There’s a two-day beverage festival in the city this weekend that won’t be highlighting coffee, kombucha, craft beer, or wine (which is pretty shocking for this town).

The fourth annual Vancouver Tea Festival will be returning to Chinatown’s Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Vancouver (50 East Pender Street) and Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden (578 Carrall Street) tomorrow and Sunday (November 4 and 5).

Organized by the Vancouver Tea Society, event-goers will be able to try different teas prepared by tea masters at the tea tasting bar, learn about teas through presentations and workshops, and purchase a variety of loose leaves at the marketplace.

Some of the presenting tea companies include Tea Art of China, Young Mountain Tea, Turmeric Teas, Whisk Premium Matcha, O5 Tea, Silver Crescent Tea Co., Floating Leaves Tea, and more. 

Learn about Taiwanese oolong tea, sample the popular Chinese pu’er tea, or practice proper tea ceremony etiquette.

Tickets (free to $24.95) to various workshops and tastings can be purchased online. The tea festival runs Saturday (10 a.m. to 6 p.m.) and Sunday (11 a.m. to 5 p.m.).

For more information, click here.