Free Vancouver walking tours to make you feel like a tourist in your own city

Become a tourist in your own city this weekend by taking part in the annual Jane’s Walk Festival.

These free citizen-led walking tours put people face to face in spontaneous conversations about where their communities are headed—locally and around the world in nearly 200 cities across 6 continents.

The annual festival celebrates the memory of the late Canadian activist and urbanist Jane Jacob.

This year includes both new and returning walk tours, including:

• Remembering the Future of Hogan’s Alley explores Vancouver’s historically black neighbourhood and its historic relationship to Chinatown and Strathcona. Experience the sights, sounds, and textures of a place that was demolished in the name of building Vancouver’s downtown freeway, and a neighbourhood that survives today.
• Interpreting Coal Harbor with Larry Beasley, former Co-Director of Planning for the City of Vancouver, will cover all of Coal Harbour and reflect on the upland neighbourhoods and the transformation of Downtown Vancouver.
•  An Archaeological Tour of the Habitat Forum 1976 site at Jericho Beach unearths the history of Habitat Forum, a major two-week public event and part of the UN Habitat Conference on Human Settlements Vancouver in 1976.
•  Collective housing as an Ownership Model This tour will visit ‘The Zulla’, ‘The Dreamhaus’ and the ‘Villa Thrilla’, three collective houses in the Commercial Drive/Trout Lake neighbourhood that are owner-occupied. We’ll see how these homes incorporate collective practices into their living environment.
•  The Beanstalk Collective House in Shaughnessy is leading a tour of their intentional community, set in a heritage house in Vancouver’s westside! This walk will engage participants in dialogues around intentional living, sharing resources, and zero waste philosophies.
•  The Hillcrest Stroller Walk connects parents in a fun walk through Riley Park, sharing hidden outdoor destinations, and tips for surviving the first years of parenthood in Vancouver.

Visit janeswalkvancouver.wordpress.com and their Facebook page for full schedule and details. No registration is required and all walks are free.

Janes Walk Vancouver

When: May 4 to 6

Where: Various locations and times. Visit website for details.

Price: Free

See also

• Help support youth at the Kids Help Phone Walk So Kids Can Talk
• Cirque du Soleil returns to Vancouver this fall with 'Corteo'
• Playland is opening its gates for 2018 this weekend