Things to Do in Vancouver – February 2025

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 line-up is a great way to do that. VIFF is offering two guest-curated series over Black History Month, along with live events, music documentaries and more. African Cinema Now! is a series curated by Akojo Film Collective, dedicated to modern African cinema by and about Africans both on the continent and in the diaspora. A second series, Celebrating Black Futures, is curated by Kika Memeh, and is in dialogue with the Vancouver Art Gallery exhibitions Firelei Báez and Offsite: Hank Willis Thomas, exploring the evolving narrative in Black and African cinema.   

Lunar New Year Celebrations
February 1 & 2
Vancouver is a city with a significant Asian population, and as such, there are lots of options for celebrating Lunar New Year! The official start of the Year of the Snake is on Wednesday, January 29, but a lot of the public celebrations happen over the weekend of February 1 and 2. We’re excited for the LunarFest Artist Market at Granville Island, a great spot to find the perfect new year’s gift from a local maker. The biggest celebration in the city is the annual Chinatown Spring Festival Parade, which winds through the neighbourhood on February 2, bringing good luck to all. After, check out Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden for performances, demonstrations, arts and crafts, and traditional snacks.

Winter Arts Festival
February 13 – 16
With a new home-base in Gastown, this year’s Winter Arts Festival will centre around the theme Through the Glass, transforming the neighbourhood’s windows and walls into reflections and stories told by local and international artists. An open-air gallery of interactive art installations, light displays, projection mapping, and live pop-up performances will be augmented with after-dark parties, guided tours and an interactive map to enhance the experience.

Fan Expo Vancouver
February 21 – 23
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 ops with celebs like Hayden Christensen (Star Wars), William Shatner (Star Trek), Andy Serkis (Lord of the Rings, Black Panther), and Jared Padalecki and Mark Sheppard (both from Supernatural), 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.