The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra performs at the Orpheum Theatre.
Vancouver’s major cultural institutions include a symphony orchestra, ballet and opera companies, and local repertory theaters, with the majority of these arts organizations performing downtown, on Granville Island, and on the University of British Columbia campus. Throughout the city, smaller venues, like the Vancouver East Cultural Centre near Commercial Drive, host plays, dance performances, concerts, and other productions featuring local, national, and international performers. Special events, including annual jazz, folk music, fringe theater, and film festivals, round out the cultural calendar.
Vancouver’s gallery scene is particularly strong on works by aboriginal artists from British Columbia and along North America’s west coast. Several Gastown galleries specialize in art by First Nations and Inuit artists, as do galleries on Granville Island and on nearby South Granville Street. For other contemporary art, explore Granville Island or head for The Flats, an emerging arts district centered off East 2nd Avenue, at Main Street.
The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra performs at the Orpheum Theatre.
For local event listings, see the Georgia Straight (www.straight.com), the Vancouver Theatre Guide (www.gvpta.ca) from the Greater Vancouver Professional Theatre Association, or Inside Vancouver (www.insidevancouver.ca). The blog Miss 604 (www.miss604.com) also publishes monthly lists of upcoming events.
| Downtown and the West End | Map 1 |
In the lobby of the HSBC Building, this small gallery space mounts different exhibits throughout the year. Recent shows have varied from “The Art of Dr. Seuss,” to paintings by Newfoundland artist David Blackwood, to “Canstruction,” featuring sculptures made entirely from cans of food; the dismantled creations were donated to the local food bank at the end of the exhibition. Also on view in the atrium-style lobby is a massive, swinging stainless steel pendulum, an art piece called Broken Column by Alan Storey, which HSBC Bank commissioned. The building’s air circulation system provides the power that keeps the pendulum moving.
MAP 1: 885 W. Georgia St., 604/250-9682, www.pendulumgallery.bc.ca; 9am-6pm Mon.-Wed., 9am-9pm Thurs.-Fri., 9am-5pm Sat.; free
Tickets Tonight sells same-day, half-price theater tickets from their counter inside the Tourism Vancouver Visitor Centre near Canada Place downtown. Check the current day’s availability by phone, on the website, or via their Twitter feed, @TicketsTonight. You have to buy tickets in person, before noon for matinee performances and 4pm for evening shows. Tickets Tonight also sells full-price advance tickets to many local productions.
MAP 1: Tourism Vancouver Visitor Centre, 210-200 Burrard St., 604/684-2787, www.ticketstonight.ca; 9am-5pm daily
Looking for lunchtime entertainment? CBC Musical Nooners is a free summertime concert series that brings pop, blues, folk, and world music performers to the plaza in front of the CBC building downtown for an hour of weekday live music. Bring your lunch, if you’d like.
MAP 1: CBC Plaza, 700 Hamilton St., www.cbc.ca; noon Mon.-Fri. early July-mid-Aug., free
Canada’s second largest opera company, the Vancouver Opera stages its productions downtown in the 2,765-seat Queen Elizabeth Theatre (650 Hamilton St.) or at the adjacent Vancouver Playhouse (630 Hamilton St.). Recent shows have included Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, the contemporary opera Dead Man Walking, and Stickboy, a new work about bullying, with a libretto by Canadian spoken word artist Shane Koyczan. Attend a preview talk, free to all ticketholders, an hour before each performance for an introduction to the show. If you’re between the ages of 19 and 34, the Vancouver Opera’s Get O.U.T. (Get Opera Under Thirty-Five) program sets aside a limited number of $35 tickets for younger patrons at certain performances.
MAP 1: 604/683-0222, www.vancouveropera.ca; $30-165
Established in 1919, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra performs 150 concerts every year. Their main venue is the historic Orpheum Theatre (601 Smithe St.) downtown. They also play at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts (6265 Crescent Rd.) on the UBC Campus and at several other spaces. In addition to traditional classical performances, the orchestra presents pops concerts, a new music festival, events for children, and even movie nights, where the musicians accompany a film. If you’re under age 35 or a full-time student, sign up online for the All-Access Pass, which lets you buy up to two $15 tickets to many performances.
MAP 1: 604/876-3434, www.vancouversymphony.ca; $20-95
Vancouver’s professional contemporary ballet company, Ballet BC presents several productions a year at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre downtown. The company’s repertoire emphasizes works from the late 20th century to the present day, created by choreographers from Canada and around the world. They frequently stage new pieces by B.C.-based choreographers, including Crystal Pite, Wen Wei Wang, and the company’s own artistic director, Emily Molnar. They have also collaborated with international choreographers, including Barcelona’s Cayetano Soto and Ohad Naharin of Israel’s Batsheva Dance Company.
MAP 1: 650 Hamilton St., 855/985-2787, www.balletbc.com; $22-92
Fans of contemporary and modern dance should check out the offerings from DanceHouse, which brings Canadian and international dance companies to downtown’s Vancouver Playhouse stage. They produce several shows each year. In recent seasons, Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal, Brazil’s Companhia Urbana de Dança, and Hofesh Shechter from the UK are among the groups that have taken the stage. DanceHouse also presented Betroffenheit, a unique dance-theater collaboration between two Vancouver-based organizations, Kidd Pivot Dance and the Electric Company Theatre.
MAP 1: 630 Hamilton St., 604/801-6225, www.dancehouse.ca; $40-80
Stand-up comics perform several nights a week at The Comedy Mix, a cabaret-style comedy club at the Century Plaza Hotel downtown. Among the comedians who’ve taken the stage here are Charlie Demers (a Vancouver-based performer who’s a regular on CBC Radio’s The Debaters), Maria Bamford (known for her web series The Maria Bamford Show), and Al Madrigal, who has appeared on The Daily Show. Tuesdays are “ProAm” nights, where aspiring comedians try out their material, while more established performers make you laugh later in the week.
MAP 1: 1015 Burrard St., 604/684-5050, www.thecomedymix.com; shows 8:30pm Tues.-Thurs., 8pm and 10:30pm Fri.-Sat.; $8-20
| Gastown and Chinatown | Map 2 |
Coastal Peoples Fine Arts Gallery specializes in Northwest Coast and Inuit artwork in their spacious, modern gallery in a brick Gastown building. On view are masks, carvings, and jewelry, with works ranging in price from several hundred to thousands of dollars.
MAP 2: 312 Water St., 604/684-9222, www.coastalpeoples.com; 10am-7pm daily mid-Apr.-mid-Oct., 10am-6pm daily mid-Oct.-mid-Apr.; free
Lloyd and Frances Hill first began showing and selling native art after they acquired the Koksilah General Store on Vancouver Island’s east coast in 1946. Their business has grown to several locations, housing one of North America’s largest collections of Northwest Coast native art. Three-story Hill’s Native Art in Gastown carries a large range of First Nations and Inuit works, from souvenir-style items to fine art. Head for the top floor, where a wall of windows looks out over Water Street, to find high-quality artworks, carvings, and more by noted aboriginal artists. On the lower levels, they carry T-shirts printed with native designs, jewelry, books, cards, and heavy wool Cowichan sweaters.
MAP 2: 165 Water St., 604/685-4249, www.hills.ca; 9am-9pm daily; free
A specialist in Canadian aboriginal art, the Inuit Gallery of Vancouver, which has been operating since 1979, exhibits works by First Nations and Inuit people in their light and open second-floor Gastown space. They showcase an extensive collection of sculpture, carved from stone, alabaster, or bone. They also show drawings, prints, wall hangings, carvings, and jewelry.
MAP 2: 206 Cambie St., 604/688-7323, www.inuit.com; 10am-6pm Mon.-Sat., 11am-5pm Sun.; free
On the main floor of Skwachàys Lodge, a boutique aboriginal art hotel, the small Urban Aboriginal Fair Trade Gallery showcases works by Canadian aboriginal artists, including many from British Columbia. The nonprofit Vancouver Native Housing Society owns the gallery, and proceeds from the prints, carvings, and jewelry sold here help support the society’s mission to provide affordable urban housing for aboriginal people.
MAP 2: 29 W. Pender St., 604/558-3589, www.urbanaboriginal.org; 10am-4pm Mon.-Fri., 11am-5pm Sat.-Sun.; free
A venue for diverse theatrical, dance, and musical productions, the 136-seat Firehall Arts Centre is housed in a 1906 former city fire station on the edge of Chinatown. From the exterior, with its brightly painted garage doors, the building still resembles the fire station that it was until the 1970s. The theater produces contemporary works that highlight Canada’s multicultural communities, with productions throughout the year by an assortment of companies and performers.
MAP 2: 280 E. Cordova St., 604/689-0926; http://firehallartscentre.ca; tickets $23-33
The Vancouver Police Museum, located in the former city morgue, presents a monthly film series, Movies in the Morgue, on the second Tuesday of the month September through May. Though the setting may be spooky, they’re not all horror films. They do sell out, so book tickets at least a few days in advance on the museum website.
MAP 2: 240 E. Cordova St., 604/665-3346, www.vancouverpolicemuseum.ca; 2nd Tues. of the month Sept.-May; tickets $10
| Yaletown and False Creek | Map 3 |
The Contemporary Art Gallery shows eclectic works by modern artists. Even if you just walk by the small Yaletown exhibit space, check out the windows, where there’s often an unusual or thought-provoking display.
MAP 3: 555 Nelson St., 604/681-2700, www.contemporaryartgallery.ca; noon-6pm Tues.-Sun.; suggested donation $5
Several contemporary art galleries cluster in The Flats district, near the intersection of Main Street and East 2nd Avenue, close to the Olympic Village. The largest is the 14,500-square-foot (1,347-square-meter) Equinox Gallery, in a bright orange building that once housed a tractor company, which mounts regular exhibitions of work by established Canadian artists.
MAP 3: 525 Great Northern Way, 604/736-2405, www.equinoxgallery.com; 10am-5pm Tues.-Sat.; free
Monte Clark Gallery, in the same former industrial building as the Equinox Gallery, shows work by contemporary Canadian artists. Among the creatives that the gallery represents are Vancouver artist Roy Arden, Toronto-based Scott McFarland, and lighting designer Omer Arbel.
MAP 3: 525 Great Northern Way, 604/730-5000, www.monteclarkgallery.com; 10am-5:30pm Tues.-Sat.; free
Established in 2002 and relocated from the South Granville district in 2012, the Winsor Gallery represents Canadian and international contemporary artists, including Patrick Hughes (known for his “reverspective” optical illusion paintings), sculptor Alexander Calder, and text artist Ben Skinner. Check the gallery website for a calendar of shows and artists’ receptions.
MAP 3: 258 E. 1st Ave., 604/681-4870, www.winsorgallery.com; 10am-6pm Tues.-Fri., 10am-5pm Sat.; free
The Arts Club Theatre Company, Vancouver’s leading repertory theater, performs on three stages, presenting their more experimental works in the Olympic Village at the Goldcorp Stage at the BMO Theatre Centre. This striking contemporary building features a multistory, glass-walled lobby. Recent productions in the 250-seat theater have included Peter and the Starcatcher, a prequel to the Peter Pan story; Onegin, a new musical based on the poem by Pushkin and opera by Tchaikovsky; and As I Lay Dying, an adaptation of William Faulkner’s southern gothic novel.
MAP 3: 162 W. 1st Ave., 604/687-1644, www.artsclub.com; $29-49
A variety of dance events, from ballet and modern to flamenco and Bollywood, take place throughout the year at Scotiabank Dance Centre, a Yaletown theater and rehearsal complex, opened in 2001, with seven studio spaces. The Discover Dance! series includes one-hour lunchtime performances by a varied range of B.C.-based companies, while the Global Dance Connections series showcases contemporary works by local and international performers. Among the recent events are Sweat Baby Sweat, a duet by Flemish choreographer Jan Martens; empty.swimming.pool, a collaboration between Vancouver-based Tara Cheyenne Friedenberg and Italy’s Silvia Gribaudi; and a new work by Vancouver’s Wen Wei Dance, led by dancer and choreographer Wen Wei Wang, who formerly performed with Ballet BC.
MAP 3: 677 Davie St., 604/606-6400, www.thedancecentre.ca; $14-36
| Granville Island | Map 4 |
The large, museum-like Eagle Spirit Gallery specializes in Northwest Coast native art. Stone carvings, sculptures, totem poles, wood carvings, masks, and paintings by First Nations and Inuit artists are among the original high-quality works on view.
MAP 4: 1803 Maritime Mews, 604/801-5277 or 888/801-5277, www.eaglespiritgallery.com; 11am-5pm Tues.-Sun., free
Founded in 1941 by several noted Canadian landscape painters from the Group of Seven, the Federation of Canadian Artists now has more than 2,000 members, including both established and emerging artists. In a large corner space at the east end of Cartwright Street, their Granville Island gallery exhibits work by member artists from across Canada.
MAP 4: 1241 Cartwright St., 604/681-2744, www.artists.ca; 10am-4pm Tues.-Fri., 10am-1pm and 1:30pm-4pm Sat.-Sun.; free
Crafthouse, located in a cute little house, shows work by members of the Craft Council of British Columbia. Look for pieces in ceramic, glass, wood, textiles, and other media. They stock a large selection of handcrafted jewelry.
MAP 4: 1386 Cartwright St., 604/687-6511, www.craftcouncilbc.ca; 10am-6pm daily May-Aug., 10:30am-5:30pm daily Sept.-Apr.; free
Owned by the nonprofit Potters Guild of British Columbia, the Gallery of B.C. Ceramics displays and sells decorative and functional pottery and ceramic work, including mugs, vases, and wall hangings, in a range of prices. In a metal-clad warehouse-style building, they also host periodic special exhibitions of ceramic art.
MAP 4: 1359 Cartwright St., 604/669-3606, www.bcpotters.com; 10:30am-5:30pm daily Feb.-Dec., 10:30am-5:30pm Tues.-Sun. Jan.; free
Vancouver’s top repertory theater and the largest theater company in western Canada, the Arts Club Theatre Company performs on three stages around the city. On Granville Island, their shows are held at the Granville Island Stage, next to the Public Market. At this 440-seat venue, the Arts Club produces new plays, contemporary works, and eclectic musicals. Recent productions have included Mom’s the Word (from a Vancouver-based playwrights’ collective), The Men in White (by Indian Canadian author Anosh Irani), and Avenue Q, the racy puppet musical.
MAP 4: 1585 Johnston St., 604/687-1644, www.artsclub.com; $29-49
If you’re traveling with kids, see what’s on stage at Granville Island’s Carousel Theatre for Young People, a theater and troupe that produces shows for toddlers through teens. Some productions take place on their own small stage, while others are held in the larger Waterfront Theatre across the street or at other nearby venues; confirm the location when you buy your tickets. Recent productions have included Sultans of the Street, by Indo-Canadian playwright Anusree Roy; A Charlie Brown Christmas; and Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat.
MAP 4: 1411 Cartwright St., 604/669-3410, www.carouseltheatre.ca; adults $25, seniors and students $21, ages 17 and under $12.50
The building that houses Performance Works, a theater space used by a variety of performers and companies, including the Vancouver Fringe Festival in September, was once a machine shop, built in the 1920s. Nowadays, it no longer resembles its industrial origins; the performance area can be configured for auditorium or cabaret-style seating for 150-200 people.
MAP 4: 1218 Cartwright St., 604/687-3020, www.performanceworks.ca; prices vary
Confusingly, the Waterfront Theatre isn’t actually located on the waterfront, but this 224-seat auditorium-style performance space hosts festivals, theater events, and other performances throughout the year. It’s a mainstage venue for the annual Vancouver Fringe Festival in September.
MAP 4: 1412 Cartwright St., 604/685-1731, www.waterfronttheatre.ca; prices vary
Established in 1980, the popular Vancouver Theatre Sports League performs always-entertaining improv shows at their cabaret-style waterside theater on Granville Island. Among their recent productions are Firecracker! with an all-women improv cast; OK Tinder—Swipe Right Comedy, a send-up of Vancouver’s dating scene; and Laugh Till Your Face Hurts, a two-team improv competition. Most shows have mature themes and aren’t appropriate for kids. Prices vary depending on the day and time of the show, with the least expensive performances occurring on Sunday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings. Have a drink before or after the performance in their lounge overlooking False Creek.
MAP 4: 1502 Duranleau St., 604/738-7013, www.vtsl.com; showtimes vary Wed.-Sun.; adults $8-24, seniors and students $8-19
| Kitsilano | Map 5 |
From June through September, the Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival performs several of Shakespeare’s plays under billowing white tents in Kitsilano’s Vanier Park. Established in 1990, this professional theater company has a dramatic performance space: The back of the mainstage tent is open to views of the waterfront and North Shore mountains.
MAP 5: Vanier Park, Whyte Ave., 604/739-0559, http://bardonthebeach.org; adults $20-67, ages 6-22 $20-29
| UBC and Point Grey | Map 5 |
The Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery on the UBC campus mounts several exhibitions every year, highlighting Canadian and international contemporary art from the second half of the 20th century to the present. In particular, their shows emphasize Canadian avant-garde artists of the 1960s and ’70s, as well as emerging artists. In its boxy modernist building, opened in 1995, the gallery also exhibits works from the 2,500-object University Art Collection, including their significant holdings of collages, drawings, paintings, and prints by British Columbia’s Jack Shadbolt. Works by Emily Carr, Lawren Harris (a founding member of the Group of Seven, early 20th-century Canadian landscape artists), and First Nations artist Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun are also among their collections. The gallery is closed between exhibitions, so call or check the website before making a special trip.
MAP 5: 1825 Main Mall, 604/822-2759, www.belkin.ubc.ca; 10am-5pm Tues.-Fri., noon-5pm Sat.-Sun.; free
The well-regarded UBC Theatre Department produces several plays every year with all-student casts in the Frederic Wood Theatre on campus. The season might include works from Shakespeare’s era to modern times; recent productions have ranged from Christopher Marlowe’s Edward II to Caryl Churchill’s Love and Information and Les Belles-soeurs by Quebecois playwright Michel Tremblay. Most performances are held Wednesday through Saturday evenings between late September and April. Admission to the preview show, held the night before each play’s official opening, is only $7 per person.
MAP 5: 6354 Crescent Rd., 604/822-2678, http://theatrefilm.ubc.ca; adults $24.50, seniors $16.50, students $11.50, ages 16 and under $5
On the UBC campus, the modern Chan Centre for the Performing Arts hosts jazz, blues, and world music performers, as well as early music and chamber concerts. The wide-ranging events calendar might feature a student musical group one day and an internationally known artist the next, from jazz musician Herbie Hancock to Mongolian throat singers Anda Union and flamenco guitarist Paco Peña. The Vancouver Symphony performs here periodically as well. Opened in 1997, the curvaceous contemporary building, surrounded by evergreens, has a 1,185-seat concert hall and several smaller performance spaces.
MAP 5: 6265 Crescent Rd., 604/822-2697, www.chancentre.com; prices vary
On Tuesday evenings from May to September, Vancouver folk music fans congregate at the Jericho Sailing Centre in Point Grey, where the Jericho Folk Club presents programs of local or touring musicians performing acoustic music in a casual setting. Doors open at 7:15pm, with an “open stage” segment, typically featuring four performers, each doing 15 minute sets, starting at 8pm. The feature act begins at about 9:15. Check their website for a season calendar.
MAP 5: Jericho Sailing Centre, 1300 Discovery St.; www.jerichofolkclub.ca; Tues. May-Sept., $10
| Cambie Corridor | Map 6 |
See what’s on view at Bau-Xi Gallery, which features regular showings of contemporary fine art in an airy, white South Granville space. Established in 1965, the gallery represents a wide range of Canadian painters, photographers, sculptors, and other artists.
MAP 6: 3045 Granville St., 604/733-7011, www.bau-xi.com; 10am-5:30pm Mon.-Sat., 11am-5:30pm Sun.; free
Stop into Douglas Reynolds Gallery, a white-walled, two-level space in the South Granville district, to explore the museum-quality exhibits of historic and contemporary Northwest Coast First Nations art, from masks, jewelry, and sculpture to totem poles. The gallery shows works by Bill Reid, Robert Davidson, and other notables, along with pieces by emerging native artists.
MAP 6: 2335 Granville St., 604/731-9292, www.douglasreynoldsgallery.com; 10am-6pm Mon.-Sat., noon-5pm Sun.; free
Vancouver’s top repertory theater and the largest theater company in western Canada, the Arts Club Theatre Company, which was established in 1958, now performs on three stages. Their main stage shows are held at the 650-seat Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage, a historic theater in the South Granville district. The Arts Club began performing here in 1998 and now produces crowd-pleasing musicals, entertaining comedies, and thought-provoking dramas on the Stanley’s stage; recent seasons have included Billy Elliot, Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery, and Angels in America.
MAP 6: 2750 Granville St., 604/687-1644, http://artsclub.com; $29-69
The Flame is Vancouver’s homegrown storytelling series, modeled after the U.S.-based storytelling organization and National Public Radio show, The Moth. The Flame hosts monthly storytelling evenings at the Cottage Bistro on Main Street. The 8-10 preselected performers in each show must abide by The Flame’s three rules: Stories must be true, about you, and told in “a few” (typically under 10 minutes).
The Flame is held on the first Wednesday of the month September through November and January through June, although schedules occasionally vary, so check the Cottage Bistro website (www.cottage-bistro.com) to confirm. Shows start at 7pm, but arrive before 6:30pm if you want a seat.
MAP 6: 4470 Main St., 604/876-6138; 7pm 1st Wed. Jan.-June and Sept.-Nov.; by donation
No, it’s not like going to church. Held in the Fox Cabaret, a former adult theater turned alternative club, The Sunday Service, by the comedy group of the same name, is a weekly improv show. The five performers typically mix short improv games with a longer comedic improvisation. Guest comedians occasionally share the stage with the regular troupe.
MAP 6: Fox Cabaret, 2321 Main St., www.thesundayservice.ca; 9pm Sun.; $7
At this local branch of a national chain of comedy venues, you can chuckle through stand-up shows by local and visiting comedians in this 170-seat cabaret-style club. The two weekend evening shows generally run 90 minutes to two hours and include a warm-up host, an opening act, and the featured performer. Wednesday evenings at 8pm are amateur nights, where newer comics can get their start.
MAP 6: 2837 Cambie St., 604/696-9857, www.yukyuks.com; show times vary; $7-20
| Commercial Drive | Map 7 |
The Vancouver East Cultural Centre, known locally as “The Cultch,” hosts an eclectic season of theater, dance, and musical events, showcasing local, Canadian, and international performers. Among their recent shows are The Daisy Theatre, provocative puppetry by Toronto-based Ronnie Burkett and his 40-plus marionettes; The Elephant Wrestler, a drama set in present-day India by New Zealand’s Indian Ink Theatre Company; and Empire of the Son, a solo show written and performed by former CBC radio host Tetsuro Shigematsu. Their main East Side building houses two performance spaces: the 200-seat Historic Theatre and the small black-box Vancity Culture Lab, which can be configured for 72 to 102 seats. Off-site, they also produce shows at the nearby York Theatre.
MAP 7: 1895 Venables St., 604/251-1363, http://thecultch.com; prices vary
The Vancouver East Cultural Centre produces music, dance, theater, and other events at the restored 355-seat York Theatre, down the street from their main building. Built in 1913, the York started life as the Alcazar Theatre, and over the years, it was home to a movie house, the Vancouver Little Theatre Association, a concert venue (Nirvana played here), and an Indian cinema. More recent productions have included Elbow Room Café: The Musical, an original musical based on a Vancouver breakfast joint; Children of God, a world premiere about an Oji-Cree family, whose children are sent to a residential school in northern Ontario; and a show from storyteller Edgar Oliver, often featured on the U.S. public radio show The Moth.
MAP 7: 639 Commercial Dr.; 604/251-1363, http://thecultch.com; prices vary
The VanDusen Botanical Garden marks the holiday season with its annual Festival of Lights, illuminating its garden paths with thousands of sparkling lights. The festival runs from early December until the beginning of January.
Cambie Corridor: VanDusen Botanical Garden, http://vandusengarden.org; Dec.
More than 250 restaurants offer special menus, and you can join in food events, from chef dinners and wine-tastings to food tours, during Dine Out Vancouver, the city’s annual celebration of dining that has grown into one of Canada’s largest food and drink festivals. The festival runs for two and a half weeks from late January into early February. Organizers publish the event schedule and list of participating restaurants on the Dine Out website in the second week of January. Make reservations right away, since many restaurants and events sell out.
Various locations: www.dineoutvancouver.com; Jan.-Feb.
An eclectic selection of theater, music, dance, and multimedia events brighten up the winter nights at the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival, featuring local and international performers. Taking place at theaters and performance spaces across Vancouver, the festival begins in mid-January and runs for three weeks.
Various locations: http://pushfestival.ca; Jan.-Feb.
With its large Asian population, Vancouver hosts plenty of festivities to mark the Lunar New Year, including parades, lion dances, music, fireworks, and other special events in Chinatown and throughout Richmond. Chinatown’s Spring Festival Parade draws crowds of nearly 100,000 spectators every year, and nearby, the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden organizes more New Year’s festivities. In Richmond, Aberdeen Centre hosts a week of performances and New Year’s events, and on the eve of the Lunar New Year itself, many people welcome the coming year at the International Buddhist Temple.
Chinatown and Richmond: www.cbavancouver.ca, http://vancouverchinesegarden.com, and www.visitrichmondbc.com; Jan.-Feb.
Wine-tastings, seminars, and dinners show off more than 1,500 wines from around the world at the Vancouver International Wine Festival, a weeklong event that usually takes place in mid-February. Many events are held downtown at the Vancouver Convention Centre’s West Building, but restaurants and other venues host festivities as well.
Various locations: http://vanwinefest.ca; Feb.
The 10-day Talking Stick Festival, in late February, typically produces more than two dozen theater, dance, storytelling, and music events by aboriginal performers or featuring aboriginal themes. The Roundhouse Community Arts & Recreation Centre (181 Roundhouse Mews) in Yaletown, the Goldcorp Centre for the Arts at Simon Fraser University (Woodward’s Building, 149 W. Hastings St.) in Gastown, and the Vancouver East Cultural Centre (1895 Venables St.) near Commercial Drive stage many of the productions.
Various locations: http://fullcircle.ca; Feb.
At the monthlong Chutzpah! Festival, which showcases contemporary and traditional Jewish arts and culture, internationally recognized theater artists, dancers, musicians, and comedians perform in a diverse collection of shows from mid-February through mid-March. The Norman Rothstein Theatre at the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver (950 W. 41st Ave.) is the festival’s home base, although events take place at venues around the city.
Various locations: http://chutzpahfestival.com, Feb.-Mar.
Close to 50,000 runners and walkers take to the streets for the Vancouver Sun Run, a fun-for-all 10K that starts and ends downtown, usually on the third Sunday in April.
Downtown and the West End: www.vancouversun.com/sunrun; Apr.
Bring the kids to Kitsilano’s Vanier Park when the weeklong Vancouver International Children’s Festival offers family-friendly concerts, circus performers, crafts, and other activities in late May and early June.
Kitsilano: Vanier Park, Whyte Ave., www.childrensfestival.ca; May-June
A good introduction to the region’s growing microbrewery scene, the annual Vancouver Craft Beer Week, normally held the last week of May into the first week of June, includes tasting events and other activities that showcase small brewers and their products.
Various locations: http://vancouvercraftbeerweek.com; May-June
With nearly two weeks of concerts around the city, from big-name big-ticket shows to free music in the park, the TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival has tunes for any jazz, Latin, funk, and world music lover. The festival runs during the last two weeks of June and early July at venues downtown, in Yaletown, on Granville Island, and elsewhere across town, with popular outdoor concerts in Yaletown’s David Lam Park (Pacific Blvd. at Drake St.).
Various locations: www.coastaljazz.ca; June-July
Vancouver celebrates Canada’s birthday, Canada Day, with a parade, outdoor concerts, and celebratory fireworks over Burrard Inlet. Canada Place is the center of the festivities. The fireworks, which start at 10:30pm, draw big crowds. You’ll need tickets to watch from the outdoor Fireworks Viewing Zone (adults $15) at Canada Place, but you can see them anywhere along Burrard Inlet, including Harbour Green Park on the Coal Harbour Seawall and in Stanley Park near the Nine O’Clock Gun, east of the Brockton Point totem poles.
Downtown and the West End: Canada Place, www.canadaplace.ca; July 1
It’s not just folk music at the long-established Vancouver Folk Festival. This musical extravaganza draws world beat, roots, blues, and yes, folk musicians from across Canada and around the world to Jericho Beach for three days of always-eclectic music on multiple outdoor stages. Held the third weekend of July, it’s great fun for all ages.
Vancouver Folk Festival at Jericho Beach
UBC and Point Grey: Jericho Beach, http://thefestival.bc.ca; July
A unique celebration of South Asian, Canadian, and international culture, the Indian Summer Festival serves up two weeks of films, lectures, food events, theater, and other thought-provoking programming in mid-July. SFU’s Goldcorp Centre for the Arts (Woodward’s Building, 149 W. Hastings St.) in Gastown hosts many events, as do other venues downtown and elsewhere in the city.
Various locations: http://indiansummerfest.ca; July
Fireworks displays over English Bay bring thousands of Vancouverites and visitors out for the Celebration of Light that takes place on three summer evenings. The best viewing spots are at English Bay Beach, but you can see them from Kitsilano Beach and other points around False Creek. Held the last week of July and the first week of August on Wednesday and Saturday evenings, the fireworks start at 10pm. Try to arrive no later than 9pm to find a place to sit; many people come early and bring picnic suppers to enjoy before the displays begin.
Downtown and the West End: http://hondacelebrationoflight.com; July-Aug.
The Vancouver Pride Festival features more than 20 events celebrating the city’s large gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community. Several days of parties, cruises, picnics, and other celebrations culminate in a festive parade through the downtown streets on the Sunday before B.C. Day (the first Monday in August).
Downtown and the West End: http://vancouverpride.ca; July-Aug.
For two weeks in the first half of September, the Vancouver Fringe Festival takes over Granville Island and other stages around town with innovative, quirky, and often surprising theater, comedy, puppetry, and storytelling performances. The Waterfront Theatre and Performance Works on Granville Island host some of the larger performances.
Various locations: www.vancouverfringe.com; Sept.
Movie lovers line up at the Vancouver International Film Festival to see the latest releases from Canadian, American, and international filmmakers. Yaletown’s Vancity Theatre (1181 Seymour St.) is the festival’s main venue, but films are shown at other theaters downtown, in Gastown, and elsewhere around the city. The two-week festival begins in late September and runs until mid-October.
Various locations: www.viff.org; Sept.-Oct.
The Vancouver Writers Fest, a week of readings, lectures, and other literary events, features more than 100 authors from across Canada and abroad. Most of the festival events, held the third week of October, take place on Granville Island.
Granville Island: www.writersfest.bc.ca; Oct.
Dinners featuring chefs from across Canada, cooking workshops, a food expo, and lots of other delicious events draw foodies to the week-long EAT! Vancouver Food + Cooking Festival.
Various locations: http://eat-vancouver.com; Oct.-Nov.
East Vancouver artists open their studios to visitors during the popular Eastside Culture Crawl. Whether you’re in the market for artwork or just like to browse, most artists are interested in chatting with visitors during this mid-November weekend. Most of the open studios are located between Gastown and Commercial Drive.
Various locations: www.culturecrawl.ca; Nov.
