When it comes to separating the locals in Vancouver from the tourists, there are a few giveaway telltale signs, and we don’t just mean those who take pictures of the Gastown Steam Clock.
Rain in Vancouver — and the attitude and etiquette that comes with it — is very different for those who have lived here a long time versus those who came from YVR.
We’ve rounded up a list of the unwritten rules Vancouverites live by when it rains.
No umbrellas
Bee Bonnet/Shutterstock
This rule seems to be part of the Pacific Northwest rulebook as well because I’ve heard this in Seattle just as often as in Vancouver. The reasons are not logical, but not using an umbrella seems to be something to brag about and makes you tougher than those weak and dry tourists.
“Mad dogs, Englishmen, and Vancouverites share a certain disregard for climate,” one Redditor wrote in a post about this confusing unwritten rule and the stubbornness surrounding it.
“Native Vancouverites rarely use umbrellas — they just pull up the hood on their rain jackets and carry on. [The] exception is if they’re dressed up more formally — but day-to-day? No umbrella,” another person wrote.
If you use an umbrella, don’t be a jerk about it
LeonWang/Shutterstock
But! If you insist on not looking like a wet rat when you get to work, the common etiquette is that if you are passing someone on a sidewalk, you will move your umbrella to avoid hitting them in the face, even if that means you get a little wet or lift it really high into the air.
Plus, you lay your umbrella on the floor of the bus to avoid getting your fellow passengers wet.
Drivers: turn those headlights on
Looking at the number of vehicles driving down Granville Street in the rain without their lights leads us to believe this is an unwritten rule that a LOT of you need to follow. Listening to the local traffic stations on a rainy morning, you’ll hear the pleas for motorists to turn their lights on over and over and over again. And again.
This person on Vancouver Reddit kind of lost it after a bad driving experience, penning the appeal for drivers to “TURN THEIR F*CKING LIGHTS ON WHEN IT’S RAINING… [OR] AT LEAST HIT THE PARKING LIGHTS SO YOU CAN BE SEEN FROM BEHIND.”
We concur.
Prepare to get splashed by a driver
This spot across from Emily Carr is a nightmare for drivers and pedestrians when it pours.
Staying on the topic of roads, this one is highly frustrating for pedestrians.
“If you’re a driver, don’t speed through big puddles when pedestrians are nearby. Otherwise, you’re a jerk,” one person said.
It can be especially frustrating if you are stuck waiting for a bus on a rainy day and you’ve got a highly coveted spot in the line, and the bus itself splashes you.
However, there are some unavoidable puddles where pedestrians have no hope, like on East 12th Avenue and Lakewood Drive, where the puddle can give nearby Trout Lake a run for its money.
Remember to put your dog in a coat
BC-based RC Pets sells a rain suit for dogs. rcpets.com
While you might choose to go umbrella-less, Vancouverites absolutely protect their pets. This is especially true in the Olympic Village area, where it seems to run rampant with teacup-sized pooches, who have the best accessories on a rainy day.
No matter where you are in the city, it’s considered very acceptable for your best friend to look cuter than you in public.
There are even some designer options available, like a $900 Prada coat or some cute options from local Vancouver companies that see an uptick this time of year.
Eat and drink in comfort
Gerard Lounge
It’s absolutely appropriate to wear rainboots to the bar in Vancouver. When it rains, comfort leads all decisions and that especially means what you eat and drink.
From East Van spots with ratty old couches to refined, English-style pubs that introduce a bit of mahogany into your life, Daily Hive Dished rounded up the coziest places for a drink when it rains, and the only downside is it will likely be busy!
Want to dine next to a fireplace or look out at the grey and calm ocean on a gloomy day? Vancouver’s restaurant scene really embraces the rainy day aesthetic, and we are obsessed.
Give thanks for the rain
The Office/NBC
We’re not going to lie, we do complain a lot about the rain. You’d think we wouldn’t mention it all the time since we live in a rainforest and the city’s nickname is “Raincouver,” but it’s common to cancel plans because of it or work from home to avoid driving in it.
But when we do complain, without fail someone says something positive after it.
“It’s so gross and rainy right now, but we needed it after that terrible wildfire season we just had — plus it’s good for the plants,” is a common sentiment on a rainy day.
Daniel Avram/Shutterstock
A tourist who complains about the rain might be unkindly reminded that Vancouver in the fall is not famous for its sunny beaches and they might as well bring an umbrella with them to the Steam Clock.
What do you think of the unwritten rules of Vancouver’s rainy season? Let us know in the comments.
With files from Daryn Wright
This piece was first published in September 2023 and has since been updated.