The Sustenance Festival event poster

Sustenance Festival dishes up exciting program of food-focused workshops and events

October 17 2025 –

The Vancouver Park Board is pleased to welcome back its long-running Sustenance Festival, a celebration of work by community groups to build a more sustainable food landscape.

Throughout October and November, participants can learn more about food sovereignty, fair access to land and local food and food justice through workshops and events taking place across the city.

On October 24, the Sustenance Festival will host a panel discussion moderated by Dawn Morrison, founder and director of the Working Group on Indigenous Food Sovereignty, which explores the complexities and opportunities of food growing, intergenerational food knowledge and how city gardens can become engaging spaces for community.

‘Growing Voices: Social Realities of Food in Public Spaces’ event takes place from 5 to 8 pm on Friday, October 24, at the Roundhouse Community Arts and Recreation Centre. Register at https://bit.ly/46BrPas

Cultivating a city-wide food landscape for future generations

Since 2009, the Vancouver Sustenance Festival has brought people together through food-orientated workshops and gatherings in parks, gardens and public spaces.

The aim of the festival is to highlight Vancouver’s diverse relationships with food and ultimately cultivate a more sustainable and hopeful food landscape for future generations.

Events take place throughout October and November and include culinary sessions and cooking workshops, community gatherings, talks, panels and screenings and gardening and farm tours. This year, the festival has partnered with the Vancouver Public Library for the first time.

Master the basics of pickling and sauerkraut making, learn more about the history and traditions of growing and cooking squash, and get your hands dirty planting native edible and herbaceous plants along the Red Alder Trail. Events happening across the city cater to all ages and interests.

Discover what’s happening this fall at vancouver.ca/sustenance-festival