Fun fact of the day: Vancouver’s Chinatown is the largest in the whole country. One of the city’s most vibrant neighbourhoods, the multicultural hub has recently been designated a National Historic Site of Canada.

Despite that accolade, (and here comes another fact), Chinatown is more often visited by tourists than Vancouver natives.

Fortunately the 17th annual TD Vancouver Chinatown Festival is on hand to change that.

More than 53,000 festival-goers took the streets of Columbia and Keefer last year to check out the city’s largest multicultural summer celebration, and this year, organizers expect the family-friendly event to be a huge draw once again.

Offering a historical walking tour complete with traditional food tasting, the Chinatown Festival is a great way to become acquainted with the heritage of the one the city’s most important locales. Featuring a number of stage performances from first-class local musicians, the famous Youth Talent Showdown, and the Young Star Challenge along the route, the day promises plenty to keep even the most absent-minded grandma entertained.

And if you want to enjoy the festivities in peace, there’s always the Desjardins kids’ corner to take some guilt-free time away from the little ones.

Theming the event around everyone’s favourite autonomous territory, Hong Kong, the day will provide cultural-specific events that will give attendees a great taste of Pearl of the Orient. And you don't even have to leave the city.

For more information about the TD Vancouver Chinatown Festival, click here.

The TD Vancouver Chinatown Festival is at Columbia and Keefer Streets this Saturday and Sunday (August 13 to 14).