Metro Vancouverites can enjoy several fun events for Valentine's Day and over the Family Day long weekend.
The Invictus Games will wrap up this weekend in Vancouver, with the closing ceremony taking place on Sunday, Feb. 16 night. Fans can check out exciting performances by iconic Canadian group The Barenaked Ladies and popular American singer Jelly Roll.
Temperatures have dipped several degrees below seasonal averages, prompting locals to rush inside for their extracurriculars. There's still plenty of time to enjoy sweet sips at the annual Hot Chocolate Festival if you'd like something sweet (and to use to keep your hands warm). The festival runs until Valentine's Day so you have a final opportunity to warm up with someone special.
There are plenty of fun family-friendly activities at major facilities across the city this weekend, too. Celebrate Family Day at popular places including the Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»Maritime Museum, the Museum of Vancouver, the Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»Art Gallery, and the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.
You can also still have time to enjoy barrels of belly laughs at Theatresports or lace up your skates for free ice skating in Robson Square.
Here are a few fun things to do in Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»from Feb. 14 to Feb. 17, 2025.
Hollywood Theatre events this weekend: Tamasha, Sin City's Valentine's Fetish Ball, and Loud Sessions
The Tamasha Valentine's Edition is called the country's "biggest Bollywood party" and tickets typically sell out. DJs Shalv, Raytrix and Surbee will be spinning Sufi hits and Bollywood classics until 2 a.m.
When: Friday, Feb. 14 doors at 10 p.m.
Where: Hollywood Theatre - 3123 W Bwy
Cost: $23-$29. .
Sin City's Valentine's Fetish Ball brings N.A.S.T.Y to the theatre for a night of all things fetish. The fetish dress code is "strickly enforced," so don't plan on turning up in your everyday attire.
Attendees can enjoy a lively dance party as well as plush theatre seating to relax on. There's also a full-zie "rope play area, kinky carnival games and BDSM play areas hosted by sassy dominatrixes."
When: Saturday, Feb. 15 doors at 9 p.m.
Where: Hollywood Theatre - 3123 W Bwy
Cost: $21-$45. .
Loud Sessions sees each hip-hop artist compete to compete, with each keeping $10 from each ticket they sell. The top prize is $750 (winner takes all), along with recording and visual studio time, radio, jewellery, and more.
The event judges are Terell Safadi, Mz.Holliday, Dizzy, and DJ.
When: Sunday, Feb. 16 doors at 7 p.m.
Where: Hollywood Theatre - 3123 W Bwy
Cost: $33.36. .
Reid Jamieson & CVM present Songbird Sessions for a Valentine-themed event at the Irish Heather.
The singer-songwriter couple has a residency at the Irish Heather and will celebrate 23 years since their first kiss. They will perform a mix of original older songs, covers, and new songs for the audience.
"We aim to create much-needed connection at this legendary pub now located in Chinatown – just a 10-minute walk from the Main St/Chinatown Skytrain," they explain.
When: Thursday, Feb. 13, from 7-9 p.m.
Where: The Irish Heather - 248 E Georgia St.
Cost: Free to pay what you can to the band. Food and drink prices vary.
Richard Linklater’s will play at The Cinematheque over the next several days and, fittingly, on Valentine's Day.
Each of the trilogy's features was filmed nine years apart, starting with the cult hit, Before Sunrise, which sees a young man travelling across Europe fall in love with a stranger on a train. They spend an unforgettable night together at a train stop. The next film, Before Sunset, shows them meeting again, years after he has flown home.
Finally, Before Midnight revisits the couple many years into their marriage, after time reveals difficulties in their once carefree love.
When: Feb. 6-15
Where: The Cinematheque - 1131 Howe St
Cost: $10. .
Vancouver-based painter Carol King presents her solo exhibit called Life is Still to the THIS Gallery over the next week.
The exhibition invites viewers to "pause and look at the overlooked" in a collection of still-life paintings. The artist transforms ordinary objects into visual poetry, capturing the quiet beauty and directing attention to "the delicate dance of light and shadow and the subtle colours that bring things to life."
“Objects are vessels of our memories, and they remind us that even the simplest things can hold a world of emotion if only we take the time to be still,” says Kong.
There will be an opening reception with the artist on Saturday, Feb. 8 from noon to 4 p.m.
When: Feb. 7-15 ( open on Fridays and Saturdays from noon to 5 p.m.)
Where: THIS Gallery - ​Lower Ground Level 30E on Keefer St
Invictus Games 2025
The Invictus Games kicks off with the Opening Ceremony at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 8, including a line-up of star-studded performances by Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, pop icon Katy Perry, Canadian pop diva Nelly Furtado, and American singer-songwriter Noah Kahan.
There are also two Wheelchair Basketball Pools on Saturday, Feb. 8 and Sunday, Feb. 9 at the Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»Convention Centre.
"This adaptive sport showcases the competitor’s sharp tactical skills, precision, and endurance as they work together to score and defend. It’s a thrilling display of athleticism and camaraderie, embodying the spirit of competition and recovery at the Invictus Games," write the organizers.
The Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»Invictus Village at VCC will run daily starting Feb. 9 with booths, concessions, giveaways and stage programming between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m.; hours will be extended until 10 p.m. on select dates for live finals broadcasts.
Prince Harry founded and inaugurated the games in 2014.
When: Feb. 8-16 (various times).
Where: BC Place - 777 Pacific Blvd; Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»Convention Centre - 1055 Canada Pl
Cost: Opening ceremony: $45-+$279. .
Two teams of highly skilled improv comedians contribute out their best quips and antics for audience laughs and the support of audience judges.
Organizers say attendees can expect a "high-energy, fast-paced and good-natured competition."
The show is 90 minutes long with an intermission.
When: Friday, Feb. 7, and Saturday, Feb. 8 at 7:30 p.m.
Where: The Improv Centre - 1502 Duranleau St
Cost: $35 for regular and $30 for students. .
Ongoing
Locals can explore a range of artists and their creations at the LunarFest Artist Market available on numerous dates throughout February. Browse artists of different backgrounds and a wide range of mediums to find a perfect New Year gift.
When: Feb. 1-2, 8-9, 15-17, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Where: Ocean Artworks - 1531 Johnston St., Granville Island
Cost: Free to browse.
Deborah was born in Prince George in the early 1950s and didn't start drawing until she was in her 50s. Now that she's in her 70s, "she's more creative than ever."
"My hope is that viewers could be drawn into my images with a sense of curiosity, wonderment, and questioning of what the images are trying to portray. I like to include pathways, roads, and byways that represent the journeys we all undertake and where these paths may be leading us to in our lives," says the artist.
When: Feb. 1 - 22
Where: Outsiders and Others, #100 - 938 Howe St
Cost: Free.
Greater Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»Hot Chocolate Festival
The Greater Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»Hot Chocolate Festival is an interactive experience, where participants can embark on a self-guided tour to sample dozens of hot chocolate creations at cafes and eateries throughout the region.
The 2025 edition boasts 81 participating vendors (dubbed "Chocstars") serving up a combined 180 flavours at 124 locations across Metro Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»- and beyond. This year you'll find vendors from White Rock to Whistler - though the bulk are in Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»proper, with numerous spread out between Burnaby, the Tri-Cities, Langley, New West, Richmond, and North and West Vancouver.
When: Saturday, Jan. 18 through Valentine's Day, Feb. 14
Where: Participating cafes, restaurants, and sweet shops across the Lower Mainland.
Cost: Prices vary.
With themes that resonate in our socio-political climate today, this timely exhibition at the Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»Art Gallery features over 200 avant-garde works by more than 100 artists and collectives from six Central Eastern European nations: East Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania and Yugoslavia.
When: Dec. 13, 2024-April 21, 2025
Where: Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»Art Gallery - 750 Hornby St
While you can't build a snowman anywhere at sea level in Vancouver, you can enjoy skating on an outdoor frozen rink in the heart of the downtown core.
Robson Square's rink has free skating available through the winter, offering a magical location to enjoy a brisk outdoor activity followed by some hot chocolate.
Helmets are mandatory for children under 12. They are free with skate rentals.
When: Until Feb. 28, from 9 a.m.-9 p.m.
Where: Robson Square Ice Rink - 800 Robson St, Vancouver
Cost: Free to skate. Skate rental: $5; Ice Cleat rental: $2; Skate sharpening (when available): $5.
With files from Lindsay William-Ross and Kyle Balzer.
