A great selection of museums, galleries and more in Vancouver and beyond offer designated special days where you don’t have to pay the regular price for admission. These are a great way to visit some cool places without busting your budget.
We’ve rounded up some of our favourites below––but let us know if you discover any more and we’ll add them right here.
Beaty Biodiversity Museum
Located on the UBC campus, Vancouver’s natural history museum hosts its Beaty Nocturnal events on the third Thursday of every month. That means pay-what-you can admission from 5:00pm to 8:30pm, and the chance to check out a fascinating collection of flora and fauna exhibits––free guided tour included. Each Nocturnal event has a dedicated theme and all are family-friendly.
Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art
This brilliant downtown gallery celebrates the extraordinary diversity of contemporary Indigenous Northwest Coast Art and is the only public gallery in Canada dedicated to this particular region. The gallery offers free admission from 2:00pm to 5:00pm on the first Friday of every month, thanks to Community Access Partner Downtown Van.
Vancouver Art Gallery
Founded in 1931, this is one of North America’s most innovative visual arts institutions. Its exhibitions, public programs and extensive scholarship focus on historic and contemporary art from B.C. and beyond. Admission is free on the first Friday of each month from 4:00pm to 8:00pm, presented by BMO. You can reserve a spot online in advance to guarantee entry.
Starry Nights at SFU Burnaby
Don’t miss these free Starry Nights Parties, hosted every Friday at SFU’s Trottier Observatory (the final Friday of the month is an online-only event). These events are designed to be inclusive and accessible to everyone, regardless of prior knowledge. Volunteers will guide you on a super-cool celestial journey, unveiling the astronomical wonders visible to the naked eye.
Vancouver Maritime Museum
From its scenic shoreline location, this museum regales visitors with salty stories of life on and around the oceans of the Pacific Northwest and Arctic regions. Its most revered exhibit is the RCMP vessel, St. Roch, a National Historic Site. You can visit the Vancouver Maritime Museum on the first Sunday of each month under its pay-what-you-can admission program.
Museum of Vancouver
Dive into the yesteryear stories of our city at this hugely popular Vanier Park museum, where pay-what-you-can admission is offered on the first Sunday of every month. We especially enjoy the nostalgic galleries that bring to life 1950s, 1960s and 1970s Vancouver, as well as the ever-changing temporary exhibitions on a wide range of diverse themes.
H.R. MacMillan Space Centre
Located across from the Museum of Vancouver and a short walk from the Vancouver Maritime Museum, all three sites have co-ordinated their pay-what-you-can admission days to the first Sunday of each month. At the Space Centre, you’ll find a family-friendly array of displays with lots of hands-on exhibits for enquiring minds of all ages.
Museum of Anthropology
Often described as Vancouver’s best museum, the MOA showcases spectacular Indigenous artworks and exhibits from this region as well as a kaleidoscopic array of cultural artifacts from around the world. Every Thursday, the museum offers half price evening admission after 5:00pm, and since closing time is not until 9:00pm you’ll have plenty of time to immerse yourself.
Museum & Archives of North Vancouver
North Vancouver’s inviting MONOVA––located just a few steps from the SeaBus terminal at Lonsdale Quay––is a great place to explore the story of one of the region’s most interesting communities, from Indigenous beginnings to gritty shipyards heritage and more. The museum hosts its dedicated pay-what-you-can days on the first Sunday of each month.