The number of tourists who travel or spend a holiday in Vancouver keeps on increasing every year. It is not a surprise why the city’s tourism industry is flourishing. There are many reasons why people love to keep on coming back to this wonderful destination. 

One of the most anticipated events of 2020, Vancouver International Wine Festival, will again kick off the new year.  More commonly known as the VanWineFest, this event holds the record of being Canada’s premier wine and food show, pouring more than 750 wines from more than 16 countries, in only 8 short days. (Now who said math class wouldn’t be useful!) These wines will, of course, be accompanied by the most welcome of chaperones: their respective winemakers and vineyard owners. 

Rated the “#1 Food, Wine & Hospitality Event in Canada” by New York’s BizBash (for the past 6 years in a row!) this year’s celebration will take place starting from February 22 to March 1, 2020.

We have something special for our valued guests like you. Book your stay with us and enjoy a FREE admission ticket to one of the world’s largest wine and food festivals. More details are available at the end of this post! 

Knowing The History  

The popular Vancouver International Wine Festival was inaugurated in 1979. During that time, the festival was organized to last for only two days. In its first public event, only around 1,000 people attended the festival. What makes this event even more meaningful is the fact that it was created in typical Vancity Style: for fundraising purposes. Since then, the VanWineFest has grown to raise more than $9.2 million and latest reports now boast an average of 25,000 admissions to the festival!

There is a theme or feature each year – This year France is the feature country!

The “Tasting Room”

One of the popular areas in the festival is, of course, the Tasting Room, where all the magic happens. In this area, you can see several brand owners and wine producers who will showcase their products to everyone. All attendees have a  chance to have a taste of their share of the 750+ wines available for display. 

The best part of all, however, is that several of these wine products are sourced from 15 other countries. As such, if you are going to be there, you will also get an opportunity to check out the top brands from the participating wineries abroad. Most of these wineries are award winners and considered senior leaders in the industry. 

Where else can you visit with award-winning wineries and winemakers from across 5 different continents, while trying their finest wines in only 10 consecutive days …without a private jet? (Seriously, we’re interested if you know! You can find us in the tasting room)

Tips To Remember

 If you are traveling to Vancouver for this iconic festival, be sure to arrive at least one day before the scheduled event. Not only will you have more time to prepare for the line up of activities prepared for all attendees, you’ll be in Vancity! This foodie paradise has more to see and do than can possibly be achieved in 10 days’ time — wine fests aside! However that’s not the only reason: as much as possible, try to avoid being late for this event so that you can still catch all the highlights and avoid line-ups.

Whether attending from Kits, Kelowna or out-of-country entirely, another thing to keep in mind is that if you do plan to stay in downtown Vancouver, you’ll want to book your stay ahead of time. Each year this Wine Festival brings in thousands of travelers to the city.

Until February 13th, you can still save on select downtown hotels using promo code VIWF. If you book a hotel with StayVancouverHotels.com, you will receive a FREE International Festival Tastings event ticket for the most anticipated Vancouver International Wine Festival ever: 

• Thursday, Feb. 27, 7:00 – 10:00 PM ($95 value) 
• Friday, Feb. 28, 7:00 – 10:00 PM ($105 value) 
• Saturday, Feb. 29, 2:30 – 5:00 PM ($95 value) 
• Saturday, Feb. 29, 7:00 – 10:00 PM ($115 value) 

Surprising Reasons to Book Early

Can you believe it’s already been a decade!? If you can make it to Vancity a few weeks before the Vancouver International Wine Tasting event don’t think for a minute February isn’t a perfect month for tourism! Celebrating 10 years since the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic games the city has countless events going on – including  Vancouver’s Annual Just for Laughs festival  and the grand re-opening the Sea to Sky Gondola

Check out the countless other fabulous Vancity events this February 2020 events here.

Remember! If you do plan to attend the Vancouver Festival this year, be sure to use promo code VIWF to receive a free ticket when you book your downtown Vancouver hotel stay. Offer ends February 13, 2020 – Click here to book.