- 2:00 pm – Breathing Across Cultures (Vancouver Art Gallery Plaza)
- 2:30 pm – Flamenco as a Worldwide Art Form (Granville 700)
- 2:00 pm – How Does a Vessel Change the Drinking Experience? (Granville 600)
- 3:30 pm – Across the Tides (Vancouver Art Gallery Plaza)
- 3:30 pm – Melodies on Screen Workshop (Granville 700)
- 4:30 pm – Before Outlander: Remembering the Jacobites in Scottish History (Annex)
- 5:00 pm – Don’t Stop the C-Pop (Vancouver Art Gallery Plaza)
- 5:00 pm – How Does a Vessel Change the Drinking Experience? (Granville 600)
TAIWANfest Artist Market
The festival’s artist market happens on all three days from September 5th to 7th, between noon and 6:00 pm in 2026. The market features artists and artisan vendor stalls in šxʷƛ̓ənəq Xwtl’e7énk Square outside the Vancouver Art Gallery. See the TAIWANfest website to learn about the artists who are participating this year.
TAIWANfest Films
TAIWANfest presents the following films in 2026:
- MATA – The Island’s Haze – in the Granville 700 Block at 4:30 pm.
- Shape of Love – at the Annex at noon.
TAIWANfest Video
Check out the video below for a good idea of what to expect at the next TAIWANfest event. The video shows scenes from the 2024 festivities outside the Vancouver Art Gallery. The band featured in the video is Lilium.
Tips & Advice
Below are some tips and suggestions to help you make the most of your Vancouver TAIWANfest experience.
TIP #1: Although the festival’s main focus is on arts and culture, rather than food, be sure to go with an appetite as there are a good number of tasty Asian treats for sale (as well as a few foods from other parts of the world too).
TIP #2: The live performances are a highlight of the festival. Be sure to stay for some of the performances.
TIP #3: Take public transit if you can. Granville Street is so convenient to get to by public transit from most parts of the Lower Mainland, plus traffic in the area will be busy.
Click TAIWANfest Vancouver for the festival’s official website.
Other Information
See the Taiwanese Cultural Festival website to learn more about this event in general, or its sister event in Toronto.
Check out the following for information about other things to do in the Lower Mainland:
Other Asian-themed events to check out at other times of the year include the following:
- Lunar New Year Celebrations (in January or February)
- LunarFest (in January or February)
- Vancouver Chinatown Spring Festival Parade (in January or February)
- Vancouver’s ExplorASIAN Festival (in May)
- Nikkei Matsuri Japanese Festival (on the Labour Day weekend)
- Taiwanese Canadian Cultural Festival (in late June and early July)
- Vancouver Taiwanese Festivals
