1 of 1 2 of 1

What better way to warm up in the winter than with a delicious cup of hot chocolate, made with impressive and creative twists?

The ninth annual Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival returns to the city from January 19 to February 14, which will give chocolate lovers 26 days to fill their bellies with some tasty concoctions.

This year, 74 decadent hot-chocolate flavours will be featured across 29 participating bakeries, cafés, restaurants, ice-cream parlours, and chocolate shops.

Newcomers to the 2019 festival include Beaucoup Bakery, Bjonbar Bakery, Cadeaux Bakery, Musette Caffè, Perverted Ice Cream, and Uno Gelato.

Expect wild and out-of-the-ordinary creations—the hot chocolate festival offers themed-beverages that goes beyond homemade whipped cream and organic chocolate shavings.

Find #38 “Great Balls of Fire” at Glenburn Soda Fountain and Confectionery. This drink is created with spicy-cinnamon Callebeaut milk chocolate, infused with Fireball liqueur, and served with “fried” ice cream.

If you enjoy a combination of strong flavours, try #41 “Istanbul-Tokyo Double Kicker” at Koko Monk Chocolates. It’s made with vegan coconut-milk matcha-tea white chocolate with Turkish coffee, and served with a vegan eggnog-and-rum praline.

Blockbuster-inspired hot chocolate can also be found on menus this year. Mon Paris Patisserie will be serving #53 “Crazy Rich Pandan” (a nod to Crazy Rich Asians), made with milk-chocolate pandan and topped with whipped cream, freeze-dried durian, and toasted coconut. Soirette will offer #59 “Mining for Vibranium” (homage to Black Panther), made with coconut-ash-and-black-sesame dark hot chocolate, and served with a Vibranium-inspired truffle.

It’s safe to say that Vancouverites are going to have a very sweet post-holiday winter, and we’re not complaining.

For a full list of this year’s hot-chocolate flavours and more information, click here.

Below are all 29 participants for the 2019 Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival:

49th Parallel Coffee Roasters (3 locations)

Baggio Gelateria and Pizzeria

Beaucoup Bakery

Bel Café (2 locations)

BjornBar Bakery

Butter Baked Goods

Cadeaux Bakery

Cartems Donuts

Chez Christophe

Chocolate Arts

Diva at the Met

Earnest Ice Cream (3 locations)

Eternal Abundance All Organic Vegan Grocery & Café

East Van Roasters

Gem Chocolates

Glenburn Soda Fountain & Confectionary

Koko Monk Chocolates (2 locations)

La Glace

Mink Chocolates

Mon Paris Patisserie

Musette Caffè

Perverted Ice Cream

Soirette

Temper Chocolates and Pastry

Thierry Chocolaterie Patisserie Café

Thomas Haas Chocolates (2 locations)

Trafiq Café and Bakery

Uno Gelato