Visiting Whistler During The Whistler Children’s Festival {Family Travel}

Just two hours north of Vancouver, Whistler is one of Canada’s top mountain destinations to visit. The resort hosted the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games and is always buzzing with lots of locals and tourists from all over the world, all visiting to experience the many outdoor sports and fantastic amenities available.

There are two majestic mountains to explore, Whistler and Blackcomb, and and a vibrant Village with unbeatable shopping, fun restaurants, hotels and bars. Whistler offers amazing outdoor adventures for all from skiing and snowboarding to hiking, mountain biking and many more, with lots to do both during the Summer and Winter.

This weekend we had the pleasure to drive up to Whistler and attend the 32nd annual Whistler Children’s Festival, proudly presented by the Whistler Arts Council. The festival is a three-day event that takes over the Whistler Olympic Plaza and features hands-on art workshops, crafts, theatre, dancers, live musicians and performers, face painting and more.

There is a small entrance fee that gives you access to a lot of free activities including a fun covered free-play area for toddlers, face painting, balloon hats and many others. We spent a lot of time in the Love Child Organics toddler play  area with our 20-month-old and he loved it there. We also watched some amazing performances including the highlights for the children: Bobs & LoLo and our favourite the African Village Show.

There are also a large number of paid creative workshops including Soapstone Carving, Shaggy Shakers, Backyard Birdhouses, Dreamcatchers, Circo-Circuit and Beading Bonanza. Our almost five-year-old signed up for the Shaggy Shakers workshop and he had a lot of fun getting creative and making his own little shaker.

For lunch we stopped by the Whistler Brewhouse and had a pizza party. The wood-oven pizza was a hit with the boys and we all really enjoyed our meal. A nice child-friendly restaurant located at the heart of Whistler Village and just next to the Children’s Festival area.

During the festival we stayed at the Delta Whistler Village Suites hotel, a fantastic hotel with superb customer service an comfortable family friendly rooms. Our room had a kitchenette and washer/drier, both very useful when traveling with children, plus a great view of the mountains. The hotel is also conveniently located in the heart of Whistler Village and minutes away from the festival and other amenities like the Blackcomb Excalibur Gondola.

The PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola is the highest and longest lift in the world, the gondola connects two mountains: Whistler and Backcomb and it features 50+ km of hiking and walking trails and unbelievable views. We took the Gondola up to Whistler Mountain and then from there to Blackcomb Mountain and back and the kids loved the ride. The view from the top of the mountain is amazing and from the Gondola you are able to see the mountain bikers going down the trails, super exciting for both boys. During our visit there was some rain so the view was not ideal but we all really enjoyed the ride up and down the mountains.

For dinner we had the Mountain Top BBQ experience at the Roundhouse Lodge on Whistler Mountain. There was live music and a seriously delicious buffet including BBQ meats, fresh salads and mount-watering desserts. We really enjoyed the dining experience at the top of the mountain. They also had a child friendly menu and highchairs available for youngest ones. Highly recommended!

The next day we explored the Whistler Upper Village and the Whistler’s Farmer’s Market located near the Fairmont Chateau Whistler. We stopped for breakfast at The Portobello Bakery and checked out the farmer’s market. The market runs every Sunday from mid-June through to mid-October and it features products created by local artisans and farmers, whether it’s vegetables, fruits, flowers, paintings, craft furniture, jewelry, wines and more.

The Family Adventure Zone is also located in the Upper Village (Base of Blackcomb Mountain) and it features many fun child-friendly actives including:

• Westcoaster Luge
• Mario and Friends Mini Golf
• Kiss the Sky Bungee Trampolines
• Spin Cycle Human Gyroscope
• Hot Wheelz Electric go Carts
• Rope Zone
• Spider Web
• Batter-Up Batting Cage
• Balloon Slide & Bouncy Castle
• Amazing Maze
• Freefall Airbag
• Glitter Tattoos

Lots of fun family activities to plan!

Back at the Children’s Festival our little ones got balloon hats, watched some more fun performances, danced around with other kids, made some fun pinback buttons and enjoyed the fresh air and lively environment. We drove back to Vancouver with two happy and tired children who both slept all the way home.

This was an amazing weekend with lots of great activities for the entire family. Special thanks to Tourism Whistler and the Whistler Arts Council for hosting us and planning a super fun weekend for us. We are already looking forward to our next Whistler visit!

Check out more photos/video from our trip on our Instagram account (@onesmileymonkey).

Disclosure: Our Whistler adventure was complimentary, however all thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.