A Milestone Year for Whistler: Six Events and Institutions Celebrate Major Anniversaries in 2026
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Whistler, B.C. – 2026 marks a milestone year for Whistler, with several events, institutions and experiences celebrating major anniversaries across sports, festivals, arts and community. Collectively, these anniversaries highlight the diversity and breadth of experiences available in Whistler.
Located on the shared, traditional territory of the Squamish Nation and Lil’wat Nation, whose stewardship of this land dates back since time immemorial, Whistler’s more recent history includes pioneering a governance model designed to support a tourism-based community. In 2025, the Resort Municipality of Whistler marked its 50th anniversary of becoming Canada’s first Resort Municipality.
Building on that milestone, 2026 shifts the focus from incorporation to the institutions and events that have helped shape Whistler’s identity over time. The following anniversaries are being marked in 2026.
Mountains and Sports
Whistler Blackcomb – 60 Years of Whistler, 45 Years of Blackcomb
During the 2025/26 winter season, Whistler Mountain marks 60 years since opening with the ambition of hosting the Olympic Winter Games, a dream that helped shape its early development and long-term trajectory. Blackcomb Mountain celebrates 45 years since opening in 1980, quickly establishing itself as a premier ski destination in its own right. Following their merger in the late 1990s, Whistler Blackcomb has grown into the largest ski resort in North America and one of the most iconic mountain destinations in the world.
Peak to Valley Race – 40 Years
The Peak to Valley Race marks 40 years as a signature event in Whistler’s winter calendar. The annual top-to-bottom downhill race brings together competitive and recreational skiers and snowboarders, continuing a longstanding tradition of friendly competition and community connection.
Festivals and Events
World Ski & Snowboard Festival – 30 Years
The World Ski & Snowboard Festival returns April 6–12, 2026, celebrating 30 years as a spring showcase of snow sports, music and creative culture. Originally developed to celebrate Whistler’s spring skiing season, the festival reflects the resort’s reputation for one of the longest winter seasons in North America.
Cornucopia – 30 Years
Cornucopia is Whistler’s annual fall celebration of food and drink, highlighting the quality and diversity of the resort’s culinary scene. The multi-day event brings together local chefs, sommeliers and beverage producers alongside guest talent from across Canada and around the world for tastings, seminars and curated dining experiences.
Arts and Culture
Audain Art Museum – 10 Years
Since opening in 2016, the Audain Art Museum has expanded Whistler’s cultural offering through its architecturally distinctive presence and significant collection of British Columbia art. The museum features an extensive Emily Carr collection and important Indigenous works, while presenting touring exhibitions that contribute to its standing within the broader Canadian art community.
Whistler Public Library – 40 Years
For 40 years, the Whistler Public Library has been an enduring part of Whistler’s social infrastructure and a valued space within the community. In addition to its collections, the library delivers innovative programming, shared resources and public initiatives that reflect the evolving needs of Whistler’s year-round community and visitors. The library also hosts and partners on events as part of the Whistler Writers Festival, helping to broaden Whistler’s year-round events calendar.
Whistler’s legacy is not only something to celebrate, but something to build upon. While 2026 offers moments to look back, the resort remains focused on what comes next by continuing to strengthen and evolve the foundations that support its long-term vitality.
To learn more about Whistler’s history and the experiences that continue to shape it, visit whistler.com/our-story.
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Whistler is Canada’s premier year-round leisure and meeting destination located in the Coast Mountains 120 kilometres (75 miles) north of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Consistently rated the top ski resort in North America, Whistler was the Host Mountain Resort of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. The resort offers an extensive range of accommodations totaling 10,000 bedrooms among 24 hotels as well as townhomes, condos, B&Bs and chalets. Whistler also boasts more than 100 restaurants and bars, 200 retail shops, 25 spas and countless activity options from world-renowned skiing and snowboarding, mountain biking and golf, to hiking, rock climbing and watersports. The Resort Municipality of Whistler is home to a diverse community of more than 10,000 permanent residents.
Tourism Whistler is the member-based marketing and sales organization representing Whistler, operating the Whistler Conference Centre, Whistler Golf Club, Whistler Visitor Centre and whistler.com – Whistler’s official source for visitor information and booking.
Media can visit whistler.com/media for Whistler facts, media releases, story starters and access to images and B-roll.
Media Contacts:
Tourism Whistler
Jessie Boyd
Specialist, Communications
+1.604.938.2721 | jboyd@tourismwhistler.com
W: www.whistler.com/media
F: www.Facebook.com/GoWhistler
I: www.Instagram.com/GoWhistler
All 2026 media releases
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