Explore Past Heritage Week Themes
Each year, BC Heritage Week features a new theme to help guide events across the province.
Explore Heritage Week Themes Over the Years
Heritage Week 2025: Pastimes in Past Times
February 17 – 23, 2025
The 2025 theme, Pastimes in Past Times, celebrated the leisure activities and traditions that helped shape the identity of communities. Participants explored how pastimes like games, crafts, hobbies and celebrations contributed to the cultural fabric of today and reflected the heritage of the places they call home.
Heritage Week 2025 featured 52 registered events hosted by 43 organizations across the province, with 10 official proclamations issued by local governments, including the Province of BC.
Heritage Week 2024: Layer by Layer
February 19 – 25, 2024
Heritage Week’s 2024 theme, Layer by Layer, encouraged people to uncover the many stories embedded in their communities, each one adding depth to the heritage of the place. From local histories and landmarks to personal and cultural memories, the 2024 theme invited participants to connect with the rich, layered narratives that inform the past, present, and future of where they live.
Heritage Week 2024 saw 52 events hosted by 40 organizations across the province, with 10 official proclamations issued by local governments.
Heritage Week 2023: Always in All Ways
February 20 – 26, 2023
Always in All Ways, the 2023 theme, invited British Columbians to explore local heritage in ways that excited and inspired them – whether through a walking tour, a community workshop, or preparing a family recipe at home. This week celebrated the many diverse expressions of culture and heritage in the communities people call home.
There were 64 unique events in 36 communities. An impressive 12 municipalities issued official proclamations, including the Province of BC.
Heritage Week 2022: Altogether Inclusive
February 21 – 27, 2022
Altogether Inclusive, explored how heritage can become more accessible and responsive to the diversity of our communities. Heritage Week 2022 highlighted how creativity and collaboration can broaden participation and make heritage more inclusive.
Heritage Week 2021: Where do you Find Heritage?
February 15 – 21, 2021
The 2021 Heritage Week theme encouraged people to look around and recognize heritage in everyday life. From historic buildings and family stories to cultural festivals, local landscapes, and diverse cuisines, heritage could be found everywhere. This theme reminded British Columbians that heritage lives not only in the past but in the places, traditions, and communities that shape daily experiences.
Heritage Week 2020: Bringing the Past into the Future
February 17 – 23, 2020
The 2020 theme, Bringing the Past into the Future, invited communities to celebrate the places and spaces that hold meaning and to share those experiences widely. Heritage was presented as a legacy from the past, lived in the present, and carried forward for future generations. Both cultural and natural heritage were recognized as irreplaceable sources of identity, inspiration, and community pride.
Heritage Week 2019: Heritage The Tie that Binds
February 18 – 24, 2019
The 2019 theme, Heritage: The Tie That Binds, highlighted how stories connect memory, culture, place, and practice. By listening and learning from elders, experiences, and traditions, communities could weave together a tapestry of history and identity. The week celebrated heritage as the threads that connect past, present, and future across generations.
Heritage Week 2018: Heritage Stands the Test of Time
February 19 – 25, 2018
The 2018 theme, Heritage Stands the Test of Time, emphasized the resilience and continuity of cultural traditions. In particular, it recognized Indigenous heritage as living memory—carried through language, art, and practice—enduring across generations and remaining essential and meaningful in the present day.
Heritage Week 2017: My Canada! My BC!
February 13 – 19, 2017
Celebrating Canada’s 150th anniversary of Confederation, the 2017 theme, My Canada! My BC!, encouraged people to explore and enjoy heritage places across the province and country. The poster featured Pemberton Meadows a painting by Emily Carr that reflects the interconnectedness of land, people, and heritage. The theme invited British Columbians to reflect on both national and local heritage during this milestone year.
Heritage Week 2016: Distinctive Destinations
February 15 – 21, 2016
The 2016 theme, Distinctive Destinations, celebrated the variety of heritage places across BC. To create the year’s campaign, Heritage BC invited British Columbians to share images of the heritage sites and cultural destinations they loved. These contributions showcased the unique places that attract both residents and visitors, and highlighted the role of heritage in tourism and community identity.
Heritage Week 2015: Main Street – At the Heart of the Community
February 15 – 22, 2015
The 2015 theme, Main Street: At the Heart of the Community, encouraged participants to celebrate their main streets as vibrant centres of commerce, culture, and community life. From historic buildings to public events, main streets reflected local history while also representing revitalization and renewal in towns and cities across the province.
Heritage Week 2014: Heritage Afloat
February 17 – 23, 2014
The 2014 theme, Heritage Afloat, highlighted BC’s deep connections to rivers, lakes, and oceans. From coastal communities to inland waterways, the week celebrated maritime heritage and the vessels, workers, and traditions that shaped the province’s relationship with water.
Heritage Week 2013: Good Neighbours: Heritage Homes and Neighbourhoods
February 18 – 24, 2013
The 2013 theme, Good Neighbours: Heritage Homes and Neighbourhoods, celebrated the character and stories of residential communities. From historic houses to long-established neighbourhoods, heritage was recognized in the places where people lived and built connections, reminding us of the value of community and neighbourly ties.
Heritage Week 2012: Energy in BC: A Powerful Past, A Sustainable Future
February 20 – 26, 2012
The 2012 theme, Energy in BC: A Powerful Past, A Sustainable Future, focused on the province’s energy heritage, from hydroelectric projects to heritage buildings. The week invited people to reflect on the role of energy in shaping BC’s past, while also considering sustainability and conservation for the future.