Events

Heritage Week

Heritage Week offers a chance to explore heritage across BC and Canada and take part in programming that provides opportunities to learn and share about Vancouver’s history, diverse cultural heritage and historic places.

Each February, we celebrate Heritage Week with a variety of engaging programs so be sure to join us in 2027!

 

Heritage Week 2026

From February 16th to 22nd, we invited you to explore the theme “Stir the Pot” and how food can be a vessel of memory, identity and meaning. It was an open invitation to celebrate food as a form of heritage that is both deeply personal and widely shared. From heirloom seeds and traditional cooking and harvesting methods to community feasts and intergenerational recipes, food reflects who we are and where we come from. Food brings us together and links us to the land and to traditions, ties us to our families and ancestors, and connects cultures and communities.

VHF hosted four events during Heritage Week, each highlighting different aspects of the 2026 theme.

Come to the Table: A Places That Matter Winter Storytelling Event – Tuesday, February 17th
VHF hosted an evening together at Hycroft, sharing community stories and reflecting on how food brings us together and shares who we are and where we come from, while learning how cherished family recipes, beloved dishes and community tie us all to the powerful theme of food. Each speaker shared stories of their own experiences growing up and the importance that food played in their lives.

Recipes of Resistance Lunch and Learn – Thursday, February 19th
Lise Kirchner and Ellie Lawson from the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre helped VHF commemorate Heritage Week with the inspiring story of Rebecca Teitelbaum and the book of recipes she compiled while imprisoned at Ravensbrück concentration camp during this virtual presentation. Through historical context, family photographs, archival records and survivor testimony, attendees learned about the persecution of Belgian Jews, the experiences of women imprisoned in Ravensbrück and the creative acts of defiance that sustained them.

Walking Tours with John Atkin – Saturday, February 21st, 10am and 1pm
Local historian John Atkin led two walking tours in Strathcona to celebrate Heritage Week, exploring the explores the legacies of the food producers and suppliers that were once found in Strathcona neighbourhood, as well as thelegacy of chicken joints and cafes, the women who ran them, and how they contributed to Vancouver’s larger community and heritage.

Places that Matter Community Fair – Sunday, February 22nd, 11am – 3pm
We celebrated the 15th Anniversary of Places that Matter at Heritage with a family-friendly community fair with table displays, items for sale, and crafts. Visitors had the opportunity to learn about the many stories and people that connect us to the places that matter in our communities.

Heritage Week 2025

From February 17th to 23rd, 2025, we invited you to celebrate the theme “Pastimes in Past Times.” We encouraged you to delve into the pastimes and traditions of your neighbourhood, exploring how these activities have contributed to the rich cultural tapestry of your community and beyond.

VHF hosted four events during Heritage Week, each highlighting different aspects of the 2025 theme.

Places That Matter Storytelling Session – Tuesday, February 18th

During an intimate evening of storytelling and building community connections, each community organization shared a short story with the audience that is connected to their heritage and community at large.

95th Places That Matter plaque presentation for the ANZA Club – Thursday, February 20th

Walking Tours with John Atkin – Saturday, February 22nd

Local historian John Atkin took participants on a walk to explore the vibrant athletic history of Vancouver’s West End and delved into how pastimes such as tennis, water sports, horse shows, and hockey helped shape the community and foster a strong sense of connection and contribute to the West End’s unique cultural fabric.

Places that Matter Community Fair – Sunday, February 23rd, 11am – 3pm

The 8th annual community celebration featured table displays from local organizations and businesses. This family-friendly afternoon was focused on the many stories and people that connect us to the Places that Matter in our communities.

Heritage Week 2024

From February 19th to 25th, we celebrated the theme “Layer By Layer” and invited you to dig deeper into your community’s past and explore the many layers and stories that your unique community holds. We hope you took some time this week to learn something new about the many “layers” of the place you call home.

Water, Muck and Trains: The shrinking shoreline of False Creek, February 24th
Local historian John Atkin led heritage lovers on our special Heritage Week walking tours, which explored the many layers and stories of False Creek. The morning tour showcased CPR and the early industries, such as the saw mill, which led to the development of Chinatown while the afternoon tour focused on the gas works, the old Georgia Viaduct and the filling of the eastern basin for the GNR and CNR stations.

Places that Matter Community Fair, February 25th, 11am – 3pm
Vancouver Heritage Foundation presented a family-friendly afternoon focused on the many stories and people that connect us to the places that matter in our communities. table displays, items for sale, crafts and a scavenger hunt. Our 7th annual community celebration featured table displays and items for sale from 31 local organizations and businesses, including Yosef Wosk Publication Grant recipients, the presentation of the Heritage Week Proclamation by Councillor Lisa Dominato and Councillor Mike Klassen, as well as crafts and a scavenger hunt.

We greatly appreciate the support from all of our volunteers and event sponsors, including our Gold Sponsors Mount Pleasant Business Improvement Association and Terris & Company General Contractors Ltd., as well as our Bronze Sponsor Yamamoto Architecture Inc. We also want to thank our Venue Sponsor Heritage Hall, as well as Siegel’s Bagels and COBS Bread Main St for their in-kind donations. This event would not have been possible without all of our generous sponsors!

Heritage Week 2023

From February 20th to 26th, we celebrated the theme “Always in All Ways” and invited you to explore your community’s heritage in all the ways that excite you. We hope you took time during Heritage Week 2023 to celebrate the culture and heritage of the communities that make up the place you call home.

Places that Matter Community Celebration, February 22nd, 7pm – 8:30 pm
Vancouver Heritage Foundation presented a family-friendly evening of storytelling from the Places That Matter project. Our 6th annual community celebration featured community organizations and Yosef Wosk Publication Grant recipients, the reading of the Heritage Week 2023 Proclamation by City Council and special guest speakers on Vancouver’s places that matter, including Storytellers from the Militant Mothers of Raymur and Japanese Canadian Hastings Park Interpretive Centre Society, Fiona Lam, Vancouver Poet Laureate, Leona Lam, Vancouver Heritage Fairs Alumni, and Aaron Chapman, as well as music from the Annie Molesworth Quintet.

Milk, Suitcases and Vegetables: A Stroll in Upper Mount Pleasant, February 25th
Local historian, author and seasoned walking tour guide, John Atkin, celebrated Heritage Week by exploring the little known agricultural and industrial heritage of upper Mount Pleasant, which was home to a couple of dairies and a number of Chinese wholesale and retail vegetable dealers. Along with food, this area is a delightful mix of old and new development.

Heritage Week 2022

From February 21st to 27th, we celebrated the theme “altogether inclusive” and explored the many ways that heritage engagement requires creativity, as well as unique solutions and actions to encourage broad participation. Heritage can and must foster best practices in diversity and accessibility. By reducing the many different types of barriers that keep people from enjoying heritage and feeling safe, then lives will be enriched. When heritage responds to diversity and accessibility challenges, it becomes inclusive. This is possible for even the smallest of heritage organizations and is reason to celebrate.

Places that Matter Community Celebration, February 23rd, 7pm – 8:30 pm
Vancouver Heritage Foundation presented an evening of storytelling from the Places That Matter project, hosted virtually through Zoom. Our 5th annual community celebration featured Musqueam community members, the reading of the Heritage Week 2022 Proclamation by City Council and special guest speakers on Vancouver’s places that matter.

Altogether Inclusive: A Heritage Week Virtual Stroll, February 23th, 7pm – 8pm
Local historian, author and seasoned walking tour guide, John Atkin, celebrated Heritage Week by visiting some of Vancouver’s unique heritage spots – like Mole Hill – on this virtual walk!

Thank you to everyone who joined us for Heritage Week 2021!

From February 15th-21st, we explored the theme “Where do you find heritage?” Gathering virtually with our community, we celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Places that Matter program, discovered some of Vancouver’s lesser known heritage spots and got inspired to go outside and sketch our favourite local heritage buildings and places.

  • Places That Matter Community Celebration: 10th Anniversary Year!

    Tuesday, February 16th, 7pm – 8pm

    We launched Heritage Week 2021 with an evening of storytelling and a look at the first 10 years of the Places That Matter project. The program included: Musqueam Welcome with Alec Guerin and the story of Musqueam with Mack Paul, Heritage Proclamation by Deputy Mayor, Councillor Carr, stories directly from Collingwood Neighbourhood House, the family of Nellie Yip Quong and family-owned East India Carpets about the First Sikh Gurdwara on West 2nd Avenue.

    Places That Matter launched with a plaque project in 2011 to recognize community-nominated sites that highlight some of the lesser-known people, places and events that have shaped Vancouver. A decade later, with 88 plaques installed, the online Community History Resource continues to grow with community contributions of personal stories and photographs for the 125 sites.

  • Urban Sketching Workshop

    Thursday, February 18th, 12pm – 1pm

    Author and illustrator of Hand Drawn Vancouver, Emma FitzGerald, led participants in learning how to sketch with confidence. We explored how drawings can be a prompt for storytelling and got inspired to go outside to sketch favourite neighbourhood spots or local heritage buildings and places. Emma also shared tips for drawing on location, including intimidating architecture.

  • Discovering Heritage Places: A Virtual Stroll

    Saturday, February 20th, 10am – 11am

    Heritage is all around us – sometimes you just need to look closely! Local historian, author and seasoned walking tour guide, John Atkin, explored some of Vancouver’s lesser-known heritage spots and shared the history of some of the buildings that make our neighbourhoods unique on this virtual walk.

Heritage Week 2020

In 2020, the theme of Heritage Week was “2020 Vision: Bringing the Past into the Future”. The restoration and adaptation of heritage buildings is key to a sustainable future, preserving community and cultural spaces, retaining affordable retail and residential spaces and keeping usable building materials from landfills, all while enriching our streetscapes and neighbourhoods. The future also includes reconciliation with Indigenous communities and a more inclusive telling of the stories of the past for all communities. Across three events, we explored the role of heritage in our future throughout Heritage Week, February 17th – 23rd.

We created a short video with some highlights from the week. You can view other VHF videos on our YouTube channel.

Heritage Week Proclamations

2024
2023
2022
2021
2020