3 Awesome Events in Surrey: And the Top Places to Eat in Surrey While You’re Here
Vancouver, a bustling, cosmopolitan seaport, is one of Canada’s most ethnically diverse metropolises. It’s the largest city in Western Canada by good measure and the third largest city in the country. The economy is backed by a thriving art, film, music, and tech scene, as well as the traditional shipping industry. The wealth, cultural diversity, and relative isolation from the rest of Canada’s major cities make it a unique spot to visit; this has led to some amazing festivals and events you can’t see anywhere else.
These three events in Vancouver can’t be missed:
Chinese New Year
Vancouver’s large Chinese and Asian minorities form a thriving subculture within the city. Their influence on the history of the city, as well as the rest of Canada, is highlighted by the large and energetic Chinatown near the CBD. Every year toward the end of January is the Chinese New Year parade, a cultural spectacle full of flying dragons, tantalizing lanterns, and toothsome dishes from the Orient. When East meets West on the streets of Vancouver, it creates an atmosphere unrivalled in North America.
HSBC Celebration of Light
The HSBC Celebration of Light is an extravaganza complete with massive crowds, choreographed fireworks, and breathtaking vistas across English Bay. Countries compete with 20-30 minute displays of fireworks set to music each year over four nights from July to August. This festival draws some of the largest crowds of anywhere in the country.
Vancouver International Film Festival
One of the largest of its kind in North America, the VIFF acts as a showcase for some of the most unique film lineups in the world. The VIFF is an exclusive event in the cinema that screens the most East Asian films of any festival outside of Asia. It also screens a large amount of Canadian films and is one of the few festivals that includes a healthy lineup of non-fiction entries. It’s no surprise that this festival takes place in the city, though, since Vancouver is well known as “Hollywood North” in the industry for its thriving film scene.
Being the cosmopolitan city that it is, Vancouver is home to some of the most remarkable events in the world. If you’re in town, don’t skip out on seeing these three Vancouver events. We might not be the same spectacle as these great festivals, but seeing Diamond Clean’s technicians in Vancouver at work is a sight to behold, too!
