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HEAR TALES OF MOBSTERS, BOOTLEGGING, AND VICE

Take the Forbidden Vancouver Tour and uncover Vancouver’s prohibition era secrets. Guests journey through the historic streets and hidden alleyways of Gastown, where tales of mobsters, bootlegging, and vice await.

Immersed in a time when mob bosses ruled the shadows, and corrupt cops turned a blind eye, guests learn how enterprising Vancouver rum-runners capitalized on US prohibition, amassing fortunes smuggling liquor down the coast. They’ll experience the allure of 1920s Vancouver, a hotspot for prostitution, gambling, and opium, drawing in loggers, sailors, and miners eager to squander their wages while crime kingpins Shui Moy and Joe Celona lined their pockets.

The Forbidden Vancouver Tour is your chance to walk the alleys and back streets where Vancouver’s grittiest histories unfolded.

Two percent of tour sales support the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre.

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DISCOVER DOWNTOWN VANCOUVER’S MOST SCANDALOUS HISTORY

Explore downtown Vancouver on a walking tour that combines scandalous history, breathtaking architecture and gourmet treats. From tales of murder and jealousy to corruption and glamour, this tour offers a fascinating glimpse into the city’s dirty foundations. Along the way, you’ll enjoy delicacies from Vancouver’s best chocolatiers and bakeries.

Tales include the infamous crime of passion that claimed the life of the city’s renowned architect, the music hall star whose provocative act caused an international uproar, and the police chief who liked his bribes in brown paper bags.

On this meticulously crafted walking tour, participants will have the opportunity to visit some of the city’s most loved heritage buildings, from the prestigious Vancouver Art Gallery and Hotel Vancouver to the historic Sinclair Centre and Art Deco masterpiece, the Marine Building.

Two percent of tour sales support the Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood House.

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CELEBRATE THE QUEER HEROES WHO FOUGHT FOR CHANGE

In the Davie Street Village, Vancouver has one of the most vibrant LGBTQ2+ communities in North America. But it wasn’t always that way. On the Really Gay History Tour, you’ll journey through the city’s queer history, starting with stories of queer fur traders back in the 1800s. Researched, designed, and guided by Forbidden Vancouver storyteller Glenn Tkach, this tour takes you on a walk through histories that have often remained untold, including stories of early drag queens, crime-fighting transgender activists, and gay church ministers.

As you explore Vancouver’s “Gaybourhood” you’ll bust the myth of Patient Zero, hear tales of struggle at the United Church, and learn about the drag kings at the Quadra. You’ll encounter protests, bookstore bombings, Jim Deva Plaza, and Vancouver’s “secret” gay village.

The Really Gay History Tour is an experience that celebrates the courage, resilience, and impact of our city’s LGBTQ2+ community.

Two percent of tour sales benefit Qmunity.

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BEFORE THE PARK WAS A DESTINATION, IT WAS A BATTLEGROUND

Behind the majestic forests, picturesque gardens, and stunning beaches of Stanley Park lies a history of forced evictions, buried treasure, shocking crime scenes, and the macabre tale of Deadman’s Island. Discover that history on the Dark Secrets of Stanley Park Tour.

“Stanley Park is a place of beauty and wonder, but it also has a dark side,” says tour creator Will Woods. “Indigenous people lived on the land for thousands of years before they were forced out by the City of Vancouver. Generation after generation lived and raised families in what we call Stanley Park today. Squamish and Musqueam people built homes, hunted, foraged, fished, harvested, fought, played, and resided in large villages along the shoreline.”

On this walking tour you’ll discover the forces of colonization that caused both the eviction of indigenous people from their land, and the myth that Stanley Park is somehow an untouched rainforest. We promise you’ll never think about the park the same way again.

Two percent of tour sales benefit the Indian Residential School Survivors Society (IRSSS).

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DISCOVER HOLIDAY LIGHTS & SCANDALOUS HISTORY

This tour takes guests inside downtown’s most iconic heritage buildings to hear the tales of intrigue, jealousy, and sin that lurk inside their walls. A seasonal twist on our popular Sinners & Sweets Tour, the experience keeps you warm and dry by ensuring every single stop is indoors or undercover as you move through our city’s grandest landmark venues.

Guests discover a world of jealous lovers, scandalous dancers, and powerful criminals, learning how they helped form the Vancouver of shining hotels and opera houses that lured the likes of Winston Churchill, Louis Armstrong, and King George VI. With your rich, warming cocoa in hand, you’ll delight in festive holiday displays at the Vancouver Art Gallery, Hotel Vancouver, Sinclair Centre, and Hotel Georgia, before finishing with a magical private viewing inside an Art Deco masterpiece.

To top things off, guests enjoy a rich, velvety cup of local hot chocolate from Trees Cafe, with both dairy and non-dairy options available.

Two percent of tour sales support the Pacific Association of First Nations Women.

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VIP BACKSTAGE PASS TO VANCOUVER’S MOST INFAMOUS VENUE

This unique experience, winner of the prestigious City of Vancouver Heritage Medal of Honour, takes guests on an immersive journey through the fascinating past of this legendary venue.

Guests venture backstage with club owner Danny Filippone as their guide, along with writer and historian Aaron Chapman, and retired VPD Officer Grant MacDonald. You’ll hear tales of vice squad busts, mobsters, bootlegging, Rat Pack parties, fire and murder. For over 70 years the club has been at the heart of the “after dark” story of Vancouver.

There’s live jazz up on stage from the Russell Sholberg Trio and an authentic Italian spaghetti dinner, with meatballs made just the way Mama Filippone used to make ’em.

Two percent of ticket sales for each event benefits Variety – The Children’s Charity.

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DISCOVER THE EPIC STORY OF THE VPD VS. THE CLARK PARK GANG

Take a stroll deep into East Van’s gang history of the 1970s. Guests will find out how one of the VPD’s most feared undercover units tackled one of the city’s most legendary street gangs. They’ll explore the Clark Park area and discover this wild two-fisted period of Vancouver history.

The Last Gang In Town guides are local writer and historian Aaron Chapman and former Clark Park gang members Bradley Bennett and Danny “Mouse” Williamson.

Long before the illegal drug trade put Vancouver in the grip of organized crime syndicates, the city’s East Side was menaced by a number of rival street gangs. The most notorious was the Clark Park gang, a rag-tag bunch of local youths who banded together in the late 1960s and went on to inflict mayhem on the city throughout the early 1970s.

After some infamous clashes with police, including a violent street brawl outside the Rolling Stones concert at the Pacific Coliseum in 1972, the gang was targeted by an undercover police operation, led by the VPD’s top-secret “H-Squad.” With tension mounting between some of the city’s toughest street cops and its toughest street gang, the situation boiled over later that year leading to the accidental fatal shooting of a gang member by the Vancouver Police.

Today the Clark Park gang is a distant memory. So bring the East Side of the 1970s back to life as you join Aaron, Bradley, and Mouse on a walking tour through Clark Park and discover the epic story of the last gang in town.

Two percent of ticket sales for each Last Gang In Town event benefits Variety – The Children’s Charity.

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UNCOVER THE CRIMINAL HISTORY OF THE WEST END

Delve into the gritty history of Vancouver’s West End in the 1970s and ’80s. Guided by award-winning author and historian Aaron Chapman, guests step inside a world of deceit, vigilante vice cops, sex worker turf wars, gambling dens, and wiretapped hustlers, where Vancouver’s vices ruled.

Guests discover how the neighborhood’s tree-lined streets and low-rise apartment buildings were once a volatile cauldron of social and cultural upheaval. The walking tour uncovers the case of the West End Sniper, the truth about legendary underground tunnels, and tales of rigged gambling nights once held secretly inside prominent West End hotels.

Host Aaron Chapman—a writer and historian with a decades-long focus on Vancouver’s entertainment and criminal underbelly—brings to life his acclaimed book, “Vancouver Vice.” He shares exclusive insights into the dramatic turf wars between local residents and street sex workers, as well as the strange tales that linger in the neighborhood to this day, including the bizarre West End death of Hollywood star Errol Flynn.

Two percent of tour sales support the Friends of the City of Vancouver Archives Society.

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