Explore Local Flavour on the Vancouver Passport Tour

Located in the heart of the city at šxʷƛ̓ənəq Xwtl’e7énḵ Square (Vancouver Art Gallery North Plaza), the Downtown Farmers’ Market brings a burst of fresh flavour and community spirit to Vancouver’s bustling core every Wednesday from June through December. With over 30 vendors offering everything from seasonal produce and ethically raised meats to handmade crafts and artisanal goods, this market is a favourite lunchtime or after-work stop for locals and visitors alike. Conveniently close to major transit routes, it’s a vibrant mid-week hub where urban energy meets local food culture. This year, the market is proud to feature a pilot program showcasing Indigenous entrepreneurs, adding even more depth, diversity, and meaning to the experience.

Set along the picturesque seawall, the False Creek Farmers’ Market offers a relaxed and scenic Thursday afternoon experience in Vancouver. Running from July through early October, this market brings together over 25 local farms and food producers offering fresh seasonal produce, sustainably raised meats, handmade goods, baked treats, and more. With food trucks, live music, and a welcoming, community-focused atmosphere, it’s the perfect place to unwind, shop local, and take in waterfront views. Now located in Olympic Village Square, the market is easily accessible by foot, bike, or transit.

The Kitsilano Farmers’ Market, set in the parking lot behind Kitsilano Community Centre next to Connaught Park, comes to life every Sunday from early May through late October with over 50 local farms and producers gathered under the West Side sun. This bustling farmers’ market offers seasonal fruits and vegetables, grass-fed meats, fresh seafood, artisan preserves, baked goods, handmade crafts, and even craft beer, wine, and spirits alongside food and coffee trucks. With a family‑friendly layout that includes a nearby water park and playground, live music, community tables, and a welcoming vibe, Kitsilano draws locals and visitors alike for relaxed Sunday shopping and socializing. This vibrant community hub is conveniently accessible by bike, bus or car, with limited street parking and accessible stalls nearby.

The Mount Pleasant Farmers’ Market takes place every Sunday from early May through late October at Dude Chilling Park (8th Avenue & Guelph Street). This farmers’ market features a selection of fresh seasonal produce, baked goods, artisan preserves, craft beer, wine, spirits, food trucks, and handmade crafts. Perfect for grabbing a bite and enjoying a relaxed Sunday picnic in the adjacent park, and easily accessible by bike or transit (with limited street parking available) this farmers’ market reflects the creative, community-oriented spirit of its surrounding neighbourhood. It offers live music, family‑friendly amenities, and wheelchair-accessible layouts.

The Riley Park Farmers’ Market is a beloved Vancouver tradition, operating every Saturday, April through October, at Riley Park near East 30th Avenue & Ontario Street. This farmers’ market hosts around 35+ local vendors including farms, artisanal food producers, and food trucks. Bring the kids, because this farmers’ market it nestled beside family‑friendly amenities like a community garden, zip-line, and bouldering wall in the adjacent park. This farmers’ market is easily reached by transit (#3 Main Street bus, Canada Line’s King Edward Station), cycling, or walking.

The Trout Lake Farmers’ Market, held every Saturday from April through October, is Vancouver’s largest outdoor farmers’ market. It is located at the north parking lot of John Hendry Park – affectionately known as Trout Lake. With over 60 local farms and producers, this farmers’ market offers an impressive array of seasonal fruits and vegetables, ethically raised meats, eggs, dairy, fresh fish, artisan preserves, baked goods, handcrafted items, food truck fare, coffee, craft beer, wine, and spirits.

Don’t miss the opportunity to take a stroll through the beautiful park after you go shopping! Trout Lake Farmers’ Market is easily accessible by bike or transit (near Commercial‑Broadway SkyTrain), and has modest street parking.

The West End Farmers’ Market is Vancouver’s only downtown neighbourhood market, held every Saturday between May and October, on Comox Street between Bute and Thurlow, adjacent to Nelson Park. This cheerful market showcases seasonal produce, sustainably raised meats, fresh seafood, baked goods, artisanal preserves, crafts, and local craft beer, wine, and spirits, often accompanied by food trucks, coffee stalls, and live music. A friendly, neighbourhood-oriented hub, it draws both locals and visitors seeking quality local fare in a relaxed urban park setting, with bike parking and public transit access nearby (but street parking is very limited).

The UBC Farm Saturday Farmers’ Market is a truly unique weekend destination: Vancouver’s only multi‑vendor farmers’ market set on a working 24‑hectare organic farm on UBC’s Point Grey campus. Operating every Saturday from early June through late November, it brings together vendors including certified‑organic UBC Farm stalls, local farms, artisan food producers, craft vendors, food trucks, beverages, and live music, all in a lush farm setting. This farmers’ market is easily accessible by bus and bike, with amenities like potable water, wheelchair access, and seating areas.

Salmon n’ Bannock

Salmon n Bannock is Vancouver’s only Indigenous-owned and operated restaurant. With a warm and inviting interior decorated in bold red and black tones, Indigenous art, and a suspended canoe, the space beautifully reflects its deep cultural roots.

Owner Inez Cook created this intimate venue (seating about 40) to share the rich culinary traditions of her heritage. From wild salmon and bannock, to elk, bison, cedar jelly, and local berries, dishes are prepared using traditional methods and sustainably sourced Indigenous ingredients. The restaurant offers authentic meals that tell stories of culture, land, and survival, while supporting Indigenous economic empowerment.

Signature dishes include smoked sockeye salmon with wild rice, 24-hour roasted bison pot roast served with bannock, and a richly flavoured smoked sablefish dish. Don’t miss their bannock with rotating jams like cedar jelly.

Located at 1128 West Broadway, Salmon n Bannock is a must-visit for those seeking a deeply rooted Indigenous culinary experience that feeds both body and spirit. Reservations are recommended, and brunch is available on Sundays from 10 AM–12 PM with regular service resuming afterward.

Wickaninnish Gallery

Located on Granville Island, the Wickaninnish Gallery is a charming Indigenous‑owned boutique that has been celebrating Northwest Coast artistry since 1987. Founded by Patricia Rivard, a direct descendant of Chief Wickaninnish, the gallery showcases a carefully curated selection of high-quality, affordable Indigenous fashion and art. Artwork ranges from moccasins and t-shirts to hand‑engraved sterling silver jewelry and gifts created by both emerging and established artists. Wickaninnish Gallery is widely regarded as a go‑to destination for local and international guests seeking meaningful art and cultural connection in the heart of Vancouver’s artisan scene.

Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art

The Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art is Canada’s only public gallery dedicated exclusively to contemporary Indigenous art from the Northwest Coast. Named in honour of legendary Haida artist Bill Reid (1920–1998), the gallery houses the Simon Fraser University Bill Reid Collection that features jewelry, sculptures (like the monumental Mythic Messengers frieze and James Hart’s full-scale totem), prints, and totem pole carvings. Visitors also enjoy rotating exhibitions by living Indigenous artists, enriched by artist talks, curatorial tours, and hands-on workshops that foster a deeper connection to Indigenous perspectives.

Cedar Root Gallery

Cedar Root Gallery, located inside the Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre, is a celebrated Indigenous-owned and operated boutique offering three decades of Northwest Coast artistry and sacred cultural goods. Step inside this welcoming space run by Haida artist Mona Moreno and manager Nadia, and you’ll discover hand-carved silver and gold jewelry, traditional masks and plaques, moccasins, dreamcatchers, and thoughtfully curated smudge and medicine kits. Every purchase directly supports Indigenous artists and community initiatives.

Sisters Sage

Sisters Sage is an award‑winning Indigenous wellness brand. They source local ingredients like sage, cedar, sweetgrass, and devil’s club to craft their eco‑friendly, vegan self‑care products like handmade soaps, bath fizzies, salves, and their signature smokeless smudge sprays. With accolades including BC’s Indigenous Business of the Year and Small Business BC’s Best Community Impact, Sisters Sage blends tradition, sustainability, and cultural revitalization into every thoughtful product.

Gulf Island Seaplanes

Gulf Island Seaplanes is a proud Indigenous-owned floatplane company offering year-round scheduled flights and private charters connecting Vancouver with the Gulf Islands and beyond. Based at both Vancouver Harbour and YVR floatplane terminals, they fly routes to destinations including Gabriola, DeCourcy, Maple Bay, and Hornby Island. From June to October, scenic “Vancouver Vista” tours launch from downtown, offering 30‑ to 45‑minute aerial views of the city skyline, mountain peaks, and island-studded coastline.

Canoe Cultures

Canoe Cultures is an Indigenous-led organization that celebrates the art, ceremony, and heritage of Coast Salish canoe culture in Vancouver. With a mission to preserve and pass on traditional canoe carving and paddling practices, they offer twice-daily, guided Cultural Canoe Tours (10 AM & 2 PM, mid-May to mid-October) departing from Concord Pacific Community Park in False Creek. Each 90–120‑minute excursion is led by an Indigenous skipper, sharing Coast Salish history, songs, and legends as guests gently paddle historic-style canoes through the inlet. Beyond paddling, Canoe Cultures fosters intergenerational learning through canoe carving workshops led by master carvers like Squamish Nation’s Mike Billy Sr., whose teachings have revitalized dugout canoe traditions and nurtured a new generation of Indigenous builders.

Get out there and enjoy the Vancouver Tour! Download the BC Farmers’ Market Trail App, and earn points and rewards when you check in at farmers’ markets across the province!