Vancouver is worth the trip.
YVR is 2.5 hours from San Francisco, 3 hours from Seattle, 5 from Toronto. Here's everything you need to plan a great visit around the festival.
One of the great cities in the world, in October.
Vancouver sits where the Pacific meets the mountains — a city that manages to be both walkable and wild. Late October is shoulder season: the summer crowds are gone, the mountains start getting snow, and the city is doing its own thing. It rains. Bring a jacket. It's also exactly the right setting for three days of honest conversation about what's happening to all of us.
The festival brings a focused founding room to the Space Centre — and the city around it is worth staying for. Great food, a serious coffee culture, one of the continent's best urban parks (Stanley Park, 400 hectares, right downtown), and a short drive to the kind of mountains that remind you the tech industry is a very small part of a much bigger story.
Photos: Unsplash
Flights, border, weather.
Flights to YVR
Vancouver International (YVR) has direct flights from San Francisco (2.5h), Seattle (1h), Toronto (5h), New York JFK (6h), and London Heathrow (9.5h). Air Canada, WestJet, United, Delta, British Airways, and dozens of others serve YVR directly.
US & International travelers
US citizens need a valid passport — no visa required. Most Western countries enter Canada visa-free or with a quick online eTA ($7 CAD, approved in minutes). Check IRCC.ca for your country's requirements. NEXUS card works at the land border.
October weather
Expect 8–14°C (46–57°F) during the day. Pacific Northwest fall: overcast, occasionally rainy, rarely cold enough for a heavy coat. Pack layers and a waterproof jacket or rain shell. An umbrella helps.
From Seattle
~3-hour drive via I-5 and the Peace Arch (Blaine) border crossing. Amtrak Cascades runs Vancouver–Seattle once daily (~4h). Quick Pacific Coach shuttle from Bellingham for those flying into BLI.
Currency & payments
Canadian dollars (CAD). Credit cards accepted almost everywhere. No need to carry much cash. Check the current exchange rate before booking travel; ATMs are available at YVR and throughout downtown.
Time zone
Vancouver is Pacific Time (PDT, UTC-7 during the festival). Daylight saving ends Nov 1 — the day after the festival wraps. Your phone adjusts automatically.
YVR Airport
Vancouver International Airport. 30 min to downtown by Skytrain (Canada Line), usually 35-45 min to H.R. MacMillan Space Centre by rideshare or transit depending on traffic.
Transit
Compass Card is the transit pass. The #2 and #32 buses stop near Vanier Park, False Creek Ferry serves Vanier Park, and the venue is bikeable or walkable from Granville Island.
Rideshare
Uber and Lyft both operate in Vancouver. Evo Car Share and Modo are popular local options for longer trips or inter-venue travel.
Recommended neighbourhoods.
Kitsilano / Granville Island
Closest to H.R. MacMillan Space Centre in Vanier Park. Neighbourhood feel, seawall access, and easy arrival for speaker/VIP mornings.
- — Granville Island Hotel
- — Sylvia Hotel
Downtown / Coal Harbour
Central, transit-rich, and easy for out-of-towners. A short rideshare or transit hop to Vanier Park, with lots of hotel options across every price point.
- — Pan Pacific
- — Fairmont Pacific Rim
- — Rosewood Hotel Georgia
Mount Pleasant / Main Street
More local, more affordable, great coffee and food. Good if you want a neighbourhood feel and do not mind a rideshare or transit connection to the Space Centre.
- — Douglas Autograph Collection
- — Sandman Signature Olympic Village
Festival hotel discount codes will be published once partner terms are approved — subscribe to get that update first.
Beyond the festival.
Stanley Park
One of the great urban parks in the world. Seawall walk, totem poles, beaches. 30 minutes on foot from downtown. Don't miss it.
Granville Island
Public market, breweries, artist studios. 20 min walk from downtown, or hop the Aquabus across False Creek.
North Shore mountains
Grouse Mountain gondola or the Capilano Suspension Bridge if you have a weekend morning. 30 min from downtown.
Stay a day longer.
The festival ends Friday Oct 30. If you have a Saturday or Sunday to spare:
Whistler / Squamish
90-minute drive north on the Sea-to-Sky Highway, one of the most scenic drives in North America. Squamish has proper granite, trail legs, and mountain air. Whistler village is worth a stroll even before ski season opens.
UBC Museum of Anthropology
Essential context for the land acknowledgement work that runs through the festival. One of the best First Nations collections on the continent. 30 min from downtown by transit.
The Seawall
22km paved path around the sea edge of the city. Walk or rent a bike. Stanley Park to Olympic Village is a great 2-hour loop.
Victoria
BC Ferries from Tsawwassen to Victoria — 1.5h crossing, beautiful on a clear day. A very different pace from Vancouver. Good for a full day or overnight.
Questions about getting here?
This page will keep improving with hotel blocks, a precise arrival guide, and day-by-day logistics as venue operations lock. Subscribe to get the update first.