UPDATE (April 11, 2019):

Thank you for all the interest in our grassroots community initiative! We are officially sold out (again)!! This is a pilot project and we hope this becomes an annual tradition with funding support. We also hope to collaborate with even more communities. If you have connections and/or want to help support our project financially, please get in touch with organizer Carmel Tanaka at carmelayatanaka@gmail.com

UPDATE (April 3, 2019):

Thank you for your patience! We have just released 5 additional spots per tour. Those on the waiting list will receive notification.

UPDATE (March 27, 2019):

We're very excited to say that tickets have sold out for all tours! Thank you all for the amazing support! We're looking into the feasibility of adding more spots to each tour and hope to make an announcement about that soon. In the meantime, we've enabled a waitlist so sign up there to be notified!

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The Cross Cultural Strathcona Walking Tour celebrates the rich layered history of Vancouver’s downtown east side neighbourhoods: Hogan’s Alley, Jewish Strathcona, Japantown (Powell Street) and Chinatown. The guided walking tour builds awareness of the contributions of early immigrant communities then and now, in celebration of Vancouver Asian Heritage Month and Canada’s Jewish Heritage Month, both of which fall during the month of May.

The walking tour theme is "education" and offers highlights from each of these communities. Naturally, the tour will commence at the oldest elementary school in Vancouver, Lord Strathcona Elementary School (592 East Pender Street). Referred to as the "League of Nations" for its multicultural make-up, this school brought and continues to bring many communities together.

Tours will feature community experts and will wind its way through the streets of Vancouver’s eastside pioneer neighbourhoods, concluding at the Vancouver Japanese Language School (475 Alexander Street), where participants are invited to linger and peruse the exhibits on display, enjoy complimentary “after school” snacks from our communities and use the facilities onsite (i.e. washrooms). Tours will be offered rain or shine. Participants are also welcomed to get in touch to connect with participating organizations offering more detailed walking tours about their specific community this summer!

Tours will run every Sunday (May 5, 12, 19 & 26) at 11:00AM and again at 1:30PM. Each tour will last just over 2 hours and costs $15 per person (free for children and moms on Mother’s Day - please email carmelayatanaka@gmail.com). Each tour has a maximum of 15 participants per tour to ensure that we are respectful of the neighbourhood and its residents. The walking route will require participants to use sidewalks and navigate uneven pavement. There will be voice amplification to ensure that tour guides can be heard clearly. For participants with accessibility needs, kindly note that we are a group of volunteers and have limited resources; however, we will do our best to accommodate such needs within our means.

Media Contact: please contact Carmel Tanaka at carmelayatanaka@gmail.com

We acknowledge that our tours will take place on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh peoples. Thank you to the Grant family who brings us greetings from the Musqueam Nation.