BC Heritage Week is a province-wide celebration held each year during the third week of February. Each year, a new theme is chosen to spark creativity and guide events across the province. The week is an open invitation for British Columbians to share stories and experience heritage in their communities.
BC Heritage Week
About BC Heritage Week
The goal of BC Heritage Week is to inspire people to connect with local heritage and to raise awareness of the many ways it shapes our communities, identities, and daily lives.
Heritage advocates, community groups, cultural organizations, and local governments are encouraged to host events that showcase both tangible and intangible heritage. At the same time, members of the public are invited to attend, take part in activities, and share their own stories.
Food brings us together.
It links us to the land and to traditions, ties us to our families and ancestors, and connects cultures and communities.
The 2026 BC Heritage Week theme, Stir the Pot is an open invitation to celebrate food as a form of heritage that is both deeply personal and widely shared. From heirloom seeds and traditional cooking and harvesting methods to community feasts and intergenerational recipes, food reflects who we are and where we come from.
Stir the Pot also suggests advocacy. It is a call to spark conversation, to bring overlooked stories to the surface, and to address issues of food security, cultural recognition and access. By stirring the pot together, we not only honour traditions but also create space for dialogue and discussion.
This year’s theme invites British Columbians to explore food as a vessel of memory, identity, and meaning.
Get Involved
BC Heritage Week is powered by communities like yours. Each year, Heritage BC launches the celebration with a new theme and provides posters, toolkits, and promotional support to help bring heritage to life across the province. Explore past year’s themes.
Everyone can take part. Whether you’re a heritage professional, museum, archive, local government, library, school, community group, or simply someone who values history and culture, you can play a vital role in celebrating the traditions and stories that make BC unique.
Ways to Participate
- Register and Host an Event or Activity: You are invited to take the theme, run with it, and make it your own. Once you have planned a heritage event or activity, add it to the BC Heritage Week events calendar, so we can share with audiences across the province. Event registration to add your event to the calendar is now closed.
- Spread the Word: Share the theme with your networks and encourage others to attend your event or organize one of their own. Follow along and share @bcheritageweek on Instagram and Facebook.
- Advocate and Promote: BC Heritage Week is a great opportunity to raise awareness around the importance and value of heritage. Ask your municipality to issue a proclamation and share your event in local media.
- Attend Events and Visit Heritage Spaces: Everyone is invited to take part in BC Heritage Week events or activities. If there aren’t any events registered in your community, you can still visit places of cultural and/or built heritage importance in your community and share your stories to amplify and advocate for heritage.
Virtual Conversations and Heritage BC-led Events
Info Session: The Power of Proclamations and Promotions
Watch Info Session | View Slides
This informative info session highlights how proclamations and promotions can help with advocacy and amplify the impact of your heritage initiatives. It also included practical tips, inspiring examples, and how to use the ready-to-use tools and templates to help you raise awareness and celebrate heritage during BC Heritage Week.
Cooking Up Ideas for BC Heritage Week Community Brainstorm
Cooking Up Ideas invited participants to share and brainstorm program ideas around BC Heritage Week 2026 theme. Participants brought their creative ideas, connected with others and explored ways to celebrate the foods, heritage and stories that shape their communities.
BC Heritage Week Virtual Launch
Food for Thought with the British Columbia Food Network
View slides
We kicked off BC Heritage Week with a presentation by Dr. Linda Peterat and Dr. Gale Smith of the BC Food History Network. Together, we explored how food shapes our identities, communities, and society at large. It also showcased projects that highlight food as a powerful lens for advocacy, connection, and cultural expression.