Page 36 - 2026-2027 Travel Guide to Canada

BC
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Special Events
JANUARY – FEBRUARY
• DINE OUT VANCOUVER
MARCH
• PACIFIC RIM WHALE FESTIVAL, TOFINO/
UCLUELET
APRIL
• SURREY VAISAKHI PARADE, SURREY
• WORLD SKI & SNOWBOARD FESTIVAL,
WHISTLER
MAY
• CLOVERDALE RODEO & COUNTRY FAIR
• WINGS OVER THE ROCKIES NATURE
FESTIVAL, INVERMERE
JUNE
• TOFINO WINE AND DINE, TOFINO
• VICTORIA INDIGENOUS CULTURAL FESTIVAL
JUNE – JULY
• FIFA WORLD CUP 2026, VANCOUVER
JULY
• WILLIAMS LAKE STAMPEDE
JULY – AUGUST
• PRIDE, VANCOUVER
SEPTEMBER
• VANCOUVER FRINGE FESTIVAL
OCTOBER – NOVEMBER
• OKANAGAN FALL WINE FESTIVAL
NOVEMBER
• VANCOUVER INDIGENOUS FASHION WEEK,
VANCOUVER
www.HelloBC.com/things-to-do/events
SEA LIONS FROM THE BOAT OF HAIDA STYLE
EXPEDITIONS DURING A CULTURAL TOUR TO
MORESBY ISLAND • NORTHERN BC TOURISM/
SHAYD JOHNSON
SKIING AT WHISTLER BLACKCOMB SKI RESORT • DESTINATION BC/BLAKE JORGENSON
heart is the lushly forested 400-ha (1,000-
acre) Stanley Park, one of the world’s great
urban parks. But Vancouver is also the
glittering glass towers of downtown; the
multicultural neighbourhoods of Chinatown,
Little Italy and Little India; the hipster cool of
Gastown and the trendy restaurants of
Kitsilano; as well as attractions including
Science World, the North Shore ski hills
and Capilano Suspension Bridge Park
(www.destinationvancouver.com).
Across the Strait of Georgia, at the
southern tip of Vancouver Island, Victoria is
a city of historic charm, passionate foodies
and endless outdoor activities. Recognized as
the most sustainable city in North America,
it is considered by many to be Canada’s most
cycling-friendly city, and is home to several
spectacular gardens, including the world-
renowned Butchart Gardens. Many of the
city’s attractions cluster around the bustling
Inner Harbour, including the floating homes
of Fisherman’s Wharf, the Royal BC Museum
and the neo-baroque BC Parliament
Buildings (www.tourismvictoria.com).
Head inland to the Okanagan Valley and
you’ll come to Kelowna, Canada’s first
UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy.
(www.tourismkelowna.com).
THE GREAT OUTDOORS
In British Columbia, the great outdoors truly
is just that—great: from ocean playground
to mountain peaks, windswept plains and
fertile farmland.
Head for the hills. This mountainous
province boasts 13 major ski resorts (and
many smaller ones) with epic powder,
heart-stopping descents and pristine
backcountry bowls, as well as miles of trails
for those who prefer skinny skis and
snowshoes. In summer, the resorts turn
their lifts and trails over to daredevil
mountain bikers and hikers eager to explore
the alpine meadows.
But you don’t have to climb a mountain to
find adventure here. Awash as it is with
rivers, lakes and the Pacific Ocean, B.C. is
popular for water sport enthusiasts. You can
sail alongside orcas in Desolation Sound,
paddle the Bowron Lakes, raft down the
Fraser Canyon, surf the waves near Tofino or
cast for trout in Lake Country.
Quick Fact
HUNDREDS OF SPECIES OF BIRDS VISIT
B.C. EACH YEAR—INCLUDING THE
DESIGNATED IMPORTANT BIRD AREA
(IBA) BOUNDARY BAY—WHEN THEY
MIGRATE ALONG THE PACIFIC FLYWAY
FROM ALASKA TO PATAGONIA.
HERITAGE AND CULTURE
First there were the Indigenous Peoples who
fished, hunted and traded for some 10,000
years in what is now British Columbia.
Then the Europeans arrived, followed by
newcomers from Asia. Today, the three
cultural strands are woven together here,
vibrantly and indelibly.
First Nations culture is preserved in many
galleries and museums, including the
renowned UBC Museum of Anthropology
(www.moa.ubc.ca), and thrives in
authentic experiences such as the Kamloopa
Powwow (www.tkemlups.ca/kamloopa-
powwow). Stories of the Europeans who
arrived to extract B.C.’s vast natural resources
in the 18th and 19th centuries come to life in
Barkerville, a former Gold Rush town turned
living museum (www.barkerville.ca), or
the Fort Langley National Historic Site
(www.parkscanada.gc.ca/langley). The
Asian experience is captured in the historic