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Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival 2026
Celebrating Our 16th Season — Chocolate Makes You Happy ☕🍫
The Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival 2026 returns this winter to celebrate its 16th season, bringing together more chocolatiers, cafés, bakeries, and dessert makers than ever before. Running from January 17 to February 14, 2026, this iconic city-wide festival transforms Vancouver into a chocolate lover’s paradise during the heart of winter.
What began in 2010 as the world’s first city-wide hot chocolate festival has grown into one of Vancouver’s most anticipated winter traditions — inviting locals and visitors to sip, explore, and indulge their way across the city.
Event Overview
Event Name: Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival 2026
Season: 16th Anniversary
Dates: January 17 – February 14, 2026
Location: Multiple cafés, bakeries, and chocolatiers across Vancouver & BC
Admission: Free to attend (pay per item)
🌐 Official Website:
👉 Visit Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival
About the Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival
The Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival is the world’s original hot chocolate festival, celebrating creativity, craftsmanship, and community during the West Coast’s winter months.
Each participating vendor creates a festival-exclusive hot chocolate flavour, often paired with a matching dessert. From classic European-style drinking chocolate to adventurous global flavours, dairy-free innovations, and vegan creations, the festival showcases the incredible diversity of Vancouver’s food scene.
As the festival proudly says:
“Winter is not a season. It’s a celebration with hot chocolate in hand.”
Festival Dates
📅 January 17 – February 14, 2026
Perfectly timed to brighten the coldest weeks of winter — and to celebrate Valentine’s season with chocolate.
Participating Locations (2026 Highlights)
The 2026 festival features dozens of locations across Vancouver and beyond, including cafés, bakeries, chocolatiers, gelato shops, and even unique venues like the airport and aquarium.
Notable participants include:
- 49th Parallel Café & Lucky’s Doughnuts
- Bella Gelateria
- Bel Café
- Chez Christophe Chocolaterie Patisserie
- East Van Roasters
- Koko Monk Hot Chocolate Lounge
- Mink Chocolates Café
- Thierry Chocolates
- Thomas Haas Chocolates
- Uno Gelato
- Whisk Matcha x Level V
- Vancouver Aquarium
- Vancouver International Airport (YVR)
✨ Plus many NEW participants joining the festival for the first time in 2026.
Each location offers a unique hot chocolate creation — no two experiences are the same.
Dietary Options & Symbols
The festival makes it easy to find treats that suit your preferences, with clear symbols for:
- 🌱 Vegan Options
- 🌾 Gluten-Free Options
- 🥛 Dairy-Free Options
- 🌙 Open Late
- 🥡 Takeout Only
- ☕ Limited Café Seating
⚠️ Availability of dietary options may vary. If you have specific dietary concerns, please speak directly with each vendor. Contact details are available on individual vendor pages.
What Makes This Festival Special
- The world’s first city-wide hot chocolate festival
- Celebrating 16 years in 2026
- Vendors from 20+ regions across British Columbia
- Festival-exclusive flavours you can’t get any other time
- Perfect for solo adventures, dates, families, and friends
- A joyful way to explore Vancouver neighbourhoods in winter
From rich dark chocolate to creative spice blends, fruit infusions, matcha pairings, and nostalgic classics, the festival proves one thing every year:
Chocolate really does make you happy.
How to Experience the Festival
There’s no single venue — the city is your playground.
✔ Pick a neighbourhood
✔ Visit a participating café or chocolatier
✔ Order their festival hot chocolate
✔ Repeat as often as possible
Many people turn it into a self-guided winter crawl, checking off favourites throughout the month.
Why You Should Go
- One of Vancouver’s most loved winter festivals
- A cozy, delicious way to explore local businesses
- Incredible variety of flavours and styles
- Inclusive options for vegan, dairy-free, and gluten-free diets
- A perfect winter date or weekend activity
Whether you try one cup or twenty, the Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival is pure winter joy.
Plan Your Chocolate Adventure
📅 January 17 – February 14, 2026
📍 Locations across Vancouver & BC
🎟 Free to attend (pay per item)