The Vancouver Chinatown Festival
On August 14th and 15th, The Vancouver Chinatown BIA Society will host the 11th annual Vancouver Chinatown Festival – the largest summer celebration in Vancouver’s historic Chinatown.
Every year thousands of locals and tourists converge on the streets of Columbia and Keefer in historic Chinatown to experience the biggest multicultural summer celebration in the area.
Last year more than 55 000 people enjoyed the series of activities and learned more about Chinatown at the Festival.
What to Expect:
This year is Vancouver Chinatown’s 125th anniversary, and so this year’s festival theme is to “Leap from a Proud Heritage.”
This year’s festivities will include live performances, food tastings and a cultural area. There will be heritage tours running throughout the weekend as well as several activities for the kids.
Schedule and Activities:
StreetFest
August 14, 6:00 pm – 10:00 pm
This year’s Streetfest will be the biggest street party of the summer right here in Vancouver Chinatown. Esteemed local DJs will spin the latest in club-music and carnival games will be on site for attendees.
Folk Art Demonstration
August 14 & 15, 12:00 noon – 5:00 pm
Ceramic Demonstration, Rickshaw, sedan chair and much more!
Chinatown Heritage and Food Tasting Tour
August 14 & 15, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Register at Walking Tour Info Booths on site. Coordinators will lead you to visit the heritage buildings and to sample Vancouver Chinatown’s favourite foods. Each tour lasts about 30 – 45mins and begins at Chinese Monument Square every half hour. Registration is $5 per person
Kids Corner
August 14 & 15, 12:00 noon – 5:00 pm
A host of fun activities for the kids. Carnival games, face painting, balloon twisting and much more will take place on 500 block Columbia Street.
Multicultural Stage Performances
Will include: Traditional Lion Dancing, Traditional Irish Dancing, Youth Talent Showdown, Traditional Martial Arts, Samba, Hip Hop, Mexican Dance and Singing.
Wheel of Fortune
Try your luck with the wheel of fortune at any Info Booth with a purchase receipt of $10 or more at any Chinatown businesses during the Festival!
Youth Talent Showdown 2010 Finals
On August 15 the top finalists chosen will compete on stage for the Top Three Awards in front of a live audience.
This afternoon I got a chance to catch up with the Festival Coordinator, Bonnie Kwan and asked her what to expect from the festival:
The weekend will be filled with tons of exciting events and activities! I would definitely say some of the highlights include the food tastings, the heritage tours and the live performances.
The heritage tours really offer visitors an inside look into Chinatown with visits to some of the more cultured buildings and associations in the area – like the Chinese Benevolent Association, the Yue Shan Society and the Ing Society.
This year we’ve also introduced the Street Festival, which will be a younger, clubbing-like atmosphere. Some of the best DJ’s in town will spin live music so it should be a lot of fun!
For more information on the Vancouver Chinatown Festival, visit:
vancouver-chinatown.com
Leave a Reply