Vancouver
A World Class Destination
World Class City by many standards. Has been declared for several years in a row as one of the most liveable cities on the globe. Global focus will be on Vancouver and premier ski resort Whistler in 2010.
Cradled between the ocean and snow-capped mountains, Vancouver’s dazzling downtown district fills a narrow peninsula bounded by Burrard Inlet to the north, English Bay to the west and False Creek to the south, with greater Vancouver sprawling south to the Fraser River. Edged around its idyllic waterfront are fine beaches, a dynamic port and a magnificent swath of parkland, not to mention the mirror-fronted ranks of skyscrapers that look across Burrard Inlet and its bustling harbour to the residential districts of North and West Vancouver. Beyond these comfortable suburbs, the Coast Mountains rise in steep, forested slopes to form a dramatic counterpoint to the downtown skyline and the most stunning of the city’s many outdoor playgrounds. Small wonder, given Vancouver’s surroundings, that Greenpeace was founded in the city.
Annual Calendar of Events
January: Vancouver Outdoor & Fishing Show, Country Living Show, Freestyle World Ski Championships, International Motor Cycle Show
February: International Boat Show, Outdoor Adventure Sports Show, Golf Expo, BC Home & Garden Show
March: Spring Gift Show, International RV Show, World of Children Choirs
April: Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Fest, Symphony Kids’ concerts, Vancouver Sun Run
May: International Children’s Festival, Cloverdale Rodeo & Fairgrounds, Vancouver International Marathon
June: Shakespeare Festival, Jazz Festival, Italian Week
July: Annual “Best of the West” Antiques Expo, Merritt Mountain Music Festival, Annual Sandcastle Competition at Harrisons Hot Springs, Discovery Days & Blue Festival
August: Whistler’s Really Big Street Festival, Festival Vancouver
September: Circus of Dreams, Swinging on the Docks, Fringe Theatre Festival, Mid Autumn Moon Festival
October: Oktoberfest, Vancouver Snow Show, Waterfront Antique Show, Cranberry Festival
November: Animal Encounters, Whistler’s Food & Wine Celebration, Annual Christmas Craft and Gift Market
December: Annual Christmas Parade, Heritage Christmas, Whistler Jazz and Blue Weekend, Santa Claus Parade of Lights
Nightlife and Entertainment
Vancouver gives you plenty to do come sunset, laying on a varied and cosmopolitan blend of both live and dance music . Clubs are more adventurous than in many a Canadian city, particularly the fly-by-night alternative dives in the Italian quarter on Commercial Drive and in the backstreets off Gastown and Chinatown. There’s also a choice of smarter and more conventional clubs, a handful of discos and a smattering of gay and lesbian clubs and bars.