Block party takes over Chinatown for second year in a row

Dragon dancers are seen at the Van (B)loc part in Edmonton's Chinatown on June 7, 2025. (Galen McDougall / CTV News Edmonton)

For the second year in a row, a block party is taking over Edmonton’s Chinatown this weekend.

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Organizers are hoping to continue the momentum of the inaugural Van (B)loc Party last year with performers, vendors, food trucks and a broadcast of the Edmonton Oilers game.

The event is one product of the community receiving nearly $1 million for revitalization and vibrancy projects over the past two years. This year, 14 projects will be funded by the Chinatown Vibrancy Fund, including Van (B)loc, the annual Togather Chinatown Arts Festival, and Lunar New Year celebration.

“I truly believe that in any community, if you have high quality products and services to offer the community, then you attract great skills and talent back into it as well. So the Van (B)loc Party is just another way to increase and enhance that ability to bring great people back into this area,” said Wilson Wong, party organizer and owner of Chinatown restaurant Van Loc.

The vibrancy fund initially allocated $480,000 as a one-year commitment in 2024. Then, city council extended the program by two years. Chinatown will receive another $480,000 in 2026.

Ward O-day’min Coun. Anne Stevenson told CTV News Edmonton it was exciting to see the money’s impact take root.

“The city can put out grants, we can invest in infrastructure, but truly it’s the businesses, community members and volunteers to make these things happen. So(I’m) grateful to the organizers who have put this together,” she said on Saturday.

“There’s a wonderful quotation from Gabor Mate that says, ‘Safety isn’t just the absence of threat, it’s the presence of connection.’ So as a community, we have made great strides in terms of reducing threats, reducing crime, but the next piece is really building that sense of connection. Events like this absolutely do that and we will continue to thrive from here.”

The event runs until 11 p.m. on Saturday and 5 p.m. Sunday.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Galen McDougall