Postering in Vancouver

Good morning,

I’m rededicating myself to learning this year. Currently, I’m planning to take a creative writing course and a wine education course. If you’ve got recommendations, or have other courses around the city you’ve loved, let me know, and I’ll share the recommendations in a later newsletter. 

Yesterday’s story about event crackdowns elicited quite a few reader comments. Scroll down to see what everyone thought.

Today’s story rounds out what feels like a great week of stories, the kind we really want to double down on in 2026. It’s a little different than normal, but I really love how it explores something we all see every day, but rarely think about. Let me know what you think.

Let’s dive in.

— Geoff Sharpe, Lookout managing editor

PS - If you find this newsletter valuable, please consider forwarding it to your friends. New to the Lookout? Sign-up for free. 

WEATHER

Friday: 7 🌡️ 5 | ☁️

Saturday: 6 🌡️ 5 | 🌧️

Sunday: 7 🌡️ 5 | 🌧️

Monday: 8 🌡️ 7 | 🌧️

CITY BUILDING

‘Online is too crowded.’ Why postering still matters in Vancouver

By Grace Shutti. Read the story online here.

Pause at the intersection of Commercial Drive and North Grandview Highway and you’ll find a wall with the Little Italy decal, papered with posters in various states: ripped, faded or freshly pasted, advertising music gigs, holiday events, and even an organization seeking egg donors.

Every few weeks, I take out my phone and snap a photo of a specific poster, one that lists bands due to perform in Vancouver. Despite my commitment to following numerous music venues and promoters on social media, the majority of events pop up on my algorithm too late or never. Posters have become one of my go-tos for what to attend in East Vancouver and beyond: a gig, comedy show, film festival, or weekly quiz.

Krista Spurlock, who lives near East Hastings, agreed. “Whether it's a show or something that's happening, I do look at them. Do I always go to it? No, but if it really piques my interest, I will then look it up online.” 

“It feels more personalized,” Spurlock explained. “Posters make me feel more like I'm in a community. ‘Oh, this is happening and it's happening just down the road’... And then I'm supporting local theatre or whatever else.” 

Nearly eight in ten Canadians actively notice out-of-home advertising, according to research from COMMB, an organization that conducts market research on behalf of advertisers. Vancouver is expanding its digital advertising spaces, but even as the first in North America to introduce an in-tunnel media, old-school, hard-copy posters continue to hold a unique pride of place.

The city has designated 347 cylinders for the public to advertise events and information around Vancouver. Of those, 42 of them line Commercial Drive. The city calls them “an aesthetically-pleasing arrangement” that “[reduces] the burden on taxpayers” for removal from City property. Any individual, group or business can put up a poster, as long as it doesn’t include offensive material. Posters are either slowly covered by other posters or periodically removed by sanitation crews. 

Posters that appear in non-designated areas are now stripped weekly by the city and violators are threatened with fines. With changes made to local laws for the upcoming FIFA World Cup in 2026, there may also be penalties for FIFA-related violations.

The removals are a minor frustration for an artist based at ARC Studios who was postering for an upcoming open house. They spoke with Vancity Lookout on the condition of anonymity. “I'll probably hang out about one thousand posters around town and I'll probably walk around 70 or 80 kilometres over two weeks,” they explained. “It costs me money to put it up there, but in other ways, if it starts employment, why not. It’s give and take.” 

For them, the benefits outweigh the negatives, saying it’s surprising how many people attend after seeing a poster. “I can't say that I've made huge art sales from it,” they told Vancity Lookout, “but the whole scene holistically of what it is: the event, the culture... all of that makes it worthwhile.” 

They also noted how much more targeted promotion can be. “Online is too crowded. And also online is worldwide”, they said. “No one's going to come from France to see us on a Saturday. In this case, it really is meant for the local community.”

Ben Ingoldsby has had a similar experience with postering. Ingoldsby is a community organizer for the Vancouver Tenants Union’s (VTU) Eastside Chapter. When campaigning against the eviction of Vancouver resident Abby Leung, the VTU focused on areas around Leung’s neighbourhood, drawing interest from new members. 

“Posters are a key part of that strategy,” he explained. “When we put posters up at bus stops in her neighbourhood, we certainly get people coming back saying, ‘Hey, I'd never heard of this and then I was waiting for the bus one day, and I saw a poster. It made me want to get involved.’” 

For Ingoldsby, the physical act has also become a community-building exercise in real time. “Rarely do I go out alone. It's me with several other people [and] it's a moment for you to nurture and build the community connection that is so important to have inside the union.” 

While some choose slick photography and bold fonts, other posters lean on rudimentary cut-and-paste jobs, a clear favourite of lookalike contests. Over the years, impromptu spaces have sprung up, like the former Norman’s Market on the Drive or the viral wall in Yaletown, becoming flashpoints for public art. They may have a digital presence, but the key to their popularity is stumbling upon them in real life. 

Considering posters a reflection of Vancouver history, collector Perry Giguere, who died in 2018, amassed about 150,000 arts and protest posters until 2016. They are now housed in Simon Fraser University's library.

Barb, a volunteer at Spartacus Books who didn’t want to share her last name, keeps an eye out for music posters that reference the storied history of local venues. “Postering is still really huge in punk and anarchist communities,” she explained. “Certain artists are utilized who you acknowledge and recognize instantly. You’re like, ‘Oh, Green Auto, Lido shows,’” she said. 

“And there's something beautifully subversive about it... It lowers the bar by which people have to have some kind of knowledge and social capital.”

Given the challenges with online advertising, with corporations like Meta changing and reducing what is seen in the newsfeed, Barb appreciates the ability to focus on her immediate surroundings. “Especially with the darker underpinnings of all the social media platforms, sometimes taking a step back and just being like, ‘I'm bored. What's going on in the neighbourhood?’ and taking a look while you're on a walk? It's beautiful.”

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THE VANCOUVER NUMBER

$13 million

The donation size from a private foundation given to The Foundry to expand its mental health support and substance use care for youths. The gift means the organization can expand to a new building in Yaletown at 1220 Homer St. to help more people. [City News]

THE AGENDA

❌ It was hinted at for a while, but it’s now official — the London Drugs at the Woodwards building in the Downtown Eastside is set to close on Feb. 1. The location has been open since 2009 and is shutting down due to what the company says is ongoing vandalism, theft, and violence towards employees and customers. The location was also not ever profitable according to the company. Read more. [CBC]

📃 A violinist who broke a non-disclosure agreement with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (VSO), going public with allegations that someone in the orchestra raped her, will not face any legal action by the VSO. The organization had previously sent a legal threat after the allegations were shared with the media. Read more. [CTV]

🏗️ Council will decide on Jan. 15 on whether to approve Vancouver General Hospital’s plan for a 26 and 28-storey building that would include 280 seniors’ beds, a childcare centre and medical support space. The site is located at West 12th Avenue and Oak Street. Read more. [Business in Vancouver]

📉 No one wants to use an office building, according to the latest data. The office vacancy rate for the city at the end of 2025 was 12.8 per cent, the highest it’s been since the early 2000s. For reference, the vacancy rate in the early 2020s was about two per cent. Read more. [Urbanized]

👮 This year’s Lapu Lapu Festival will take place one week before the anniversary of last year’s attack, and will honour all the victims. The event will take place April 17-19. Read more. [Globe and Mail]

🍎 The owners of the former Toys “R” Us at West Broadway have submitted a proposal to turn the space into a FreshCo, leaving part of the exterior facing design. Read more. [Vancouver Sun]

🌈 Expect to see construction in the Davie Village area at the end of the summer as the city begins widening sidewalks in the area. It’ll also mean restaurants can open more patios. Read more. [Urbanized]

👮 A vehicle struck a pedestrian at 5:30 a.m. on Knight Street at 41st Avenue on Thursday morning and was taken to the hospital. Read more. [CityNews]

✈️ Even though travel to the U.S. declined in 2025, YVR saw a record number of passengers travel, up 2.9 per cent from 2024. Domestic travel was up 4.1 per cent, while trips to the U.S. were down 6.5 per cent, which the airport says was lower than other Canadian airports. Read more. [CTV]

📈 And speaking of flights, the busiest North American domestic route in 2025 was between Vancouver and Toronto. [Pax News]

EVENT GUIDE

Winterlust | H Tasting Lounge | Until Mar. 1 | Outdoor heated translucent domes for dining at the restaurant | Reserve online

New Year, New Me | Improv Centre | Now until Jan. 24 | Improv featuring performances based on audience real-life regrets and resolutions | Tickets $20+

Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair | Rio Theatre | Jan. 10, 8 p.m. | Volume 1 and 2 of Quentin Tarantino’s masterpiece combined into one film | Tickets $16

Let’s Sketch | Museum of Anthropology | Jan. 10, 12 pm | Sketch meetup in an innovative and beautiful space, bring your own sketch tools | Tickets $26

Vancouver Welcome Fest | Cabana | Jan. 17, 1-6 p.m. | Students from UBC, SFU, BCIT, ECUAD and VCC to prepare and connect for the semester

Tom Green - Stompin’ Comedy Tour | The Vogue Theatre | Jan. 23 | The eccentric and popular comedian takes his new show on the road | Tickets $29+

Steelin’ in the Years - The Music of Steely Dan | Rickshaw Theatre | Jan 31, 5 p.m. | Cover band of the popular muscician | Tickets $29+

Submit your event and it could appear here and reach 30,000+ Vancouver locals

PHOTO OF THE DAY

Someone shared on Reddit that they spotted this coyote out in East Vancouver, near Templeton and Oxford.

COMMENT CORNER

Readers have their say on Vancouver police cracking down on events

On Wednesday, we published a story on Vancouver police cracking down on events and how it might push them back into the shadows. Not only did we receive over 30 comments, but as of yesterday, the story was read over 8,000 times.

Here’s what the Lookout community had to say about it:

VANCOUVER GUESSER

Walked by this park over the weekend and what I assume are FIFA preparations have it looking much different. Can you name the park?

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• During the Dine Out Vancouver Festival (Jan. 21-Feb. 8), take a tour of Chinatown and learn how to make dumplings! [Sponsored]

• Congrats to the B.C. Cancer Foundation, whose annual David Bowie show raised more than $100,000 in donations. [Vancouver Sun]

• I love Faulty Towers, so I’m excited to check out this show that puts you right in the middle of the action, Faulty Towers-style. [Vancouver is Awesome]

• The province is truly becoming a non-alcoholic drink powerhouse. [Straight]

• Want to have your announcement featured? Learn how here.

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