Make the most of November while it lasts. As temperatures drop, the city comes alive with festivals, pop-up events and memorable experiences worth braving the cold for. It’s the perfect time to enjoy everything the city has to offer before the December holiday rush begins. This month brings a lively mix of community gatherings, cultural celebrations and shared experiences that make the approaching winter a little easier to forget. Whether you enjoy international film screenings, thought-provoking live theatre or simply exploring the city’s vibrant cultural scene, November offers plenty of opportunities to get out and discover something new. Don’t forget to check out a Remembrance Day ceremony.
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Remembrance Day Ceremonies
Nov. 11
http://www.legion.ca/remembrance/remembrance-day/remembrance-day-ceremonies
There are many Remembrance Day ceremonies happening throughout the Lower Mainland, check out the Legion website for a list of ceremonies. Some of the many Remembrance Day ceremony sites include the Japanese Canadian War Memorial in Stanley Park, Veterans Square in Cloverdale, the Centopah in Port Coquitlam and the Memorial Arch in West Vancouver’s Memorial Park.
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Resonant Bodies
Now until Nov. 21
www.grunt.ca/exhibitions/resonant-bodies
Resonant Bodies explores the intersections of displacement, reconnection and the inherent animacy of more-than-human beings. Artist Naomi Watkins is from the Secwépemc nation, from B.C.’s southern interior. Their work challenges anthropocentric perspectives on belonging, aiming to spark critical dialogue regarding identity, revealing that our sense of place is a collaborative experience shaped by both human history and the living landscapes we inhabit. To encounter the contemporary Indigenous experience through the lens of a two-spirit Secwépemc artist raised away from unceded homelands is to confront the geography of proximal displacement. In this exhibition, spatial dislocation is not merely charted along the asphalt highway connecting the urban sprawl of Vancouver to the inland rivers of Kamloops; it resides in the subtle, enduring friction between presence and absence, ancestral memory and diaspora.
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Lumière 2026
Nov. 12–14, 5–9:30 p.m.
A series of interactive art installations will light up Vancouver from Nov. 12 to 14 in several locations from the West End to Gastown! Lumière is an annual event inspired by light and artistic expression, driven by community and connection. The West End, English Bay, Jim Deva Plaza and the Vancouver Art Gallery North Plaza will come alive this November with a series of light art installations, performances and community building initiatives. Check out the festival’s website for more information.
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Jordan
Nov. 12–15
www.thecultch.com/event/jordan
Created by an Indigenous-led team, with the blessing of Jordan River Anderson’s family, Jordan brings hope and humour to this impactful Canadian story. Directed by Jimmy Blais, the play depicts Jordan River Anderson as a superhero. Awakening in a hospital, Jordan discovers newfound abilities to speak and move, guided by his spirit bear companion, Maskwa. The story addresses the healthcare challenges faced by Indigenous children, highlighting the significance of Jordan’s Principle in ensuring equal healthcare for First Nations youth. Jordan represents hope and resilience, reflecting the broader struggle for justice within Indigenous communities.
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The Importance of Being Earnest
Nov. 12–21
www.capilanou.ca/blueshorefinancialcentre
Often considered Oscar Wilde’s masterpiece, The Importance of Being Earnest sparkles with wit, love, absurdity and laughter. Two dashing young men, Jack and Algernon, discover that they both have been using secret identities to let loose while away from their family obligations. But when they find that their double-lives come with a double-edged sword, Jack and Algernon must untangle a web of deceit to win the hearts of the women they love. There will be a relaxed performance on Nov. 21. Check out the centre’s website for tickets and more information.
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European Union Film Festival
Nov. 12–26
www.thecinematheque.ca/series/euff-2026
The European Union Film Festival, The Cinematheque’s annual trek across the landscapes of Europe’s latest cinema, returns this autumn for a 29th edition. This year’s festival features in-theatre offerings from all 27 EU members. A selection of films will also be available to rent online at euffonline.ca following the conclusion of the in-person festival. The ongoing offensive in Ukraine compels the festival to continue its solidarity screening in support of the embattled EU-candidacy nation, organized in partnership with the Embassy of Ukraine to Canada. Proceeds from this year’s film, the potent documentary Traces, will go towards the humanitarian efforts of the Canada–Ukraine Foundation. The festival remains the premier survey of contemporary European cinema in our country.
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Songs for a New World
Nov. 13–14
www.gatewaytheatre.com/events/new-world
Step into one of Richmond’s most beloved heritage sites, the Minoru Chapel, and be transported into the beautiful music of Songs for a New World. Performed as a concert, this is an intimate song cycle by Tony Award winner Jason Robert Brown. This unique theatrical journey weaves together a series of characters, each standing on the precipice of change, navigating the unknown with courage, fear and determination. Featuring some of the Lower Mainland’s best singers, their voices will paint relatable stories of risk, resilience and the choices that shape our lives. For tickets and showtimes, check out the theatre’s website.
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Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival
Nov. 13–22
The Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival (VIMFF) connects the global outdoor community with international filmmakers, creators and speakers, so that they can inspire, entertain and bring mountain adventure into the homes of viewers. The festival offers mountain film screenings, live multimedia presentations, photography exhibitions, workshops, seminars & other special events. Get inspired for your next adventure with some of the best mountain films of the year. For tickets and showtimes, check out the festival’s website.
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Seventh Annual IndieFest 2026
Nov. 15–21
IndieFest is a performing arts festival reinvigorating traditional forms of storytelling with emerging technologies and genre-defying productions. Now in its seventh year, IndieFest continues to expand artistic practice and nurture equity-deserving voices, bringing people together across mediums, sectors and lived experiences. re:Naissance will present the seventh edition from Nov. 15 – 21. They invite you to join them for groundbreaking works including the Vancouver Premiere of immersive experience CLOUD BODIES, and a two-night showcase of works from re:Naissance’s Convergence Cohort artists. Check out their website for tickets and more information.
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Thirtieth Annual Eastside Culture Crawl
Nov. 19–22
Vancouver’s Eastside Culture Crawl is an annual four day visual arts festival in November that involves 500+ artists on Vancouver’s Eastside opening their studio to the public. The event is focused on the area bounded by Columbia Street, First Ave, Victoria Drive and the Waterfront and involves painters, jewellers, sculptors, furniture makers, weavers, potters, printmakers, photographers, glassblowers and more; from emerging artists to those internationally established.
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From the Deep
Nov. 19, 2026–March 29, 2027
www.moa.ubc.ca/exhibition/from-the-deep
In her first major institutional exhibition, American artist Ayana V. Jackson draws inspiration from the mythic underwater world imagined by Detroit techno duo Drexciya to create a feminist, Pan-African aquatopia inhabited by water spirits from African and Afro-Atlantic traditions. Through photography, immersive video, animation and installation, From the Deep unfolds as an enchanting, contemplative environment that transforms the Atlantic Ocean from a site of trauma brought by the slave trade to a realm of speculative fiction. Myth and memory converge to tell stories of ancestry, resilience and the enduring afterlives of the Middle Passage. In her Afrofuturist world, Jackson offers visitors a space for reflection and repair.
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