It’s already May in Vancouver and there is no shortage of cultural events to attend. Please do enjoy the amazing weather outside, but if you are looking for some events to attend, why not check out some of the following around town. From art galas to dancing and public salons to festivals, there’s something for everyone.
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Music on Main:A Month of Tuesdays
May 3–31, every Tuesday, 8 p.m.
Fox Cabaret, Vancouver
Enjoy a glass of wine at the Fox Cabaret while listening to the musical stylings of Composer in Residence Caroline Shaw on May 10, be captivated by a string quartet’s rendition of Franz Schubert’s music on May 17, or watch a multimedia space opera about two aliens visiting Earth for their honeymoon on May 24.
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Sam Sullivan’s 25th Public Salon
May 4, 7:30–9 p.m.
Vancouver Playhouse
The Global Civic Policy Society will be hosting their 25th salon featuring notable individuals who have contributed to the civic wellbeing of the city through their profession or research. This salon will feature a VSO Composer, a social photographer, a forensic psychologist and cultural communicators, among others.
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DOXA Documentary Film Festival
May 5–15
Various Locations
The annual documentary film festival returns to Vancouver for the 15th time to showcase innovative and inventive stories filmed here in Canada and around the world. This year’s feature subjects will include films by Arab filmmakers, films about black lives and films about the nature of borders and boundaries. There will also be a free presentation showcasing the history of Canadian cinema on May 7, 4–5 p.m. at SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts.
Watch the Inupiaq people facing the realities and consequences of climate change in Kivalina, playing at DOXA.
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Cinco de Mayo en la Casa de Amigos
May 7, 4–10 p.m., 19+
Robson Square, Vancouver
Cinco de Mayo is on May 5, but on Saturday, May 7 at Robson Square, Vancouver gets to partake in the celebration of all things Mexican. For the 19+ crowd, there will be tacos and churros, Mariachi bands and Luchador wrestlers, and, of course, plenty of tequila and margaritas.
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Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun: Unceded Territories
May 10–Oct. 16
Museum of Anthropology, University of British Columbia
Vancouver artist Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun will be showcasing his latest paintings, drawings and sculptures examining the history of colonization of First Nations people and the ongoing struggles they face in the present. A locally respected artist and Emily Carr graduate, Yuxweluptun melds traditional modernist art with Indigenous imagery to create representations of historical and environmental challenges facing the world today. An opening gala will be held on May 10 at 7 p.m.
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Antonia Hirsch: Boxing Shadows
May 13–June 25
Republic Gallery, Vancouver
Berlin-based artist Antonia Hirsch will be unveiling her latest solo exhibition Boxing Shadows at the Republic Gallery on May 13. Blending the imaginary and the real, Hirsch uses 21st century aesthetics of digital media and communication to examine the theme of “connectedness” in our times. Attend a talk about her artistic philosophy and her latest book, Negative Space, hosted by Western Front on May 12 at 7 p.m.
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Three Lectures on the North
May 18 – 21, 8 p.m.
Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, Burnaby
Parodying the public lecture format, theatre actors will dramatically deliver speeches about the Canadian North, discussing topics ranging from Sir John Franklin’s expedition to Stephen Harper’s Arctic sovereignty. Calling these experimental performances “Oratories,” the Theatre Replacement artists hope to entertain audiences with three different and unique narrations about the Arctic lands on all three nights.
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Together: A Travelling Exhibition on Global Development
May 20–22, 7 p.m.
International Summer Night Market, Richmond
This mobile exhibition hosted by the Aga Khan Foundation will be visiting the International Summer Night Market in Richmond to promote awareness about global poverty. The exhibition will contain interactive multimedia enabling visitors to examine the issues and to think about ways to help reduce poverty in less developed countries.
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The European Festival
May 28–29
Swangard Stadium, Burnaby
The mingling of the myriad European cultures returns to Burnaby’s Swangard Stadium for the 19th time. Try a Ukrainian cabbage roll, while listening to Slovenian music and watching dueling European Medieval and Renaissance combat styles. Don’t forget to down a mug of European beer at the beer garden!
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Vancouver International Children’s Festival
May 30–June 5
Granville Island, Vancouver
Bring the kids out to have a blast at the 39th annual Vancouver International Children’s Festival held at Granville Island. With workshops, music, puppetry plays and variety shows by performance artists from the Netherlands, Mexico, Canada and the United States, there is something to see and do for kids of all ages.
