Commercial Drive, affectionately referred to as The Drive, was originally referred to locally as “Little Italy.” Now it's home to a diverse multicultural collection of people, businesses, art galleries, performance venues, coffee shops, and more.
A favorite destination for both tourists and Vancouver-wide locals, Commercial Drive consists of close to 300 businesses that are most often single location, owner-operated, offering a product mix of dining experiences, produce, entertainment and services completely unique to the Drive. Commercial Drive has consistently bucked the trend towards homogeneous franchised malls and big box warehouses.
With a multicultural diversity and vibrant arts community, The Drive is the perfect fusion of community, art, and commerce. Did you know Utne Reader's rank Commercial Drive with North America's 15 hippest neighbourhoods? Georgia Straight readers consistently vote The Drive as one of Vancouver's best neighbourhoods.
The Vancouver East Cultural Centre is home to many professional arts performances. European heritage lingers amongst the coffee shops, and a mix of East-West intermingles during World Cup competitions. Many arts are expressed along Commercial Drive venues, including visual arts, poetry and spoken word performances and competitions, music appreciated and performed indoors and out, open-mike nights, and wall space for the budding artists and photographers. Our own Photos page shows off many astounding photographs of the area and events.
Each year there are numerous events that reinforce The Drive's sense of community. The Directory page lists various community events, organizations, business related links, parks, and other important services and information for living in the city. You'll find everything you need from Parade of Lost Souls, Commercial Drive Community Festival, the Farmer's Market, Eastside Culture Crawl, your local MLA & MP, and so much more.
With such an active community committed to Life on The Drive, the community portal Discussion Forum is a great place to keep informed. Registration is free and content added to the Forum feeds the news for this web-page. Write a bio – a personal or professional profile – that promotes the skill, commitment, achievement, art, words, involvement, profession, or even hobbies and interests. The community is made up by all the people, businesses, interests, and flavours represented in many faces.
Welcome to Commercial Drive and Live on The Drive. Tell your story today.
