Vancouverscape, a Vancouver based blog covering travel, tech, and lifestyle

The Harmony Arts Festival, sponsored by Odlum Brown Limited, is a yearly summer highlight along the beautiful Ambleside waterfront in West Vancouver. Entering its 29th year, the festival never fails to dazzle the senses with its wide array of music, film, literature and art. For the discerning foodie, the festival’s midweek signature culinary events are not to be missed!

August 6, 6 pm
At the second annual Indigenous Feast, in partnership with BMO Bank of Montreal, guests will celebrate the bounty of the Coast Salish peoples’ land and sea with West Vancouver’s community leaders and members of the Indigenous community.

This joyful family-style gathering highlights local ingredients prepared by Salmon n’ Bannock in both traditional and modern methods. Each $95 ticket (still available at the time of this writing) includes a full meal, dessert, non-alcoholic beverages and wine from Nk’Mip Cellars.

August 7, 7 to 9 pm
Best of the West, sponsored by Grosvenor Americas, needs no introduction as all tickets are already spoken for. Over the past eight years, this wine/food pairing competition has firmly established itself as one of the most coveted gastronomic wonders of the summer.

Guests will sip, savour and vote for their favourite small plate and wine combination as offered by five returning restaurant participants plus five new contenders.

Last year’s returning winner, PARC Retirement Living, will try to retain the crown as Best of the West. Tickets for this sell-out event were snapped up at $110.

August 8, 7:30 to 9:30 pm
Triumphantly returning for its fourth year, Night on the Pier celebrates cocktail culture in Vancouver. The city’s most innovative mixologists will ply their craft to win over a panel of celebrity judges, including Fiona Forbes from Global BC.

The creative concoctions will be accompanied by sumptuous small bites from Boa Down, Las Margaritas Restaurant and Sebastian & Co Fine Meats. Tickets are still available at $75 but are sure to be hot sellers.

Three tantalizing nights of culinary creativity await guests at this year’s Harmony Arts Festival, running from August 2 to 11. Besides spectacular eats, the program lineup includes something for all ages; most events are absolutely free. The festival is located at the Ambleside waterfront on Argyle Avenue, from 14th to 16th Street.

Best of the West Pairings

PARC Retirement Living, Blue Mountain Winery
Terroir Kitchen, Painted Rock Winery
Earl’s Ambleside Beach, Tantalus Winery
Cactus Club Park Royal, Kitsch Winery
Feast Dining Neighbourhood Table, The Hatch Winery
Mangia E Bevi, Culmina Winery
Ancora, Haywire Winery
Edible Canada, Lake Breeze Winery
Stem Japanese, Hester Creek Estate Winery
Raku Japanese Kitchen, Poplar Grove Winery

Participating Bartenders for Night on the Pier

Robyn Gray, Rosewood Hotel Georgia
Sabrine Dhaliwal, Belvedere Brand Ambassador
Gareth Jones, Juniper Kitchen and Bar
Matthew Benevoli, Nomad
Souhail Rosta, Coquille Fine Seafood
Katie Ingram, Elisa Wood-Fired Grill
Skye Hanuelight, Ampersand

Indigenous Feast Menu

– Fried bannock with Pemmican berry mousse
– Braised smoked duck wing with ‘shake n’ bake’ style grits
– Salmon Trio (sockeye ceviche, candied salmon, wild barbecue sockeye salmon mousse on bannock crackers)
– Roasted sunchokes on organic greens
– Bison pot roast on roasted baby potatoes
– Potato crusted wild snapper with vegetables and traditional bannock
– Dessert featuring wild berries

Visit Harmony Arts Festival online for details and to reserve tickets.

About Our Contributor Cora Li

Cora dabbles in arts, technology, food, and travel. She loves that Vancouver offers a vast playground for exploring all of her passions. Cora’s most memorable job to date was working with VANOC during the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.