Squamish Hot Chocolate Festival Returns

Perfect way to spend Valentine's Day

For the sixth year in a row, the Squamish Hot Chocolate Festival returns to make all your chocolatey dreams come true.

With 34 different locations participating, there is a tsunami of choices on tap, with every possible variety of the season's favourite drink. This is the largest variety the festival has offered in its history; this year includes vegan, dairy-free, and gluten-free options.

The event is organized by Tourism Squamish to showcase the wide variety of creativity in Squamish’s local eateries, which craft unique hot chocolate creations for the winter season.

Passports featuring all locations are available at the Squamish Adventure Centre, or available for download on the Tourism Squamish website HERE. Hot chocolate aficionados can collect stamps as they visit participating locations and can then drop off completed passports for a chance to win a stand up paddleboard.

"The Squamish Hot Chocolate Festival began in 2019 when a woman who worked at Garibaldi Coffee in the Adventure Centre wanted to bring the community together with hot chocolate during the quieter months of the year," says Tourism Squamish Communications and Stakeholder Relations Manager Nikki Johnston. "Each year, we are seeing more and more businesses coming on board, and there is so much energy and love being poured into the creation of these incredible hot chocolate works of art."

With all the choices on order, Johnston has trouble pinning down a personal favourite. "My first stops today will be Chatterbox Cafe in Britannia so my kids can try the chocolate dump truck on the side, but I will also make sure to check out the Heated Rivalry hot chocolate at Peak Provisions in downtown Squamish. There are so many incredible ones to try — you can check them all out from our website exploresquamish.com, where you will find all the menus are listed."

Johnstone says the winner of the paddleboard will be announced March 2.

For more information about the event, check out Tourism Squamish's Hot Chocolate Festival page HERE.

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