The 16th annual Hot Chocolate Festival is underway now, warming hearts and cups around the region until February 14, 2026. Cafes from Nanaimo to Langley, bake shops from Sea Island to Squamish, bistros from Burkeville to Burquitlam are serving cozy cups of comforting cocoa at over 100 locations in 234 creative variations of the sumptuous hot chocolate.
Devised by CityFood Events in 2010, the city-wide Hot Chocolate festival, the first of its kind, has grown throughout the region spreading its warmth through the winter. With expert craftsmanship vendors have developed menus that include vegan, dairy-free and gluten-free options to make sure everyone can sip from early morning to late night.
As you sip your way around the region sampling the Hot Chocolate Festival Flavours, find a new favourite local spot serving one of the many quirky creations like:
Artigiano: visit any or all of Artigiano’s 19 locations to sip their two flavour offerings, Butterscotch Budino Hot Chocolate– a toasted sugar hot chocolate infused with brown butter paired with a delicate shortbread biscuit with amoretti notes. Love Potion Hot Chocolate – a dark chocolate elixir steeped with fragrant cardamom, served with hand cut, artisanal rose-scented marshmallow.
Drunken Chocolatier: until January 31st, sip on Matcha (But Better, Toasty and still Green) – 75% dark chocolate with two types of green tea (genmaicha & gyokuro) plus genmai (toasted rice) powder paired with a genmaicha dark chocolate clusters – OR – If Hong Kong Milk Tea had Hot Chocolate – a special blend of HK milk tea and 42% malted milk chocolate with black sesame foam paired with black sesame condensed milk stroopwaffel. Then from February 1-14, I Feel A Chill Coming On – 75% lemon ginger dark hot chocolate (with Seed to Culture Farm’s local ginger) with Jane’s Honey Bees Wildflower Honey and lemon served with a pei pa koa chocolate truffle – OR – Black Black Heart – 90% dark chocolate with black cardamom, grains of paradise, Mandair Farm’s blackberries and black tea, served with a black cocoa stroopwaffel. Available from Druken Chocolatier’s Broadway location or at Vancouver Farmers Markets – check hotchocolatefest.com for scheduled dates.
The Pie Hole: Stop by the Kits, Burnaby or Langley locations throughout the festival for Koko-Nutty Krabby Klassic – made with Cacao Berry 40% Ghana topped with house-made toasted coconut syrup and pineapple-infused marshmallow square, served with a vanilla bean sponge crabby patty cupcake – OR – Ruby Reef Starfish Special – Callebaut Ruby Chocolate with torched house-made marshmallow cream, fresh whipped cream and freeze-dried sea foam candy, served with a mini vanilla glazed cake donut life preserver.
Uprising Breads Bakery: savor East Side sips at the bakery’s Venables Street location for What the Fudge (Cherry Edition) – rich cocoa with a kiss of cherry, served with dark chocolate-dipped New York cheesecake truffles – OR – The White Key Lime Whisper – zesty lime in white hot chocolate, served with a lemon brulee square.
These are just a few of the hundreds of specially crafted flavours to be found during the 16th Annual Hot Chocolate Festival, running until February 14, 2026. Follow the interactive map to find all the flavours and vendors, as well as special events and photo contest at hotchocolatefest.com