Enliven your senses with the traditional foods, music and culture of the 19th-century French-Canadian and Métis fur traders during Fort Langley National Historic Site’s annual Vive les Voyageurs Festival.
Vive Les Voyageurs at Fort Langley – Photo submitted
Vive les Voyageurs Festival at Fort Langley
Dates: Saturday, January 20 to Sunday, January 21, 2024
Times: 10:00am to 5:00pm
Adddress: Fort Langley National Historic Site (23433 Mavis Ave, Langley)
Tickets: Regular admission fees apply. $9 per adult; $7.50 per senior; Free for youth 17 and under & annual pass holders
From a spoon and jig demonstration with Maurice Guibord, to learning about trade routes with Rick Herfst, or Métis beading with Lisa Shepherd, the day’s schedule is packed with fascinating, engaging, and interactive events. A full schedule of the daily events is available online.
While you’re there, check out the Che’ Semiahmah-Sen, Che’ Shesh Whe Weleq-sen Si’am / (I am Semiahmoo, I am Survivor of the Flood) exhibit, which has been extended until April. Through the exhibit, the Semiahmoo First Nation people tell their story with a focus on their oral history, who they are as a people, and their place in the Lower Mainland.
Fort Langley National Historic Site falls within the unceded, ancestral lands of the Kwantlen, Katzie, Semiahmoo, and Matsqui First Nations. This exhibit provides context into how Fort Langley fits into the communities that have existed locally for thousands of years.
Other events at the Fort this season include a Bath Salt Soak Workshop (January 13th) with Deanna Miller (sxwnem) of Katzie First Nation.
Now in its 14th year, the Greater Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival will feature over 160 hot chocolate designs featured at 105 locations across Metro Vancouver. Try out some of these exciting, limited-time flavours from January 13 to February 14, 2024.
Vancouver Aquarium Hot Shark’olate
Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival 2024
When it launched in 2011, the Greater Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival was the first city-wide initiative of its kind in the world. This January, it return for the 14th season to feature the region’s best chocolatiers, pastry shops, bakeries, cafes, gelato and ice cream makers – all coming together to make the humble hot chocolate hotter than it has ever been before.
Flavours & Chocolate Creations
Sort your search by gluten free, dairy-free, vegan options, and by which places are open late or have takeout/dine-in. View the full list of 160+ flavours and the Location Map.
Here’s just a small sampling:
The Vancouver Aquarium (845 Avison Way, Vancouver) is offering 2 drinks including the Hot Shark’olate (pictured aboved) featuring house made velvety chocolate syrup with steamed milk, whipped cream, and sprinkles served in an adorable shark mug with a handcrafted aquatic sugar cookie. The second option is Otterly Decadent with hand made dark chocolate mixed with a rich dark chocolate syrup topped with whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles served with a paw’dorable handcrafted otter sugar cookie.
Bjornbar Bakery (102-3053 Edgemont Boulevard, North Vancouver & 111-581 Clarke Rd, Coquitlam) will feature two drink offerings. A Bear Necessityis a spicy cayenne and caramel infused hot cocolate topped with whipped cream and caramel served with a bear-shaped sprinkle shortbread cookie. The second offering is “Bjorn” The Bear, a dark chocolate orange hot chocolate topped with whipped cream and chocolate decor served with a dark chocolate biscotti filled with orange zest and toasted hazelnuts,
To Live For Bakery + Everbean Cafe(1508 Nanaimo St, Vancouver & 106-15331 16 Ave, Surrey) have collaborated to create two delicous dairy-free and vegan drink options. Candied Yam & Toasted Marshmallow is made with milk chocolate, candied sweet potato puree, coconut cream, coconut sweet condensed milk, brown sugar, spices, steamed oat milk, and torched marshmallows. Served with an almond financier, an extra buttery vegan version of the traditional French almond cake. Cereal Milk features milk chocolate and toasted cornflakes cereal milk served with cornflakes and peanut butter crispy cookie (similar to a rice crispie but with cornflakes).
Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival – Honolulu Coffee
Honolulu Coffee (888 Nelson St, 2098 W 41st Ave, 97 W 2nd) is offering the Snow-Coco with the finest 70% dark chocolate blended with steamed oat milk, creating a creamy canvas. A drizzle of Macadamia nut and coconut syrup adds an exotic twist, while two marshmallow snowmen create a winter wonderland in your cup. Every sip is a sweet escape to a snowy, cocoa-filled dream.
Enjoy these and many more!
Enter The Festival’s Contest
Enter the festival’s Instagram contest for sweet prizes. Post your photo of one of the participating cafes or shops hot chocolates with the @hotchocolatefast tag and include #HCFphotocontset on Instagram and you could enjoy chocolate treats all year long. Winners will be drawn and announced on Valentine’s Day.
Step into the world of innovation and creative thinking with Science World’s immersive exhibition Dream Tomorrow Today. Open January 26, 2024, this interactive adventure invites kids to step into the role of tomorrow’s change makers. Enter to win tickets below!
Visitors to Dream Tomorrow Today embark on a dynamic adventure where they are at the helm of shaping the future. Through interactive and hands-on activities, participants create profiles and utilize their STEAM skills to tackle complex future challenges. This gamified approach to learning ensures that children are engaged and equipped with the tools needed to navigate the evolving landscape of technology and innovation.
Central to the exhibition’s vision is “Planet Power” – a comprehensive metric encompassing health, happiness, nature, and equality. By actively participating in the exhibition’s activities, young learners discover practical ways to improve their Planet Power scores and, in turn, contribute to a more sustainable and equitable world
Dream Tomorrow Today is a transformative journey that empowers children to positively impact the future through the lens of STEAM. Designed to foster STEAM identities, this immersive experience harnesses the power of play to cultivate the skills and mindset necessary to shape a better world for future generations.
Enter to Win
We have a family pack of tickets to give away (2 adult, 2 child admissions) valued at $173. Here’s how you can enter to win:
Take your taste buds around the would at Dine Out Vancouver Festival‘s most anticipated culinary events. The 8th annual Vancouver World Chef Exchange will bring award-winning chefs from around the world to a selection of Michelin recognized restaurants in Vancouver for a series of 4 collaborative dinners.
Dine Out Vancouver Festival’s World Chef Exchange
During each event, the pairings will feature two Michelin recognized teams, from Bibs through to Stars, who will join forces to produce an incredible multi-course dinner at the Vancouver-based chef’s restaurant, taking inspiration from their respective restaurants’ most popular dishes; their own cultural influences and favourite fare, and local, seasonal ingredients.
The spirit of the Vancouver World Chef Exchange is one of collaboration and community building: sharing ideas and experiences, as well as developing relationships between Vancouver and international chefs and the destinations that have influenced their cooking.
Vancouver World Chef Exchange Pairings
London’s Chef Jan Ostie and Vancouver’s Chef Matt Gostelow January 23, 2024 at 5:30pm, 6:00pm, 8:00pm, & 8:30pm The Acorn (3995 Main St, Vancouver) Join The Acorn’s Executive Chef Matt Gostelow and owner Shira Blustein in welcoming Chef & Owner of MICHELIN Green Starred Wilson’s Restaurant in London, UK, Jan Ostle, for a unique fusion of culinary talents and a celebration of sustainable gastronomy. This special event features a multi-course family-style tasting menu collaboratively crafted by Chef Matt Gostelow, the Acorn Kitchen team, and Chef Jan Ostle. There will also be thoughtful beverage pairings provided by Acorn Sommelier Shea Cunningham. Reserve your spot online.
Ho Chi Minh City’s Chef Curtis Demyon and Vancouver’s Chef Warren Chow February 1, 2024 at 6:00pm Wildlight Kitchen + Bar (107 – 5380 University Boulevard, Vancouver) MICHELIN Guide Young Chef Award recipient, Executive Chef Warren Chow of MICHELIN Guide-Recommended Wildlight Kitchen + Bar, looks forward to welcoming Chef Curtis Demyon of MICHELIN Guide-Recommended Elgin Saigon, in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. A veteran of the Vancouver food scene, Curtis returns home to join Warren for this one-of-a-kind culinary experience which will combine their passions for utilizing local ingredients and fusing global flavours, all rooted in the training and experience that each has drawn from French and Western cooking. Reserve your spot online.
Oakland’s Chef Andres Giraldo Florez and Vancouver’s Chef Chanthy Yen February 2, 2024 at 5:30pm & 8:30pm Bacaro (1029 West Cordova, Vancouver) Join ‘MICHELIN Guide-Recommended Bacaro’s Executive Chef Chanthy Yen in welcoming Chef Andres Giraldo Florez of ‘MICHELIN Guide-Bib Gourmand’ Snail Bar in Oakland, California for this exclusive collaboration. Savour a one night only culinary affair with an exclusively curated 8-course dinner showcasing a fusion of locally sourced ingredients, uniquely bold flavours and a pairing of dynamic wines. Reserve your spot online.
London’s Chef Angela Hartnett and Vancouver’s Chef Andrea Carlson February 4, 2024 seating starting at 5:30pm until late Burdock & Co (2702 Main Street, Vancouver) MICHELIN Guide One Star Burdock & Co. Executive Chef and Owner Andrea Carlson looks forward to welcoming Chef and Owner of MICHELIN Guide One Star Murano Restaurant in London, UK, Angela Hartnett, for a memorable night of dining as part of this year’s Vancouver World Chef Exchange. Reserve your spot online.
We have curated a list of our current January culinary favourites and notable limited edition menus, into one convenient spot for this month’s Vancouver Foodie Friday feature. Here are the first of our 2024 finds and updates for all foodies alike in the New Year:
Vancouver Foodie Friday January Finds Hot Chocolate, Dine Out, Lunar New Year and More
Vancouver Hot Chocolate Fest
Where: Vancouver Metro Area
When: January 13th to February 14th, 2024
Details: The lineup was just launched today on the Hot Chocolate Fest’s website! Worth marking in your calendar and checking back on their instagram for hot chocolate creations, locations, and the charities the festival will be partnering with. Be sure to use the hashtag #hotchocolatefest if you choose to participate.
Pictured above is the Snow-Coco ($12). 70% dark chocolate blended with steamed oat milk, creating a creamy canvas for the artistry to come. A drizzle of Macadamia nut and coconut syrup adds an exotic twist, while two marshmallow snowmen create a winter wonderland in your cup.
