Year in review: A look back at the best moments in Vancouver in 2017

December 11, 2017

1) Canada 150+
2) Beer, beer, beer – ba ba ba – beer, beer, beer
3) We also like our art
4) And our food
5) Take me out to the ball game
6) Music and lyrics
7) Hollywood North
8) Do we always talk about the weather?
9) Support for the LGBTQ community
10) We had fun

by Jennifer Foden

There were many ups and downs for Vancouverites in 2017. Before we start planning our New Year’s resolutions and looking forward to 2018, we thought we’d round up some of the best moments in Vancouver from the past year. [Photo courtesy of Tourism Vancouver/Gabriel Lam/New Year's Eve Vancouver]

1) Canada 150+

This past year marked Canada’s 150th birthday. While there were plenty of special Canada Day celebrations in and around Vancouver, B.C. also celebrated Canada 150+, acknowledging the Indigenous people who have lived here much longer than 150 years. [Photo courtesy of Tourism Vancouver/Coast Mountain Photography]

2) Beer, beer, beer – ba ba ba – beer, beer, beer

Vancouver is certainly considered the craft beer capital of Canada (with 23 craft breweries in the city proper), but this past year, Vogue Magazine said we’re likely the best in North America, too. Cheers to that! [Photo courtesy of Tourism Vancouver/Nelson Mouellic]

3) We also like our art

The second annual Vancouver Mural Festival brought over 60 new bright, bold murals to the neighbourhoods of Mount Pleasant and Strathcona. There was also a beautiful thunderbird mural painted on the Portland Hotel Society’s headquarters as a response to the overdose epidemic. [Photo by Jennifer Foden]

4) And our food

Unquestionably, we can agree that Vancouver is one of North America’s best foodie cities – four restaurants here were nominated for the prestigious “best new restaurant in Canada” by Air Canada. What new restaurants have you tried? [Photo courtesy of Fayuca/Hanna McLean]

5) Take me out to the ball game

Some of our other local sports teams may not have done very well in 2017 (we’re looking at you, Canucks), but the Vancouver Canadians won the Northwest League Baseball championship – their fourth win since 2011. [Photo courtesy of Vancouver Canadians/Mark Steffens]

6) Music and lyrics

Many big-name musical acts visited Vancouver in 2017 – Lady Gaga, A Tribe Called Red, Tegan and Sara, Snoop Dogg, Bruno Mars, Feist, Barenaked Ladies and Jay-Z. What was your favourite show of 2017? [Photo by Jennifer Foden]

7) Hollywood North

Vancouver continued its reputation as “Hollywood North” in 2017, filming movies such as Deadpool 2 (starring Vancouverite Ryan Reynolds), Skyscraper (starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson) and The Mountains Between Us (starring Idris Elba and Kate Winslet). [Photo credit: iStock/AnthonyRosenberg]

8) Do we always talk about the weather?

What is the one thing we talk about in Vancouver more than real estate and politics? The weather. Vancouver had an unusually cold and snowy #Snowmageddon winter last year (Trout Lake froze over for the first time in 20 years) and a long, dry summer. What’s in store for 2018? [Photo courtesy of Tourism Vancouver/Rishad Daroowala]

9) Support for the LGBTQ community

Vancouver is home to the largest LGBTQ community in Western Canada. After two decades of searching for a new location, Qmunity – B.C.’s queer resource centre – received good news when city council voted unanimously to fund a new building. [Photo courtesy of Tourism Vancouver/Michael Song]

10) We had fun

Here at YP, we had a lot of fun rounding up the best events to attend in Vancouver (and covering events on social media, too). We particularly loved Dine Out Vancouver, Vancouver Craft Beer Week and the Vancouver International Film Festival. What was your favourite event of 2017? [Photo courtesy of Tourism Vancouver/Three Sixty Photography]