Flamingo languages

The city of Vancouver BC in Canada has been rated as the number one gay travel destination in Western Canada, if not the country. With a reputation for being friendly, open-minded and laid back, Vancouverites are nothing if they are not welcoming.

Vancouver has the largest gay and lesbian population in Western Canada, and with a natural bounty that includes the Pacific Ocean on one side and snow capped mountains on the other it is easy to understand why. With adventures that range from sea to sky, Vancouver offers diving, swimming, a selection of four ski resorts, hiking, diverse dining, clubbing, theatre, boutique shopping and unending nature. With the legalisation of same-sex marriage in 2003, gay couples worldwide have made Vancouver their destination of choice for exchanging vows.

The gay community is located in and around two very different Vancouver neighbourhoods with both Commercial Drive and the West End Village providing a plentiful selection of clubbing, boutique shopping, restaurants, and coffee shops that cater to gays and lesbians. Depending on the season you can spend your days skiing, snowboarding, hiking the Grouse Grind or catching the rays at English Bay. Once the sun sets you might find yourself enjoying fine dining and multicultural cuisine or shaking your booty at a local club. There’s no shortage of fun in this city!

Vancouver hosts a number of annual events to celebrate gay and lesbian lifestyles. Gay Pride Week, towards the end of July to the beginning of August, attracts thousands of visitors to Vancouver each year. In the beginning of August and running for approximately 10 days is the ‘Out on Screen Queer Film Festival.’ For winter festivities, the annual Gay and Lesbian Ski Week in Whistler is one of the biggest circuit events in Western Canada.

Truly, when it comes to being gay friendly, Vancouver does it right!