Expect the best of Chinatown, without paying for the experience.
Vancouverites can catch oodles of fun on the streets during an annual festival in Chinatown next month.
Light Up Chinatown! takes place Aug. 8 and 9 and offers “exclusive food collaborations, live performances, local vendors, and community programming,” according to a news release.
The highly anticipated festival welcomes over 20,000 visitors over two days, following the Vancouver Chinatown BIA’s Chinatown Festival 2026, which runs July 25-26.
Buttermere Patisserie founder Jamie Tung returns to Chinatown for a two-day pop-up at the festival, “baking out of Torafuku’s kitchen and serving an exclusive White Rabbit Bubble Tea Roll alongside a collection of Asian-inspired cookies and a tea-inspired macaron collection.” Jung previously ran a business in the neighbourhood before closing it, so fans who miss these eats can sample the savoury eats and sip tea.
Outside of the festival perimeter, attendees can sample some enticing food collaborations in Chinatown, including:
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 11 a.m. until sold out
DD Mau x New Town Bakery x Keem Ice Cream – The Chinatown Affogato, at 130 E Pender St., from 11:30 a.m. 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
Collect stamps for the Chinatown Passport Program
You can also collect stamps as part of the free Chinatown Passport Program that spans 16 blocks in the neighbourhood. After you collect the 16 stamps, you can submit your completed passport for a chance to win prizes.
And it’s safe to say the prizes are pretty sweet. Two grand-prize winners can cop Bruno Mars tickets to see his smooth vocals when he stops on the Romantic tour in Vancouver. If you don’t score those, you can nab one of 35 other sweet prizes, including: $250 Vessi vouchers (six winners), six Cirque du Soleil tickets, Lululemon gift cards (valued at $300), Capilano Suspension Bridge passes (valued at $312), and an Arc’teryx Alpha FL 20 Backpack (valued at $320).
Things to do in Vancouver: Fun live entertainment
At the Odlum Brown Main Stage, attendees can soak in two days of entertainment with performances by the Hon Hsing Athletic Club and Goh Ballet. The lineup includes last year’s headliners, Marie Hui and The Phonix Band, alongside Kristina Lao, Now or Never Crew, Krystle Dos Santos, Silk Road Music, Jin Wah Sing Cantonese Opera, CircusWest, and more.
Kiddos can play in the Community Kids Zone supported by the Canucks for Kids Fund, featuring a mini-golf area and family-friendly activities from the Chinatown Storytelling Centre and community partners. Guests can also enjoy the Mahjong Garden and a 19+ licensed bar sponsored by Haywire Winery, Strathcona Beer Co., and Tao Hard Seltzer, plus the Boba Run drink stall, according to the event’s organizers.
The Vancouver Police Department will take precautions to ensure the well-being of all attendees, staff, and volunteers.” Expect “increased security measures in and around the festival grounds,” as safety remains a top priority.
When: Saturday, Aug. 8, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday, Aug. 9, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Where: Chinatown – 500-block of Columbia Street
Cost: Free