Vancouver festival known for epic food collaborations to return next month | Daily Hive

Light Up Chinatown!

Light Up Chinatown! is returning for its sixth year, taking over the Vancouver neighbourhood with plenty of exclusive food collaborations, live performances, local vendors, and community programs.

The festival, which started as a way to support local businesses in the area, has been known to draw over 20,000 visitors during its two-day run.

“Six years ago, we launched Light Up Chinatown! as a lifeline for our small businesses, at a time when this neighbourhood needed visitors and tourism back more than ever. Today, it has grown into one of Vancouver’s most anticipated summer festivals, drawing upwards of 20,000 people over two days to celebrate everything that makes Chinatown special,” says Carol Lee, Chair of the Vancouver Chinatown Foundation. “More than just a festival, Light Up Chinatown! has become a driving force behind Chinatown’s revitalization, transforming how people experience this neighbourhood and setting a model for what community-led initiatives can achieve.”

In addition to all the festival sites, visitors can chow down on plenty of exclusive food collaborations from some of Vancouver’s top restaurants.

Highlights include a Roasted Pork Quiche, a collaboration between Beaucoup Bakery and Chinatown BBQ (available at Chinatown BBQ from noon until sold out), Meatball Dumplings from Say Hey and Dicky’s Dumps (available at Sey Hey from 11 a.m. until sold out), and “The Chinatown Affogato,” which is a collaboration between DD Mau, New Town Bakery, and Keem Ice Cream (available also at Chinatown BBQ from 11:30 a.m. until sold out).

Light Up Chinatown!

Hawkers Lane will also be returning with its signature Insanely Good Food experience, which will bring together some of Vancouver’s top chefs and restaurants for vibrant Asian street food, including the likes of DD Mau, Eat Fish by Chef Dez Lo, Ember HK BBQ, Mama in the Kitchen x Chef William Lew, and Street Hawker Eatery.

However, folks may be the most excited to sample the White Rabbit Bubble Tea Roll, a collaboration between Foo Hung Curios and Buttermere Patisserie. You may recognize the name Buttermere Patisserie and its owner, Chef Jamie Tung, as a previous tenant in the neighbourhood before closing her storefront.

The popular Chinatown Passport Program is also returning, encouraging folks to explore Chinatown’s 16 blocks and to collect 16 stamps for a chance to win prizes. Two grand-prize winners will receive tickets to Bruno Mars: The Romantic Tour, in addition to 35 other prizes like 6 $250 Vessi vouchers, 6 Cirque du Soleil tickets, Lululemon gift cards, Capilano Suspension Bridge passes, and an Arc’teryx Alpha FL 20 Backpack.

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This is not to be confused with the other Chinatown Passport program currently running, which is a digital stamp challenge taking folks to different restaurants in Chinatown, all for a chance to win a two-day trip to Bodega Ridge on Galiano Island.

Other highlights from the festival include performances by the Hon Hsing Athletic Club and Goh Ballet, alongside headliners Marie Hui and The Phonix Band, among many others.

There will also be a Community Kids Zone supported by the Canucks for Kids Fund featuring a mini-golf area and family-friendly activities from the Chinatown Storytelling Centre and other community partners. This is in addition to a Mahjong Garden and a 19+ licensed bar sponsored by Haywire Winery, Starthcona Beer Co., and Tao Hard Seltzer, plus a drink stall by Boba Run.

Light Up Chinatown!

Will you be checking out Light Up Chinatown! this year? Let us know in the comments.

Light Up Chinatown!

When: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Aug. 8, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Aug. 9, 2026
Where: Along the 500 block of Columbia Street and neighbouring streets in the heart of Vancouver’s Chinatown
Admission: Free

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