Your Essential Bucket List for Summer in Vancouver

June 14, 2016
CL
ByCarrie Leslie
6 min read

The summer in Vancouver seems to fly by with countless beach days, hiking adventures, and camping exploits. However, if you really want to make the most of the three sunniest months in the year this summer in Vancouver, you’ve gotta make yourself a bucket list.

Whether you’re just visiting or having a staycation, a summer bucket list can help motivate you to do a few things outside of your comfort zone – and hopefully have fun doing them!

To help you get started with your bucket list to tackle this summer in Vancouver, we’ve put together a few ideas. Try one, try them all, or use them to start a bucket list of your own… Here’s some ideas on what you can do to make this summer your most interesting one yet:

sup yoga vancouver

Image courtesy of SUP Yoga Vancouver | Facebook.com

Try yoga on a paddle board

Could we be any more Vancouver? Think paddle boarding is easy? Why not try a few yoga poses on it! SUP Yoga Vancouver has combined Stand Up Paddling with Yoga, with an emphasis on core stability and balance. It’s a great work that makes you try extra hard because that water is cold.

SUP Yoga will tone your core, build your stability and provide you with a fun learning environment to play and have fun with your practice outside the studio. If you have your doubts, remember that falling in is half of the fun!

diner en blanc 2016

Image courtesy of Bun Lee | Inside Vancouver Flickr Pool

Dine in white with thousands of new friends

Diner en Blanc has fast become one of the quintessential traditions of summer in Vancouver. For 2016, Diner en Blanc is returning to town on Thursday, August 18 to celebrate its 5th anniversary in the city. This exclusive event is invitation-only, but this year there will be more seats in a bigger venue, so you can sign up to get yourself on the guest list by registering at vancouver.dinerenblanc.info/register.

Diner en Blanc is an exciting idea that gets thousands of people, all dressed in white, to meet at a secret location for a mass “chic picnic” in a public space. There are no disruptions: no car traffic, no pedestrian traffic—only amazed and astonished looks from passersby observing the scene before them. And participants, like spectators, wonder whether it’s all not a dream…

Richmond Night Market | Things To Do In Vancouver This Weekend

Image courtesy of Bun Lee | Inside Vancouver Flickr Pool

Try something new at the Richmond Night Market

The night markets in Vancouver are a summer staple with thousands of people flocking to buy cheap socks, knock-off sunglasses, and cell phone cases. But, we all know what the night markets in Vancouver are really about… the food!

Octopus balls! Dragon beard! A whole fried fish! The Richmond Night Market sure doesn’t lack for options in the food department. Every weekend, the night market opens up from 7pm – midnight and sees thousands of people coming through to stuff their faces with delicious food. We’ve already published a post of the 5 foods to try at a Vancouver night market this summer, but let’s see what else you can find to try!

wreck beach sunset

Image courtesy of Colin Knowles | <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/colink/7010403945">Flickr.com</a>

Dare to go bare at Wreck Beach

Wreck Beach is an extremely popular clothing-optional beach located near the Point Grey campus of UBC. It not only has warm water, a sandy beach, and a great view of the sunset – it’s also somewhere you can get a full body tan.

If you’ve always wondered what it’s like to go sans-swimsuit in the summer, Wreck Beach is one of the only places you’ll be able to. Even if you’re not comfortable baring it all, Wreck Beach is a unique experience that everyone should check out at least once.

slide the city 2016

Photo sourced from slidethecity.com

Take a ride on the biggest slip-n-slide in Vancouver

Last year was the first year that the Slide the City waterslide took over Lonsdale Avenue in North Vancouver and it was extremely popular. Tickets recently went on sale for the waterslide and typically sell out quickly. Ride prices range from $13 (one slide) to $99 (all day slider) and include a tube.

When will you ever get another chance to ride a tube down a public street in Vancouver? Also, it’s a great excuse to party… There will be live music, food, drinks, water, and of course the biggest slip and slide ever to hit asphalt.

Vancouver fireworks festival 2014

Image courtesy of Bun Lee | Inside Vancouver Flickr Pool

Watch all three firework nights and decide your own winner

The Honda Celebration of Light takes place this year on July 23, July 27, and July 30. The fireworks are amazing to see and it’s a great opportunity for people watching. This year, try and make an effort to see all of the fireworks to determine who is the winner in your opinion.

The Netherlands, Australia, and America will be vying to get your attention with a spectacular light show that spans three nights. The competitions begin each night at 10:00pm and are the perfect excuse to stay at the beach all evening on a Wednesday!

Image courtesy of Bored in Vancouver

Take a dip in a North Vancouver swimming hole

Whether you’re interested in a natural mountain-top lake, or you’d rather plunge into a glacier-fed river closer to town, there are many options on the North Shore.

When the ice melts, the swimming holes in Vancouver don’t get much warmer – so it’s a good idea to cross this one off your list on a very hot day. Check out this list of some of the best places to cool off in Vancouver if you’re ready to take the plunge…

What’s on your summer bucket list for Vancouver? Let us know in the comment section below!

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