The days are becoming longer, summer is just around the corner and there are festivals as far as the eye can see. So take advantage of this amazing time of the year to check out some of the exciting festivals and events, new and returning, happening around town! By the way, The Source celebrates its 20th anniversary in June; we’re grateful to have provided our readers with twenty years of cultural calendar recommendations!
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rEvolver Festival
May 22–June 2
Various venues around Vancouver
rEvolver brings audiences the full range of contemporary theatrical practice, from script-based theatre to devised and site-specific works, staged readings of work-in-progress and in-depth discussions with artists. Presenting adventurous, high energy and sophisticated new work by emerging companies and artists, the festival is dedicated to offering professional presenting opportunities to emerging professional theatre artists and companies. For a complete list of shows and performances, please check out the Up In the Air Theatre website.
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Philippines Historama –The Birth of a Nation
May 25, 2–5 p.m.
Frederic Wood Theatre at UBC, University Endowment Lands
With a cast of over 100 local Filipino artists and performers, who are volunteers from the community, Philippines Historama – The Birth of a Nation chronicles the struggles and sacrifices of the Filipinos. It relates how they broke free from the bondage of foreign colonizers and pushed against the mismanagement of elected government officials from the time independence was granted to the country in 1898. Through storytelling, traditional dance and songs, this theatrical performance will help the audience understand the little-known history of a country with one of the highest rates of migrants and immigrants crossing the Pacific to seek a better life for themselves and their families.
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Twenty-First AnnualEuropean Festival
May 26, 11 a.m.–6 p.m.
Deutsches Haus at the Vancouver Alpen Club, Vancouver
After a one year hiatus, the European Festival returns to Vancouver to showcase the myriad cultures of Europe. Admire authentic ethnic dress, and get swept away by traditional dancing like the German Schuhplattler, the Spanish Flamenco and the Serbian Kolo. Come and experience Europe, from east to west, as seen through the eyes of Europeans. On the last Sunday in May, EuroFest BC Society will bring unity through diversity to the Lower Mainland with the colours, music and food of Europe!
Turkic Festival performer.| Photo courtesy of Turkic World Spring Festival.
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Third Turkic World Spring Festival
May 26, 12–8 p.m.
Shipbuilders’ Square, North Vancouver
The Turkic Festival will take place at the Shipbuilders’ Square in North Vancouver on May 26. The festival will celebrate mutual cultural ties between Canada and Turkic countries, featuring cultural showcase performances from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey and Turkmenistan. There will be cultural activities, folk rituals, live musical performances and more. Please check out the festival’s website for more information!
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Vancouver International Children’s Festival
May 27–June 2
Granville Island, Vancouver
The Vancouver International Children’s Festival will be back at Granville Island from May 27 to June 2 ready to delight, enchant and engage children. The 2019 festival will feature dazzling performances from artists far and wide. From local treasures to rare and exotic finds, these captivating performers will put a smile on your child’s face and hopefully even make you hoot with laughter. Please check out their website for a complete list of performers and activities.
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Artworks by August Bramhoff and the “City Squares” Project
May 30–June 29
The Gallery at The Cultch, Vancouver
The Gallery at The Cultch is a community focused space dedicated to providing progressive art to the residents of Vancouver’s East Side. It consists of two spaces, the Cafe Hallway and Lobby, and exhibits 30 to 40 artists every year. For most of June, the Gallery will be hosting the works of four artists: visual artist August Bramhoff, acrylic painter Martha Jablonski-Jones, textile artist Judy Ann Villett and pen & ink artist John Steil. There will be an opening reception from 6–8 p.m. on May 29.
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Bridge Festival
May 31–June 1
Ambleside Park, West Vancouver
www.westvancouver.ca/arts-
The Bridge Festival is a two-day multicultural event taking place on May 31 and June 1 at Ambleside Park in West Vancouver. The festival invites everyone to discover and share the tastes, sights and sounds of West Vancouver’s diverse culture. This new festival will include interactive cultural pavilions, musical and dance performances, a parade, great food and much more!
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Japan Market: Early Summer Fair
June 2, 11 a.m.–6 p.m.
Robson Square Plaza, Vancouver
www.facebook.com/events/
The Japan Market will be holding their early summer fair at Robson Square Plaza, featuring vendors, yummy food, unique Japanese crafts & merchandise, karate demonstrations, cultural workshops, live music performances by Kotojir, Okinawa Ryuku Taiko and more. Admission by donation. Workshop sign-ups are available now. Please check their Facebook page under upcoming events for more details.
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Kellie Orr: ephemera + apparitions
June 8–July 20
Seymour Art Gallery, North Vancouver
Australian artist Kellie Orr’s highly realistic oil paintings use nuanced symbolism to reflect contemporary societal expectations, consumerism and popular culture. Her paintings reference prevailing contemporary Western values with particular emphasis on the importance of presenting a perfected identity to the world, whether in person or on social media. Flowers, makeup, mirrors and balloons with reflective surfaces allude to these phantom personas and constructed façades. By bringing together the language of historical painting with modern elements, Orr asks us to consider our place within the complexities of our current cultural landscape.
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Ninth Annual Mid Main Art Fair
June 9, 11 a.m.–6 p.m.
Heritage Hall, Vancouver
www.midmainartists.wixsite.com
The Mid Main Art Fair was established in 2010 by artist Enda Bardell to help promote and sell the work of established artists of the greater Vancouver area. Each year, invited artists show works of art produced in a variety of media and styles during the fair. Abstracts, landscapes, florals, still life and figurative works are rendered in watercolour, oil, acrylic, photography, printmaking and sculpture. Admission is free! For gallery and other information, please visit their website.
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VSO100 Centennial Celebration
June 11, 8 p.m.
The Orpheum Theatre, Vancouver
Since 1919, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra has been a mainstay of the cultural and musical fabric of Vancouver. Join Maestro Otto Tausk and special guests host Ben Heppner and violinist James Ehnes as the orchestra celebrates its 100th anniversary on June 11 with a diverse lineup of musical selections, from Johann Sebastian Bach and Leonard Bernstein to Antonín Dvořák and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The evening features performances, multimedia presentations and more.
