Locals can enjoy several fun events this weekend, including indoor and outdoor ones (the Metro Vancouver weather forecast calls for bright sunshine and mild temperatures).
The Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival continues across the city, offering various events for locals to view the delicate pink flowers across the city. Concurrently, the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Food Festival brings blossom-inspired eats and sips to local spots across the town.
Locals can also frolic through fields of tulips at flower festivals in the Lower Mainland, although they involve a bit of a drive (but the colourful blooms are worth the gas money, and you can car pool to save on costs).
A massive block party celebrating Filipino culture, including street food, home-cooked favourites, music, vendors, and much more, takes place in Vancouver on Saturday.
The first exhibition dedicated entirely to the Nuxalk nation is open for its eighth week at UBC's Museum of Modern Art this week, providing a window into the Nation's rich history and culture, as well as what it is doing to revitalize its language, self-governance, and ceremonial practices.
Here are a few fun things to do in Vancouver from April 25 to April 27, 2025.
Botanica Tulip Festival
More than two million tulip bulbs, over 80 varieties of flowers and a free Ferris wheel: That's what Metro Vancouver residents will be treated to during the Botanica Tulip Festival, which returns to Chilliwack this spring for its second annual showcase — tentatively starting on Friday, April 11.
When: Open until mid-May. Open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Where: 41310 Royalwood Dr., Chilliwack
Cost: Find tickets HERE.
Abbotsford Tulip Festival
Residents of the Lower Mainland can enjoy rows of vibrant blooms at the Abbotsford Tulip Festival this spring.
Attendees can stroll through 35 acres of tulips and fields of flowers, featuring over 100 varieties of vibrant tulips at Lakeland Flower's first floral event of the season.
The farm has introduced some new features this year, including four golden pathways, giant klompen (traditional Dutch shoes), and the schoenen winkel (Dutch shoe store).
When: Runs through Mother’s Day, May 11 (open from dawn to dusk).
Where: Lakeland Flowers - 3663 Marion Rd, Abbotsford, B.C.
Cost: Ticket prices are announced a week before opening. There are single-day and seasonal passes. Ticket information.
Madama Butterfly
The play incorporates "stunning visuals, transcendent melodies, and a timeless tale of love and loss," making Madama Butterfly a "must-see" this season, according to the event listing.
Conducted by the Vancouver Opera's Music Director, Maestro Jacques Lacombe, the play is about an American Lieutenant stationed in Nagasaki who marries a young Japanese girl while in Japan. He doesn't plan to stay married to her forever, considering the marriage as one of "convenience" before returning to the United States. Tragically, the young girl "begins her story of tragically unrequited love."
When: April 26 – May 4
Where: Queen Elizabeth Theatre - 630 Hamilton St
Cost: $50-$275. Get tickets.
Casey and Diana
Casey and Diana is the story of a "rebel princess" who visited Casey House, Canada's first freestanding AIDS hospice, in 1991, the peak of the AIDS Crisis.
Inspired by true events, this powerful drama about how the visit Diana, Princess of Wales, helped show how "community, joy, and compassion can persist, even in the face of an overwhelming pandemic."
When: April 24–May 25,
Where: Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage - 2750 Granville St
Cost: From $29. Get tickets.
Spring at the Farm 2025
Spring is in the air, and soon the Lower Mainland will be covered in beautiful blooms, including at a new "Tulip Forest," on a popular farm.
Maan Farms has revealed its programming for its annual Spring at the Farm event, which includes yet another first in Canada from the Abbotsford family-run venue. The farm's Forest Pumpkin Patch is doing double duty this year as a two-acre Tulip Forest, loaded with colourful flowers and plenty of photo ops.
When: Runs until the end of tulip season (mid-May); BAE Days are April 12-13, 18-20.
Where: Maan Farms - 790 McKenzie Rd, Abbotsford, B.C.
Cost: $21-50 for Spring Events; buy passes online.
Lapu-Lapu Day Block Party 2025
The province officially declared Lapu Lapu Day on April 27, 2023, to celebrate the enduring legacy of Datu Lapu Lapu, "emphasizing its reflection of Filipino values, particularly bayanihan – the spirit of collective community effort.
The block party will bring together live music, cultural performances, food vendors, and small businesses. It serves as a space for Filipinos and the wider Vancouver community to connect. Highlights include:
- Live Performances – International, national and local musicians, DJs, and dancers
- Food Stalls – Filipino street food and home-cooked favourites
- Cultural Showcases – Traditional games, art, and storytelling
- Community Market – Local businesses, artists, and entrepreneurs
The main stage of this year's event on the John Oliver Field is headlined by Apl.de.Ap and JRey of the Black Eyed Peas. They will be joined by performers Talilo and Swiggle Mandela, as well as a featured drag showcase led by Aura Mayari, known for her appearance on RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 15. She will perform alongside local Queens - Margaux Rita, Diamonté and Batty Banks.
When: Saturday, April 26, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Where: John Oliver Secondary (East 41st Avenue) to East 49th Avenue. In the back parking lots west of Fraser Street.
Cost: General admission is $5; recommended donation is $25. Get tickets.
Hopes and Dreams: A Benefit for the Children of Ukraine
The Hopes and Dreams: A Benefit for the Children of Ukraine is a gala fundraiser to raise money for the traumatized children in Odessa. The event will feature Luba Goy, a popular comedian and TV personality.
When: Saturday, April 26, at 7 p.m.
Where: Granville Island Stage - 1585 Johnston St
Cost: $35-$82. Get tickets.
Theatresports
Two teams of highly skilled improv comedians contribute their best quips and antics for audience laughs and the support of audience judges.
Organizers say attendees can expect a "high-energy, fast-paced and good-natured competition."
The show is 90 minutes long with an intermission.
When: Friday, April 25, and Saturday, April 26, shows at 7:30 p.m.
Where: The Improv Centre - 1502 Duranleau St
Cost: $35 for regular and $30 for students. Get tickets.
Ongoing
Arsenic and Old Lace
A classic comedy written by Joseph Kesselring tells the story two old aunts who poison people and get their nephew to bury the bodies. The play is described by organizers as a hilarious "laugh riot." The nephew also believes that he is Teddy Roosevelt.
When: April 4 to April 26 (various showtimes with some matinees)
Where: Metro Theatre - 1370 Marine Dr
Cost: $30-$42. Get tickets.
The Art of Banksy Without Limits
An exhibition featuring 200 works of art celebrating one of the world's most popular and mysterious street artists.
The Brit keeps his identity secret but is regarded as one of the top artists of our time. The exhibition will feature photos, sculptures, installations, murals, and much more, including mural reproductions with Banksy's stencil technique. There's also a hologram and an infinity mirror room, as well as a documentary.
The show promises a genuinely impressive experience and is a “must-see” to celebrate Banksy’s art and carry it out into a wide art world.
When: Feb 20 - May 25
Where: 1 Alexander St
Cost: $24-$40. Buy tickets online.
Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival
Several different programs will take place that illuminate cherry blossoms around the city (there are roughly 43,000 sakura trees).
For example, Blossoms After Dark, where participants can see the cherry trees lit up, will make up the entire perimeter of David Lam Park.
Brighter displays are on tap for the signature event this year with more light art installations, a cherry blossom-inspired cocktail in a licensed lounge and roaming performers over three consecutive nights.
When: Various event dates and times through April 28
Where: Several locations across Vancouver
Cost: Various
Vancouver Cherry Blossom Food Festival
The Vancouver Cherry Blossom Food Festival is once again bringing together several cafés and restaurants in Metro Vancouver who will feature special cherry blossom-inspired treats and drinks for a DIY multi-week event.
Look for elegant Sakura Strawberry cake slices, Sakura Melon Pan, and several special croissants at Beaucoup Bakery; try an indulgent Sakura Strawberry Parfait at Nana's Green Tea; visit East Van's Elephant Garden Creamy for the Genmai Matcha Sundae; or enjoy a Roseberry Cardabun Tea Latte (and pet the bunnies) at The Bunny Café.
When: On now through April 27
Where: Various locations across the city.
Cost: Prices vary on venues and treats.
Nuxalk Strong: Dancing Down the Eyelashes of the Sun
The Nuxalk Strong: Dancing Down the Eyelashes of the Sun is the first exhibition dedicated entirely to the Nuxalk nation who lived over 14,000 years on the central northwest coast in Bella Coola.
The exhibition will showcase the Nation's rich culture and what it is doing to revitalize its language, self-governance, stewardship, and ceremonial practices.
Visitors can also see how the community works to "safeguard Nuxalk belongings, treasures, and ceremonies – including the return of a significant collection of masks, regalia, and cedar bark weavings at the exhibition closes in 2026."
Nuxalk Strong will feature treasures and artworks housed at the Museum of Anthropology, as well as loans from private collections and six participating museums: Royal British Columbia Museum (Victoria), Burke Museum (Seattle), Glenbow Museum (Calgary), Manitoba Museum (Winnipeg), and Museum of Vancouver.
When: Feb. 21, 2025, to Jan. 5, 2026
Where: MOA at the University of British Columbia - 6393 NW Marine Dr
Cost: Free.
With files from Lindsay William-Ross and Kyle Balzer.
