The Really Gay History Tour in Vancouver, Canada
Overview
Available languages
2 hours
Mobile ticket
It's time for Vancouver's secrets to come out of the closet. The wild, untold history of Vancouver's LGBTQ2+ community comes alive through stories of struggle, unity, and celebration on a 2 hour adventure through Downtown and the West End. You'll meet a history of outrageous drag queens, book store bombings and the unsung heroes who forever changed the social fabric of our city.
Additional Info
Wheelchair accessible
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Wear sensible shoes.
Bring sunscreen if it's warm out.
This walking tour contains explicit language.
The walking tour happens rain or shine, but many of the stops are under cover.
Not recommended for guests under the age of 14.
Please arrive 10 minutes before your scheduled tour start time so we can check you in. Our tours depart on time and we don't want you to miss it!
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What‘s Included
Professional guide
Gratuities
What To Expect
Vancouver Downtown
Meet your guide – the man in pink! – outside Trees Organic Coffee Shop at 930 Burrard Street. You'll soon embark on a 2 hour long adventure into the LGBTQ2+ history and culture of this West Coast metropolis. You'll weave a path through Imperial Court coronations, drag kings at the Quadra, gay ministers at the United Church, Patient Zero, the GRID crisis, and visit urban oasis Nelson Park, until you find yourself in the gaybourhood on Davie Street. The walking tour strolls the historic tree-lined West End as you discover the city's earliest Pride parade, Jim Deva Plaza, bookstore bombings, a transgender campaigner who blew the whistle on the biggest crime in Vancouver history, Vancouver’s secret gay village, and the remarkable story of two-spirited warrior Gone to the Spirits. You’ll finish right in the middle of the action in the Davie Street village with its fantastic variety of bars and restaurants.
Options
The Really Gay History Tour
Reviews
357 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Engaging and fun guide and a well-researched tour
dianez296,
Oct 13, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00What a fantastic 2-hour tour packed with so much meaningful information, helping us sketch in yet another part of the history of Vancouver. For 2 hours our guide Glenn offered up dozens of stories - the first Pride parades in the 1970s, the Little Sister's bookstore that was the site of anti-gay bombings during the 1980s, the United Church, which evolved into one of most open and affirming churches for LGBT individuals, the life of Ted Northe, activist who influenced Pierre Trudeau to decriminalize homosexuality in 1969, the impact of intersectionality of the Indigenous and LGBT communities...and so much more. Glenn is a brilliant and engaging guide and his tour was well researched.
The highlight of my Vancouver trip so far!!!
paolobH3322ZA,
Sep 29, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00I was visiting from Toronto and wanted to learn about Vancouver’s queer history. This was the gayest tour ever!!! Glenn was an excellent guide and kept the group very engaged. I laughed, I cried, I learned so much about Vancouver’s queer history. I would highly recommend this tour!!
Do this tour!
N8599WLgabrielb,
Sep 18, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00This may have been our #1 activity during our 2 weeks in BC. Glenn is a fantastic tour guide, and it was even more special to my partner and I to learn that he's the one who did all the research and designed the tour. His passion and devotion to his community comes through in his thoughtful narrative, in how many people confided very personal stories in him while he was creating the tour, and in how many people recognize him on the streets in Davie Village. It was humbling and an honour to get to listen to someone who's helping preserve and share our history. If you're considering doing this tour - just do it, you won't regret it, and you'll laugh & learn more than you expect. - 2 Ontario queers who are so glad they googled "lgbtq tourism vancouver"
So worth the tour (even in the rain)!
sylviahU9721ED,
Sep 16, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Glenn was personable and well informed. Clearly a lovely story teller and he was easy to hear even in a large group in the rain!
Serving History
faithc341,
Sep 14, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00This was on our 2025 bucket list and we finally got to do it today! Glenn was such an amazing tour guide, his stories were so engaging and the pictures he showed us really helped with the visuals of what it was like in Vancouver at the time. I got really emotional at times, and I'm overall so proud to be part of the LGBTQ+ community. After learning about all the activists and notable figures in Vancouver's history, I'm so grateful to be able to walk around hand-in-hand with my girlfriend without fear. I'm going to recommend this tour to everybody because I think it's really important but also because it was so fun! It was pouring rain and it didn't put a damper on the day at all. I had such a great time and I want to thank Glenn again for all the research he's done in the creation of this tour. If you're thinking about doing this tour, DO IT! It's well worth it <3
A wonderful experience of queer history in Vancouver
royy934,
Sep 10, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00This was such an eye-opening and meaningful (essential really) experience. Glenn is such a wonderful story-teller and amazing guide. He accommodated for everyone’s needs in our group and was so kind and considerate. I can’t even begin to image the amount of research and preparation that went into making this tour happen, and I am so grateful that Glenn is telling these stories that are from communities that have been historically marginalized and silenced, especially the not so pleasant ones. They remind us of how far we have come and encourage us to keep the spirits of the unsung heroes of our communities alive. I hope that many people can have to opportunity to join this tour and help preserve queer history in whatever way as much as possible.
Moving, enjoyable, and informative tour of some of Vancouver's queer story
alastairm531,
Sep 7, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Glenn is a passionate, engaged, and engaging storyteller who gives a fantastic, informative, and moving account of the broad sweep of Queer history around Downtown Vancouver and the West End. He is entertaining with a wide and deep knowledge of Vancouver's, and North America's, 2SLGBTQ+ history. This tour was uncomfortable (in a good way) in places as Glenn shares unvarnished accounts of the persecution of the Queer community over centuries and the honest accounts of lateral hostility and violence within the rainbow communities. Highly recommended, and the walking part was not at strenuous and at a comfortable pace, all in all about 2 1/2 km.
Do this tour!!!
johnfyvr,
Aug 31, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00POWERFUL!!! Glenn delivered the most amazing gay history tour of Vancouver/West End. His story telling transports you to the time and place of each of the events as he guides you through the early days of the queer community of Vancouver right up to present day. I have lived in the area for more than 10 years, but I truely felt like a tourist, learning all about the gay history that I never knew about. Cannot recommend this enough. It was moving. Thanks Glenn. We loved this experience sooooo much
amazing and brutal and beautiful and joyous
73brenty,
Jul 27, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Glenn is amazing, and one of the best storytellers and historians I have ever toured with. My trans kid described the tour as “amazing and brutal and beautiful and joyous.” They say it was “life-changing.” Glenn mixes stories that are inspirational, challenging, and painful—as is true of LGBTQ+ history. Thank you for an experience our family will never forget.
Great Storytelling.
Garrett C,
Jul 21, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00What an amazing tour! Glenn is a masterful storyteller who weaves together a unified history of the community and city. He honors the lives of real people in a deeply insightful way. We laughed, we cried and we learned a lot. I would recommend this tour to anyone interested in a deeper understanding of Vancouver.
From CA$39.00
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