“Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and mind alike.” John Muir.
Art is synonymous with the mountains, a place that provides an abundance of natural beauty for inspiration, but also a calmness and peace that help the mind wander.
Whistler is home to several art galleries, displaying work from local talent to the wider Canadian art pool and international artists whose work resonates with curators. One way to explore these galleries is to join the Whistler Wine Walk, which is happening on Friday, October 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30, 2026. Not only do you get to connect with gallery owners, curators and artists, but you also get to do so with a glass of wine in hand.
Whistler Wine Walk Details
Included in the ticket price is access to the galleries, three four-ounce glasses of wine, interactive art experiences and a curatorial tour of the Special Exhibitions at Audain Art Museum (more on that below), along with live music and canapés. There’s a choice of British Columbian white and red wine at each stop, with one wine pour per guest, per location.
The experience lasts around two hours (6 to 8:15 PM), with walking time considered. It’s the perfect evening activity after an early dinner, or perhaps before a late one, depending on how you like to dine. There are four tour options, each starting at a different gallery but all culminating at the Audain.
Date: Every Friday in October, 2026
Time: 6 to 8:15 PM
Where: Art galleries around Whistler Village – four walking routes to choose from
What: Visit to three art galleries with a glass of BC wine at each one
NEW: Chocolate pairings and non-alcoholic wine options
Six galleries are taking part this year, with four different tour options taking you to three stops, all culminating at the Audain Art Museum. The distances range from 900 metres to 2.2 kilometres, depending on your starting point.
Guests receive an email after purchasing tickets with detailed instructions, including their schedule, map and walking directions for each location (a Wine Walk Group Leader will be on-site to make sure the tour is flowing on time).
British Columbia Wines
Featured wineries are all BC-based and include Fort Berens Estate Winery, Kismet Estate Winery, 8th Generation Vineyard and Lightning Rock Winery, with Nk’Mip Cellars featured exclusively at the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre on October 9.
The Galleries
- Adele Campbell Fine Art
- Audain Art Museum
- Mountain Galleries at the Fairmont
- The Plaza Galleries
- Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre (October 9 only)
- Whistler Contemporary Gallery at the Hilton
Adele Campbell Fine Art
Adele Campbell Fine Art, located in the Westin Resort & Spa, proudly represents a broad spectrum of Canadian artists in an array of original paintings and sculptures. The pieces reflect the artists’ passion for their beautiful surroundings and contemporary influences, and you’ll be struck by the variety, power and boldness of the art when you visit.
For over a century, Canadian landscape art has been inspired by the Group of Seven, who bucked the trends of the time and painted with a bold palette and style they felt represented the mass scale of Canada. This has evolved and morphed into the contemporary art of today, which revels in the wildness and freedom of the country they’re depicting.
Featuring over 50 established and emerging Canadian artists, you’ll find an ever-revolving comprehensive collection of uniquely Canadian art at Adele Campbell Fine Art Gallery. During the Whistler Wine Walk, the gallery will have live painting with some of its featured artists, and a canvas for you to leave your own mark on.
Mountain Galleries at the Fairmont
The focus at Mountain Galleries at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler is on post-war Canadian landscape art. Mountain vistas, lush forests and winding rivers pepper the walls. The gallery is also home to some incredible pieces of sculpture with serpentine stone bears, bronze eagles and intriguing wood and resin furniture.
It’s really a treasure trove of Canadian art that takes time to explore. During Wine Walk, the gallery will have some of its featured artists doing some live painting.
The Plaza Galleries
The Plaza Galleries brings a bold, contemporary take on mountain art to Whistler Village. Its colourful collection features work by established and emerging artists, with everything from paintings and mixed-media pieces to sculpture, often inspired by wildlife, mountain landscapes, skiing and the energy of the outdoors.
Expect vibrant, playful and sometimes unexpected interpretations of mountain culture, alongside work influenced by pop culture and urban life.
Whistler Contemporary Gallery at the Hilton
The white walls of the Whistler Contemporary Gallery are adorned with a diverse range of styles, including figurative, abstract and landscape. Featuring Canadian and international contemporary fine art, the gallery is home to some unique pieces, including paintings, multimedia, glass and sculpture. Some of the art is inspired by the mountain scenes and wildlife Whistler is known for, whereas others evoke a sense of pop culture and urbanity.
It’s also good to note that they have a second location at the Four Seasons Resort Whistler if you want to connect with more of their artists.
Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre (October 9 only)
New to the Wine Walk for 2026, the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre is a celebration of culture, history, traditions and art. Located in Whistler’s Upper Village, the centre sits on the shared territory of two First Nation communities, the Sk̲wx̲wú7mesh (Squamish) and Li̓l̓wat7ul (Lil’wat), who have coexisted respectfully as neighbours in this area since time immemorial.
Visiting them on the Wine Walk gives you the opportunity to understand and connect with the original stewards of the land. Indigenous wine producers, Nk’Mip, will be featured at this stop on the Wine Walk.
Audain Art Museum
For the final stop at the Audain Art Museum, guests will be treated to something special in addition to the delicious canapés and live music. They’ll head into the museum to explore one of their special exhibit, Solstice: Through Storm & Stillness.
This exhibit brings together works from the Audain Art Museum’s Permanent Collection that reflect on endurance, resilience, and the quiet momentum of moving through difficult seasons. The featured artists, Andrew Dadson, Gathie Falk, Gordon Smith, Karin Bubaš, Kim Dorland and Landon Mackenzie explore weather as both a literal and metaphorical force. Through painting, sculpture, and photography, the exhibition invites viewers to consider winter not only as a time of hardship, but as a necessary season of pause, persistence and eventual transformation.
If you’ve not visited the Audain before, this will definitely make you want to come back and explore. Its permanent collection is a visual journey through the history of art from coastal British Columbia. It spans the late 18th century to the present day, and features one of the world’s finest collections of Northwest Coast First Nations masks; a large collection of works by Emily Carr, and art by important post-war modernists such as E.J. Hughes, Gordon Smith and Jack Shadbolt.
In addition to these historical works, it showcases art by internationally renowned, contemporary British Columbia artists, including Jeff Wall, Dana Claxton, Marianne Nicolson, Rodney Graham and Stan Douglas, among others.
For more information on what a trip to this museum is like, read Culture Up: How to Get the Most From a Visit to the Audain Art Museum in Whistler.
Whistler Wine Walk Tickets
Wine Walk tickets are limited and must be purchased in advance. Ticket holders will receive an email preceding the walk with detailed instructions for their route, including a schedule, map and walking directions for each location (there’s also a Wine Walk Guide on-site to help guide guests between galleries).
The Whistler Wine Walk is a chance to engage with gallery curators and artists, learn more about Canadian art and perhaps find something for above the fireplace back home.
There are other events happening in October, including yoga at the Audain Art Museum, Fairmont Fridays, the Whistler Farmers’ Market and the Whistler Writers Festival, to name a few. Check out the events calendar for a full list of what’s happening in Whistler this October.
For more ideas about what to do in the mountains in the fall, take a look at 21 Things to Do in Whistler in the Fall.
