The winter season is packed with ski and snowboard races through mid-April, but the biggest is the World Ski & Snowboard Festival (604/938-3399, www.wssf.com [1]). This innovative event brings together the very best winter athletes for the World Skiing Invitational and the World Snowboarding Championship.
Each weekend in May and June and daily through summer, the streets of Whistler [2] come alive with street entertainment such as musicians, jugglers, and comedians. The last weekend of May is the official end of the ski season up on Blackcomb Mountain, with the Slush Cup and live music.
Canada Day, July 1, is celebrated with a parade through Whistler Village. Mountain West Music Fest (www.mountainwestmusicfest.com [3])in mid-August offers lots of free entertainment, including outdoor film screenings and street music.
Throughout the year you can usually find live evening entertainment in Whistler Village. The Garibaldi Lift Co. Bar & Grill (2320 London Lane, 604/905-2220) features live entertainment most nights—often blues and jazz—and good food at reasonable prices. At Buffalo Bill’s (Timberline Lodge, 4122 Village Green, 604/932-6613) expect anything from reggae to rock. For more than a decade, Tommy Africa’s (4216 Gateway Dr., 604/932-6090) has been one of the village’s hottest nightspots.
Links:
[1] http://www.wssf.com
[2] http://www.moon.com/destinations/vancouver-victoria/vancouver/whistler
[3] http://www.mountainwestmusicfest.com