Vancouver

Although English sailor Captain George Vancouver landed on its beaches in 1792, the city of Vancouver really began nearly 100 years later when the Canadian Pacific Railway extended its line 20 kilometres (12 miles) westward from Port Moody to take advantage of a better harbour and terminal site. Today, Vancouver is an international Pacific Rim city known for its majestic mountains, beautiful parks and beaches and thriving business community.

The towering Coast Mountains and the shimmering Pacific Ocean create an unbeatable urban setting for a city that Mercer Consulting described in 2009 as one of the top cities in the world for quality of life. Canada’s third-largest city, this bustling port of 2.3 million enjoys rich cultural and ethnic diversity. Exceptionally safe and clean, Vancouver reflects both the natural grandeur of its surroundings and the genuine warmth of its residents – two elements that make Vancouver “Spectacular by Nature.”

In Vancouver’s commercial core, Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver is one block from Robson Street, the city’s renowned shopping corridor, and minutes from attractions such as Granville Island Market, Gastown and Stanley Park. The city’s premier indoor fashion mall, Pacific Centre, is at your doorstep. Guests at the Hotel will enjoy indoor access to the new high-speed Canada Line airport train – offering the most convenient link between downtown Vancouver and the airport.

The city of Vancouver surrounds you with its diversity of cultures and moods. A casual West Coast attitude and mild Pacific climate prevail. Sports, recreation, arts and culture thrive year-round. Underlying it all is attentive Four Seasons service to make everything possible. Our goal is to ensure that your stay with us is the finest Vancouver can offer.

If you are visiting at the beginning of January, you may see crowds of people heading into English Bay for the annual Polar Bear swim on New Year's Day. With a ski season that often lasts into April, Vancouver is a unique city where you can find glistening snowy slopes and beautifully green golf courses all in the same day.

Here are just a few of the many highlights:

January

• Polar Bear swim
• Dine Out Vancouver
• Push Festival

February

• Chinese New Year Festival and Parade
• ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships
• Winterruption at Granville Island
• Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival
• Vancouver Comedy Fest
• Chutzpah Festival

March

• Vancouver International Dance Festival
• CelticFest Vancouver
• Spring Break Theatre Festival
• Play Dome at BC Place Stadium
• Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival
• JUNO Awards
• Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival
• Vancouver Jewish Film Festival

April

• Vancouver Sun Run
• Vaisakhi Parade, Punjabi Market

April-September

• Playland

April-November

• Hastings Horse Races

May

• Vancouver International Marathon
• Penjing Festival
• Vancouver International Children’s Festival
• New Music West
• Peony Show
• Cloverdale Rodeo

May-September

• Chinatown Night Market
• Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival
• Vancouver’s Farmers’ Markets Season

June

• Portuguese Heritage Month
• Vancouver New Play Festival
• Vancouver Francophone Summer Festival
• BC Highland Games
• Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon and 5k Run/Walk
• Alcan Dragon Boat Festival
• Gastown Jazz Festival

June–July

• TD Canada Trust Vancouver International Jazz Festival
• Greek Summer Fest
• Vancouver International Flamenco Festival

July

• Canada Day Celebrations
• Canada Day on Granville Island
• Vancouver Folk Music Festival
• Vancouver Lantern Festival
• Tour de Gastown
• Caribbean Days Festival
• Vancouver Chamber Music Festival
• The Abbotsford BerryBeat Festival

July - August

• Early Music Festival
• Harmony Arts Festival
• HSBC Celebration of Light Fireworks Festival
• Vancouver Pride Festival

July-September

• Enchanted Evenings at Dr. Sun Yat-Sen's Classical Garden

August

• Annual BC Cultural Crawl
• Powell Street Festival
• MusicFest Vancouver
• Abbotsford International Airshow
• Vancouver Chinatown Festival
• Vancouver Queer Film Festival
• Vancouver Wooden Boat Festival

August-September

• Pacific National Exhibition
• Hockey Canada Cup (women’s)

September

• TaiwanFest
• Vancouver International Fringe Festival
• Feast of Fields
• Vancouver Global ComedyFest

October

• Vancouver International Film Festival
• Mid-Autumn Moon Festival
• Stanley Park Ghost Train
• Cranberry Festival
• Apple Festival
• Vancouver International Writers and Readers Festival
• The Parade of the Lost Souls
• West Coast Chocolate Festival
• Vancouver International Film Festival

November

• East Side Culture Crawl

November–December

• Peak of Christmas at Grouse Mountain

November–January

• Bright Nights in Stanley Park

December

• Rogers Santa Claus Parade
• Carol Ships Parade of Lights
• Winter Solstice Lantern Procession
• Christmas at Canada Place

December – January

• VanDusen Botanical Garden Festival of Lights

Note: Festival's are subject to date change and cancellation.

An evergreen oasis of 400 hectares (1,000 acres), Stanley Park is one of the largest urban parks in the world, with a host of recreational activities, popular attractions and 8.85 km (5.5 mi) of sea wall.