Festivals & Sporting Events
The biggest sporting event of them all - the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic & Paralympic Games from February 12-28, 2010 and March 12-21, 2010 to be held in Vancouver & Whislter.
Go to our dedicated 2010 Winter Games page for more details.
What's waiting for you in 2009 & 2010 in British Columbia?
From golf courses to wine country. From naturally heated hot springs and spas to whale watching. Skiing, snowboarding, and the thrills of mountain living. When you visit British Columbia, you get a little bit of it all.
BC WINE COUNTRY WEEKENDS Immerse yourself and your best friend in an inspired culinary and wide getaway. BC Wine Country Weekends are offered as exclusive weekends that marry the romance and flavour of the great BC Wines with first class accommodation. Your weekend will start after your Friday afternoon check-in with a fun informal Blind Wine and Cheese tasting featuring a selection of the most talked about varietals from BC and fine Canadian cheese offered by the Dairy Farmers of Canada followed by a great evening of live music and dancing. On Saturday patrons will have a choice of wine and cheese pairing seminar offered by the Dairy Farmers of Canada featuring the best Canadian dairy cheeses or a wine and chocolate seminar featuring Poulain Chocolatier. You will then have the afternoon to relax at the hotel's facilities before beign treated to a memorable winemaker's dinner featuring different wine from BC Wine Country and a culinary infusion from the hotel's chefs. You will then awake Sunday to a farewell brunch which marks the end of the weekend. The Annual Okanagan Icewine Festival in January at Sun Peaks Resort is the most unique of all the wine festivals. Spectacular wines and an award winning alpine resort create an unbelievable weekend of education and recreation. From wine masters dinners, to educational seminars and a unique progressive tasting, this is a memorable week in the making. Okanagan Spring Wine Festival: Apr 30 - May 9, 2009 / Apr 28 - May 8, 2010 The Okanagan Spring Wine Festival is a perfect marriage of wine and culinary tourism. Okanagan Summer Wine Festival: Aug 8 - 1-0, 2008 / Aug 6 - 8, 2009 / Aug 5 -7, 2010 The Okanagan Summer Wine Festival is held every second weekend in August at Silver Star Mountain Resort in Vernon. Come and treat yourself to an intimate weekend of wine education, arts, music and mile high outdoor recreation. The summer wine festival offers unique wine seminars, great evening entertainment, a foot stomping musical outdoor wine tasting and wonderful presentations by local artists.! Okanagan Fall Wine Festival: Oct 2 - 12, 2008 / Oct 1 - 11, 2009 / Sept 30 - Oct 10, 2010 The Annual Okanagan Fall Wine Festival is an experience for all who love fabulous wine accompanied by great food and unique events. Autumn in Okanagan Wine Country is the perfect time to watch the grapes ripen in the sun and indulge yourself in the harvest celebrations. This is the only wine festival in North America that takes place during the heart of grape harvest. CORNUCOPIA – Whistler’s Wine and Food Celebration
OKANAGAN WINE FESTIVALS
Year round
These festivals consist of wine competitions, tastings and tours in British Columbia’s very own lush wine-growing region.
Sun Peaks Ice Wine Festival: Jan 14 - 19, 2009 / Jan 12 - 17, 2010
For the first ten days in May each year, it offers a tantalizing experience for anyone who loves fabulous wine accompanied by fine cuisine.And what better way to announce the grape growing season than to hold a Festival during bud break!
Guests can choose an incredible 100 plus events throughout Okanagan Wine Country at a time of year when it is absolutely delightful to savour Spring in the warm sunshine. The Okanagan Spring Wine Festival has been described as "one of Canada's best small festivals" and it is no wonder that its success continues to grow.
Enjoy gourmet meals, wine education seminars, a unique consumer wine tasting and a wide variety of on-mountain activities. The beauty of mountain wildflowers in a Victorian-inspired mountain resort setting may be your most enjoyable and relaxing experience this summer.
During this festival, experience vineyard tours, lunches, dinners, events and the fall wine harvest – there is no better way to visit Okanagan wine country. For ten days in early October enjoy over 165 events throughout the valley which are focused on wine, food, education and the arts in one of North America’s most spectacular settings – the Okanagan Valley. This festival continues to be ranked in the top 100 events by the American Bus Association
November
One of North America’s favourite epicurean events, Cornucopia offers a delicious array of gourmet dining, wine tastings, food and wine seminars and more.
A VICTORIAN CHRISTMAS
December
All the signs of Christmas abound in Victoria at this heart-warming time. Admire the colourful lights and the splendid decorations, or take a horse-drawn carriage ride. Enjoy wreath making or carolling, the theatre or a craft fair. See the traditional orchestra music series or the ice and sand sculpture displays. Admire the Festival of Trees or, of course, go shopping! This is the time when the city gets together and says “Happy Holidays!”.
