Summer in Vancouver means patio season, farmers markets, and fun events like Light Up Chinatown!
This beloved festival is celebrating its sixth year, and honestly, it just keeps getting better. Presented by RBC, the free, family-friendly two-day festival returns to the 500-block of Columbia Street and the surrounding streets on Saturday, August 8 (11am–7pm) and Sunday, August 9 (11am–5pm).
If you caught the Vancouver Chinatown BIA’s Chinatown Festival back in July, think of Light Up Chinatown! as the neighbourhood’s summer send-off: a full weekend of food, music, and community that keeps the momentum going for local businesses all season long.
Carol Lee, Chair of the Vancouver Chinatown Foundation, put it best: what started as a lifeline for small businesses six years ago has grown into one of Vancouver’s most anticipated summer festivals, now drawing upwards of 20,000 people over the two days.
Now, let’s talk about the food. You know we had to lead with this. Beyond the festival footprint, a handful of Chinatown spots are teaming up for exclusive collabs available only on August 8 and 9 and we’re already planning our strategy:
- Beaucoup Bakery x Chinatown BBQ – Roasted Pork Quiche, at Chinatown BBQ (130 E Pender St.), from noon until sold out
- Say Hey x Dicky’s Dumps – Meatball Dumplings, at 156 E Pender St., from 11am until sold out
- DD Mau x New Town Bakery x Keem Ice Cream – The Chinatown Affogato, at 130 E Pender St., from 11:30am until sold out
- Foo Hung Curios x Buttermere Patisserie Ltd. – White Rabbit Bubble Tea Roll, at 168 E Pender St., from noon until sold out
And of course, Hawkers Lane is back with its “Insanely Good Food” lineup, bringing together some seriously fantastic Vancouver chefs and restaurants for Asian street food, including DD Mau, Eat Fish by Chef Dez Lo, Ember HK BBQ, Mama in the Kitchen x Chef William Lew, and Street Hawker Eatery to name a few.
The free Chinatown Passport Program is back too, and it’s a fun way to explore the neighbourhood beyond just the main festival site. Visitors collect 16 stamps across four zones spanning Chinatown’s 16 blocks, then submit their completed passport for a shot at some genuinely great prizes. Two grand prize winners walk away with tickets to Bruno Mars: The Romantic Tour, and there are 35 more prizes up for grabs, including Vessi vouchers, Cirque du Soleil tickets, Lululemon gift cards, Capilano Suspension Bridge passes, and more.
The Odlum Brown Main Stage is where you’ll want to post up for Chinatown Live! – two days of performances celebrating the neighbourhood’s cultural diversity. Expect sets from returning 2025 favourites Marie Hui and The Phonix Band, plus Kristina Lao, Now or Never Crew, Krystle Dos Santos, Silk Road Music, Jin Wah Sing Cantonese Opera, CircusWest, and performances from the Hon Hsing Athletic Club and Goh Ballet.
Bring the kids to the Community Kids Zone, supported by the Canucks for Kids Fund, with a mini-golf area and family activities from the Chinatown Storytelling Centre and other community partners. If you’re 19+, there’s a licensed bar sponsored by Haywire Winery, Strathcona Beer Co., and Tao Hard Seltzer, plus the Mahjong Garden and the Boba Run drink stall for when you need a break from all the walking and eating.
Light Up Chinatown! is a fun way to spend a summer weekend, but plays an integral part of the Vancouver Chinatown Foundation’s ongoing work to revitalize and preserve one of Canada’s most iconic neighbourhoods.
Mark your calendars for August 8 and 9, and get ready to eat your way through Chinatown!
Learn more at lightupchinatown.ca.
