Light Up Chinatown! Celebrates Heritage and Joyful Community

Vancouver’s Chinatown has rich historical significance as well as continues to be the vibrant cultural heart of the city’s Chinese Canadian community.

Since 2021, Light Up Chinatown! has served as an annual invitation for everyone to visit the neighbourhood and enjoy festivities involving live entertainment, delicious food, and fun business collaborations. Presented by RBC and produced by the Vancouver Chinatown Foundation, a registered charity, the event is part of a larger project of revitalization, showcasing what makes the area so special and lively. Light Up Chinatown! is the perfect outing for the whole family. Everyone will delight in the brightly hued lanterns illuminating the neighbourhood.

Light Up Chinatown! 2024 takes place August 24 (11am-9pm) and August 25 (11am-6pm) on the 500 block of Columbia Street. This year’s event has an exciting new component: Hawker’s Lane Street Food. Talented and well-known chefs will create delectable dishes, organized into two set menus (menu #1 available August 24, 11am-6pm; menu #2 available August 24, 6pm-9pm and August 25, 11am-4pm) that require preordering.

Each of the set menus contains 5 items from popular Vancouver chefs/food establishments. Some dishes to look forward to include a BBQ rib sandwich from Roger Ma of Boulevard Kitchen (menu #1), fried chicken skewers from Clay Yen from Juke Fried Chicken (menu #1), tuna tartare from Brandon Grossutti and Wesley Young of PiDGiN (menu #2), and a corned beef sammy from Sean Heather of The Irish Heather (menu #2). Each menu ($50 + $4.58 fee) can be preordered online here; limited single items can be ordered at the event.

In addition to Hawker’s Lane Street Food, delicious food collabs are coming back. Twelve food/drink establishments have formed dynamic duos to craft limited-edition food or beverage items. The creations include a Peking duck croissant with hoisin, scallions, truffle sauce, and truffle honey by Beaucoup Bakery and Chinatown BBQ, a yellow curry brisket bao by Kam Wai Dim Sum and Memphis Blues BBQ, and a yin yang egg custard tea by DD Mau and The Boss Bakery. The items are available only during Light Up Chinatown!—get them early before they sell out.

The festival also has a signature cocktail called Longan Baitanga, crafted by Nathan Moran of Laowai. It can be enjoyed August 24 from 4pm to 9pm, and consists of Shaanxi Xifeng Baijiu, Sailor Jerry’s spiced rum, lime juice, longan berry, cherry bark, cola, and vanilla salt. The festival venue is also fully licensed, so alcoholic drinks (e.g., beer, wine) are available for purchase (19+, with ID).

Tons of live performances are happening at the Odlum Brown Main Stage, spanning diverse artistic forms and musical genres. Be entertained by groups such as The Phonix (August 24 at 2pm), CircusWest (August 24 at 4pm), Dane Sung (August 25 at 2pm), and Kristina Lao (August 25 at 4pm).

A big part of the festival is about supporting local businesses and the unique goods/services they offer. The Passport Program invites visitors to wander around and get (further) acquainted with the neighbourhood, collecting stamps at participating establishments. Prizes include an Artizia gift certificate, 2 tickets to the premier opening of Cirque du Soleil’s ECHO, and a Canucks jersey signed by Quinn Hughes.

Finally, Light Up Chinatown! will have a kids’ zone and lots of activities, such as walking tours, for everyone. The festival is sure to be a wondrous way to bring everyone to a neighbourhood that has and continues to be so important to Vancouver. Full details can be found here.