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

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.”