In & Around Vancouver
West Coast native totem poles at the University of British Columbia Anthropology Museum. (Photo: Tourism Vancouver)
If you're coming to the conference early, bringing your whole family to Vancouver, or planning a vacation around the conference, here is a small selection of activities and places to go.
The City of Vancouver has a really good events page for visitors with all sorts of arts and events links. Highly reccommended.
We’ve also assembled our own list of links to various guides on our General Information page.
Must see attractions
If you have the time, Vancouver has two really lovely treasures that you should see: the Dr Sun Yat Sen Gardens in Chinatown, and the Museum of Anthropology on the campus of the University of BC. (And while you’re up at UBC their Library has a good collection of rare books.)
The Dr Sun Yat Sen Classical Chinese Gardens in Vancouver’s Chinatown.
The Museum of Anthropology.
Hiking in Vancouver
If you have time and the weather cooperates, try to get a little hiking in: the area around Vancouver offers some excellent hikes for all levels of fitness and experience. By late September, we may have some snow in the mountains, but some of the lower altitude hikes are very worthwhile.
A good hiking guide from BC Adventure.
Another useful guide.
Family guides & events
If your kids are coming with you to the conference they’ll find lots to do in the city. In fact, Granville Island, the site of the conference venue, is home to Kids’ Only Market.
Find Family Fun in Vancouver.
Kids Vancouver.
Fun things to do with kids in Vancouver.
Vancouver Kids Adventures.
Granville Island for kids.
The Ridge—movies for mommies.
Maplewood Farm.
The Vancouver Aquarium.
UBC’s Museum of Anthropology.
The Vancouver Museum, which is also home to the Planetarium.
Science World.
The Vancouver Maritime Museum.
Cultural events & listings
General listings
Ticketmaster.
Festival Box Office.
Arts Alliance.
The Georgia Straight (Vancouver’s weekly entertainment guide).
Movies
Vancouver has several good repertory cinemas (as well as the usual first-run fare). If you have time, check out what’s playing at the Pacific Cinematheque: the seats are old and small, but the programming’s usually interesting.
Pacific Cinematheque.
Fifth Avenue Cinema.
Tinseltown is a good theatre—good movies, good sound and very comfy seats. Their website sucks, though): look for the movies and showtimes in miniscule type at the bottom left of the page.
Music
There’s quite a lot happening music-wise in Vancouver. The city is home to many good musicians and bands as well as a symphony orchestra, several new music ensembles, an early music society, and some excellent choirs.
Music links:
House of Blues, live music promoters.
Vancouver Symphony
Early Music Vancouver
The Costal Jazz & Blues Society
Upcoming music events:
The Friends of Chamber Music is hosting the St Lawrence Quartet at the Vancouver Playhouse on the 23rd of September.
The Vancouver Chamber Choir will be presenting their first concert of the season on the 26th & 28th of September.
The Kills are coming to Richards on Richards on the 27th of September.
The Costal Jazz and Blues Society is hosting Remember SHAKTI at The Centre on the 23rd of September.
Dance
Ballet BC
is hosting the National Ballet of Canada in a production of the Firebird Suite on the 25th, 26th and 27th of September.
Art
Vancouver is a prominent centre for visual art in Canada. The city is home to internationally recognised artists like Jeff Wall and Ken Lum, and is graced with a number of good galleries and artist-run centres.
Vancouver Art Gallery. (Photo: Tourism Vancouver)
Emily Carr Institute is home to The Charles H Scott Gallery.
The Vancouver Art Gallery is the big gallery in town.
The Contemporary Art Gallery.
The Or Gallery.
Artspeak.
Presentation House, in North Vancouver, has very good exhibitions of photography.
There are also very many private and commercial galleries featuring work by local and native artists. A large number of these are located in the Granville Rise area, along Granville Street between 5th Avenue and 15 Avenue.