Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are coming to Vancouver: Here's where they should go
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will be back in beautiful BC soon, and while they’re here on business, we have some ideas for what attractions they should carve out some time for.
According to People Magazine, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will be heading to Vancouver from February 14 to 16 to attend a three-day Invictus Games’ One Year to Go event in Vancouver and Whistler.
Prince Harry founded the Invictus Games Foundation, which invites wounded, injured, and ill service personnel to compete in sports like rowing, wheelchair basketball, and alpine skiing. Next year, the games will be held in Vancouver and Whistler for the first-ever Winter Hybrid Invictus Games.
Harry and Meghan will be in town for Valentine’s Day and are dropping by for an ideal month, given that February is stacked with events to celebrate love, history, and culture.
Here are our suggestions for spots and events they should check out while in town.
A Delightful Valentine’s dinner
@bluewatercafe/Instagram
Starting with the most obvious thing: food!
Vancouver has some great restaurants — so great that big-time celebrities are constantly taking notice of our culinary offerings.
With spots like Blue Water Café, Little Bird Dim Sum, Mott 32, Maenam, or Tasty Indian Bistro — Vancouver has many eateries Vancouverites and A-list celebrities love that we’re sure the royals can trust as well.
If they need more suggestions, we’ve rounded up all the top menus served at local establishments for Valentine’s Day so Harry and Meghan won’t have to look high and low to impress their sweetheart.
From steak dinners to dreamy seafood spreads, these are the best places for a multi-course Valentine’s Day dinner in Vancouver.
Vancouver Winter Pride Festival 2024
Vancouver Winter Pride Festival (Katrina Dymphna/Submitted)
If it’s a little chilly for the royals when they land, the ongoing Vancouver Winter Pride Festival is sure to heat things up.
Attendees can look forward to exciting and interactive events that build community while celebrating the diversity within the region’s 2SLGBTQIA+ community.
When: February 2 to 24, 2024
Time: Various times
Where: Various locations
Cost: Free and ticketed events; tickets and full details can be found here
Candlelight: Valentine’s Day Special
Candlelight Concerts by Fever/Submitted
Suppose Harry and Meghan are looking to rediscover heartwarming music. In that case, Fever’s Candlelight is hosting a Valentine’s Day Jazz Special. The February 14 show will be showcasing music by Frank Sinatra and Michael Bublé and more performed by the Malcolm Jazz Quartet. On February 16, music will be performed by a string quartet that is part of the Listeso group. The program includes music from Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Titanic, Romeo and Juliet, and more.
When: February 14 and 16, 2024
Time: 6:30 pm and 8:30 pm
Where: Kerrisdale Presbyterian Church – 2733 West 41st Avenue, Vancouver
Cost: Starting at $40 and $45; purchase online
Love Lights at Capilano Suspension Bridge Park
Capilano Suspension Bridge/Supplied
Who doesn’t love a romantic walk?
Valentine’s Day-themed lights have transformed the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park into a pink paradise from now until February 25.
The couple can enjoy the glow of the suspension bridge, Treetops Adventure, and the Cliffwalk’s Arc de Lumina, plus special activities all catered to the season of love.
When: February 2 to 25, 2024
Time: 10 am to 8 pm (until 9 pm from February 14 to 18)
Where: Capilano Suspension Bridge Park – 3735 Capilano Road, North Vancouver
Tickets: Available online
Black History Month at VIFF Centre
Union Street/Submitted
February is Black History Month in Canada, and it’s a great opportunity for everyone, visitors and locals alike, to share in the history, contributions, and culture of Black Canadians.
From now to February 29, VIFF Centre is presenting two new series of films that spotlight Black films, artists, and creators.
A New Chapter includes screenings of Jamila Pomeroy’s made-in-Vancouver hit Union Street, curated selections of Boots Riley’s Sorry to Bother You, and Suhaib Gasmelbari’s Talking About Trees.
Celebrating Black Futures is presented in partnership with the Vancouver Art Gallery and “brings together Black & African films that reflect the present and exciting future of cinema” on successive Thursdays throughout the month.
When: Various dates from February 2 to 29, 2024
Time: Various times
Where: VIFF Centre – 1181 Seymour Street, Vancouver
Tickets: Various prices; purchase online
MOA Unmasked: Afrofuturism and the Black Speculative Arts Movement
The Museum of Anthropology is also commemorating Black History Month by hosting a tour with curator Dr. Nuno Porto and Ethọ́s Lab creative directors Jazz Groden-Gilchrist and Olúwáṣọlá Kẹ́hìndé Olówó-Aké.
MOA and Ethọ́s Lab have been working together on a creative arts and science project with the support of UBC’s Community University Engagement Support Fund, and tour guests will go behind the scenes of the collaboration.
When: February 15 and 16, 2024
Time: 7 pm (Thursday), 4:30 pm (Friday)
Where: Museum of Anthropology – 6393 NW Marine Drive, Vancouver
Cost: $12 to $20; purchase online