Things to Do in Vancouver – February 2024

Black History Month at VIFF Centre
Throughout February
A big part of Black History Month is amplifying voices and telling stories that we might not have heard before, and the Vancouver International Film Festival’s month-long movies series is a great way to do that. In fact, VIFF is offering two series over Black History Month. The first is A New Chapter which includes director Jamila Pomeroy’s Vancouver-filmed Union Street along with two influential companion movies curated by Pomeroy herself. The second series, Celebrating Black Futures, offers four films over successive Thursdays, that represent the current, exciting future of Black filmmaking.

Lunar New Year Celebrations
February 10 & 11
In a city with an Asian population as large as Vancouver’s, you can bet that celebrating Lunar New Year is a big deal! There’s a lot going on around the city, but you’ll find us ushering in the Year of the Dragon in Vancouver’s Chinatown. Saturday is the official start of the new year, and the Get Lucky art show features original works from 88+ local artists using red envelopes as their canvas, with each available for just $38. Tickets for the event (open both Saturday and Sunday) are free, and you might just win a stay at The Burrard if you enter the lucky raffle. Sunday sees the 50th anniversary Chinatown Spring Festival Parade, winding its way through the neighbourhood, bringing good luck to all.

Fan Expo Vancouver
February 17 – 19
If you’re a fan of sci-fi, gaming, comics, anime or horror, Fan Expo Vancouver is the place to be. Along with autograph and photo opps with celebs like Elijah Wood (Lord of the Rings), Joseph Quinn and Grace Van Dien (both from Stranger Things), and Giancarlo Esposito and Gina Carano (both from The Mandalorian), you’ll have the chance to connect with your favourite voice actors, gaming stars and comic creators. And don’t forget to dress up: cosplay is a huge part of the fun of joining this community.  

VMF Winter Arts Festival
February 22 – 27
This year, the Winter Arts Festival (presented by the team behind Vancouver Mural Festival) has largely moved to Victoria, but you’ll still find seven amazing outdoor exhibits lighting up our city over the six-day Vancouver portion. Blanketing the City: Lighting the Way reclaims the city skyline by illuminating some of our most prominent buildings with Coast Salish patterns. This ongoing public art installation by xʷməθkʷəy̓əm weaver and designer Debra Sparrow allows the public to interact with the illuminations through manipulating the Thread Runner, and AR runner derived from one of Sparrow’s earlier pieces.