About Odesa Week
TWO PORT CITIES.
ONE WEEK A YEAR.
Odesa and Vancouver have been sister cities since 1944. Every May, Odesa Week brings that bond to life with art, music, food and a fundraiser that never stops.
Our story
EIGHTY YEARS IN THE MAKING.
Odesa Week did not start from scratch. It grew out of a promise two port cities made to each other during the Second World War.
1944
Sister cities.
In August 1944, with Odesa devastated by war, Vancouver’s Ukrainian community collected money and clothes for the port city. The two became sister cities on humanitarian grounds. Odesa is Vancouver’s oldest sister city.
1990s
Students and mayors.
School exchanges in 1990 and 1991, and a visit to Vancouver by Odesa’s mayor in 1995, kept the bond alive.
2022
Blue and yellow.
After Russia’s full-scale invasion, Vancouver City Hall and the Burrard Bridge were lit in Ukraine’s colours in solidarity with Odesa.
2024
Eighty years.
Vancouver City Hall marked 80 years of the sister-city relationship with an official proclamation.
2025
The first Odesa Week.
Announced in March at Vancouver’s first forum of volunteer initiatives. In May, seven events in nine days, proclaimed by the City of Vancouver. Funds bought three banduras for Art School No. 21 in Odesa.
2026
Two weeks. Five events.
The second edition raised funds for interceptor drones with the Sternenko Community Foundation, to protect Odesa’s sky.
Why it works
TWO CITIES.
ONE PROMISE.
1944
Sister cities
since 1944
12+
Events across
two editions
20+
Partners
& sponsors
23
Days
of programme
“The last week of May is an annual celebration of Vancouver–Odesa sisterhood.”
City of Vancouver Proclamation, 2026
Why give through us
EVERY DOLLAR
ACCOUNTED FOR.
Where it goes.
In 2026, every donation goes to interceptor drones through the Sternenko Community Foundation.
Secure checkout.
Card, Apple Pay or Google Pay via Stripe. We never see your card details.
Run by volunteers.
Odesa Week is organized by volunteers from Maple Hope Foundation and Ukrainian Cultural Society.
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© 2026 Odesa Week in Vancouver · Maple Hope Foundation & Ukrainian Cultural Society Vancouver