A festival created to celebrate the history and culture of Vancouver’s Chinatown is coming to East Pender and neighbouring streets this September.
A product of the Vancouver Chinatown Foundation and the Vancouver Chinatown Business Improvement Area Society, the inaugural “Light Up Chinatown!” event runs September 11 and 12 and will feature a variety of family-friendly activities including live entertainment, exclusive food collaborations and glittering displays of lights and lanterns.
Carol Lee, co-founder and chair of Vancouver Chinatown Foundation says the event comes as the past year and a half has been particularly devastating for Chinatowns around the world.
“Our goal for Light Up Chinatown! is to encourage people to reconnect with Vancouver’s Chinatown, especially leading up to the Mid-Autumn Festival,” Lee said. “The lanterns and lights are beautiful beacons, highlighting the vibrant, cultural history this special neighbourhood continues to hold and represent.”
The event kicks off with an opening ceremony at the main stage on Columbia Street at Keefer at 11 a.m. From there, attendees can join in on a variety of live festivities, including a performance by Goh Ballet, live music, magic show by Rod Chow, and food tastings while exploring shops around Chinatown for unique, specialty offerings.
Ken Tsui of Here There creative studio has brought together an incredible line-up of culinary collaborations, bridging cultures together.
These include:
- Chinatown BBQ x Beaucoup Bakery - Popular Peking duck croissant returns with new surprises
- Jade Dynasty x Juice Bar - Multi-course Cantonese dinner, paired with organic wines
- Bao Bei - One-time Sunday brunch event
- Kam Wai Dim Sum x The Keefer Yard - Late night dim sum and cocktails
- DD MAU - Saigon Saturday Cocktail and Sunday pop-up brunch
