Home COVID-19 Vancouver Closures and Events Cancelled Due to Coronavirus

Vancouver Closures and Events Cancelled Due to Coronavirus

March 25, 2020

The coronavirus, or COVID-19, has had an impact on festivals and events in Vancouver and caused many to be cancelled or postponed.

See below for a list of coronavirus-related closures and cancellations, as well as general information about COVID-19 and its impact on Vancouver. For a list of venues that are open, click Open and Reopening Vancouver Places.

(Note: This article is up-to-date only up until January, 2022.)

This article includes the following information:

COVID-19 Impact on Vancouver Events and Attractions

In this article you’ll find information about the coronavirus, and where to get more detailed information. We also list Vancouver events and attractions that have been cancelled because of COVID-19. Our list isn’t exhaustive, but it does include many of the events and venues affected.

Some of the latest casualties of the pandemic are the Contact Music Festival, Vancouver Boat Show, Vancouver Auto Show, Just for Laughs Comedy Fest, and New Year’s Day Polar Bear Swims.

COVID-19 Cases in Vancouver

As of January 27th, 2022, the virus has infected 318,906 people in this province. Of these, 286,762 people (or 89.9%) had already recovered (although in many cases not completely). By that date, 2,588 people (or 0.81% of those infected) had died.

Also as of January 27th, the Vancouver Coastal Health Region had had 67,148 cases (including 378 in the previous 24 hours and 6,614 active cases). The Fraser Health Region, meanwhile, had had 150,075 cases (including 685 since the previous day and 12,351 active cases).

The first of the two above regions includes the City of Vancouver, North Shore, Richmond, Sunshine Coast, Sea to Sky region and Whistler. The Vancouver Coastal Health Region serves approximately 1.25 million people.

The Fraser Health Region, meanwhile, is comprised of most other municipalities within the Lower Mainland including Delta, Burnaby, the Tri-Cities, Surrey and communities further east and in the Fraser Valley. It serves a population of about 1.8 million people.

What’s New

As of January, 2022, night clubs and bars are closed until further notice. Indoor venues like restaurants and theatres can operate at just 50% capacity.

As of August 25th, the provincial government returned to a mask mandate for all indoor public places. Beginning September 13th, there were also new “vaccine cards” required for access to places like gyms, concerts, sporting events and other activities with large congregations. Since August people have had to provide proof of vaccination or be denied entry.

For the most up-to-date details about current regulations click Province-Wide Restrictions Updates. To learn more about the state of the pandemic and what the government is doing about COVID-19, visit the gov.bc.ca/covid19 website.

Cancelled Events Due to COVID-19 in 2020 and 2021

Below are events which normally take place in the winter and spring, but not in the early winter and spring of 2022.

Note: The following list is not an exhaustive list. Some festivals and events not in our list are likely also cancelled, or will become so. Also, some events that are “cancelled” in their usual in-person formats are still taking place, but now in online and digital formats.

Events Cancelled in 2022

The following events aren’t happening in 2022 because of the pandemic:

New Year’s Eve Parties – the government announced that New Year’s Eve parties aren’t allowed unless they are sit-down events. Events involving dancing and mingling are not permitted.
Night Clubs – all night clubs have had to close and cancel their events until mid-January at the earliest.
Vancouver International Boat Show – the annual marine trade show was going to take place in mid-February, 2022.
Arts Club Theatre – Dolly Parton’s Smoky Mountain Christmas Carol was supposed to run until January 2nd, 2022. The play finished about a week early, however because of COVID.
Just for Laughs Comedy Fest – the comedy festival was going to run in the second half of February in 2022, but it has since been postponed.
Vancouver International Auto Show – the event was going to happen at the Vancouver Convention Centre on March 23 to 27.
Vancouver Motorcycle Show – the trade show was going to take place at the Tradex Centre in Abbotsford on the third weekend in January. Now it’s not happening until 2023.

In addition to the above, the following events were either cancelled or cut short in December of 2021.

Holidays on the Block – the food truck festival-style event was going to run until Christmas Eve. Out of an abundance of caution, however, it finished on December 21st instead.
Contact Festival – the music festival at the Vancouver Convention Centre got cancelled not long before it was going to take place.

Closed Vancouver Attractions Due to COVID-19

As of early January, 2022, Lower Mainland venues that have closed, at least temporarily, are listed below. In some cases, they may have since reopened.

(Note: This is not an exhaustive list. Many attractions and places of interest not in our list may also be closed. Also, listed venues may re-open at any time. In fact, some of the ones we have listed have likely already re-opened. For the most up-to-date status of specific places, see official venue websites.)

Closed Places in the City of Vancouver

The following are tourist attractions, entertainment venues and other places of interested within the City of Vancouver that have closed because of COVID-19.

Closed City of Vancouver Attractions & Entertainment Venues

OMNIMAX Theatre at Science World – the science museum is open, but the IMAX theatre is not.
Vancouver Lookout – the attraction in Gastown has been closed since the spring. As of end of the summer, it has reopened for groups wanting to book the entire venue. People, however, can’t book individual tickets.
Vancouver Night Clubs – night clubs closed in the spring of 2020, reopened in the summer and then closed again in the fall. As of August 2021, some of them are open but some remain closed.

Other Closed City of Vancouver Places of Interest

Cruise Ships – since the spring of 2020, passenger cruise ships haven’t been allowed to operate in Canada. As of February, 2020, the ban is in effect until November of 2021.
Prospect Point – this restaurant and gift shop overlooking the Lions Gate Bridge in Stanley Park temporarily closed in the spring of 2020. It reopened for a couple of months beginning on July 8th, but then closed again in early September.

Closed Places on the North Shore

Baden Powell Trail – the portion of the trail that runs from Deep Cove up to Quarry Rock has been temporarily closed to the public.
Capilano River Hatchery – a fish hatchery at the Capilano River Regional Park in North Vancouver. It was closed for most of the spring and summer, reopened in September, and then closed again in November.
Quarry Rock in Deep Cove – the hiking trails up to the rock are closed until further notice.
Shipyards Friday Night Market – cancelled until further notice as of June 2021, usually home to live music, food trucks and different vendors in North Vancouver.

Closed Places Elsewhere in the Lower Mainland

Apex Adventure Plex – the large Richmond trampoline park suspended operations at the beginning of December in 2020. As of December 2021, it appears that the closure has become permanent.
Castle Fun Park – the adventure park with mini golf, bumper cars, bowling and other fun activities was closed from the spring until June 16th. Since that date, some but not all activities resumed operations. The venue closed again, however, in the fall of 2021 due to flood damage.

Note: The above is not a full list of venues closing, nor is the above a full list of festivals and events that have been cancelled. There are more, and no doubt more to come. We are updating the information over time and as best we can.

What You Can Do in a Vancouver Coronavirus World

There are a number of things you can do to protect yourself and your loved ones from the coronavirus. They include washing your hands thoroughly, not touching your face, staying 2 metres (6 feet) away from other people, not traveling abroad, heeding health authority advice and staying home if you feel unwell.

There are things you can do to help your community too. They include reaching out to friends and neighbours and offering to help with things, like grocery shopping, if needed. But don’t buy more than you need at the grocery store and pharmacy!

Beaches, parks, and Places in Nature are ideal places to hang out at, especially on days with good weather. Stanley Park, Queen Elizabeth Park, Kitsilano Beach, Jericho Beach, Locarno Beach and English Bay Beach are all open, as are most parks in other municipalities.

As of the fall, a number of attractions now require that all visitors wear face masks. This includes the Vancouver Art Gallery, Science World, Roedde House and a few other places. Masks are also required for all passengers on BC Ferries, Harbour Air Seaplanes and Helijet. As of August 24th, masks are also required on TransLink public transit. Many other places also require masks including Starbucks coffee shops, FlyOver Canada, Superstore, IKEA stores and (as of October 5th) Vancity Credit Union branches).

Other Information

Due to concerns about the spread of the coronavirus, Vancouver-area attractions are increasing the thoroughness of their cleaning practices and taking extra precautions. Masks are required in many places and people are being reminded to wash their hands thoroughly, cover their mouths if they cough and stay home if they feel sick.

For information about the coronavirus, public health advisories and what you can do to protect yourself, see the following websites:

For tourism-related organizations, a good resource and information about free training can be found at the go2hr.ca website.

The Provincial Government has also created a self-assessment tool for people wanting to see if they should take extra precautions based on their personal conditions. This can be found at covid19.thrive.health. People with symptoms related to COVID-19 are also encouraged to call 811 and to do so before visiting their local medical clinic.

If you want to get outside and enjoy the Lower Mainland, but don’t want to get too close to other people, then see our article about Vancouver Parks & Nature. And for a list of attractions that you can still visit, click Open Places in Vancouver.