September is here and it’s back to school, but not quite back to normalcy. With the fourth wave here and rising COVID-19 case counts due to the Delta variant, we’re not out of the woods yet with this global pandemic. As always, wash hands, wear a mask indoors and stay safe everyone!
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Fort Langley Jazz Festival
Sept. 2–5
The Odlum Brown Fort Langley Jazz & Arts Festival is a not-for-profit organization whose mandate is to enrich cultural life in the Fraser Valley by bringing emerging and established jazz acts and visual artists to Fort Langley. The annual festival is typically held over the last weekend of July and draws thousands of residents and visitors to the streets of the community. The 2021 version of the festival was delayed to September and will feature a mix of limited capacity, socially distanced live shows and live streamed events. For a list of headliners for the festival, check out their website.
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ScotFestBC: The British Columbia Highland Games
Sept. 3–4
ScotFestBC – the British Columbia Highland Games & Scottish Festival – is held at Lafarge Lake Park in Coquitlam, just steps away from the Lafarge Lake-Douglas Skytrain station. Join the Scots for all the fun of a great west coast highland games, with pipe bands, caber tossing, lots of piping, dancing, singing, a whisky school, live Celtic music and more. Check out the ScotFestBC website for a complete and updated list of events and information.
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Place des Arts Gallery Exhibitions
Sept. 3–Oct. 20
Visit the Place des Arts Gallery as they unveil three new exhibits for the month of September. Check out the artwork of the teachers of School District 43, creative individuals who are dedicated to pursuing their own art practices in connection with, and outside of, their duties of teaching students. The atrium exhibit showcases Korean ceramics, pottery created in the traditional Korean style by the Clay for You artists. Vancouver-based visual artist Kiranjot Kaur will be showcasing Sovereign Elevations, featuring acrylics, inks and sculptures of the Sikh dastaar headgear, an important component of a Sikh’s identity.
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Nikkei Matsuri – Mini Matsuri
Sept. 4–5
www.nikkeimatsuri.nikkeiplace.org
This summer, Nikkei Matsuri returns with Mini Matsuri on Sept. 4 & 5! Planning is underway for a scaled-down event with a health and safety plan. They plan to showcase Japanese dances and local artists – a complete list of events will be on their website. Follow them on social media to hear the latest updates.
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Vancouver Fringe Festival
Sept. 9–19
This year, the Vancouver Fringe Festival runs from Sept. 9 – 19, and the opening night is on Sept. 8. The theme is renewal, working to translate ideas into artwork. This year’s festival is a hybrid festival: 15 in-person shows, two live stream shows and more than a dozen pre-recorded digital shows. Four venues on Granville Island are ready for this year’s festival, including the Revue Stage, Ron Basford Park, Picnic Pavilion and Performance Works where a bar will be available for your enjoyment. For tickets and a list of show performances, check out the festival’s website.
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Light Up Chinatown!
Sept. 11–12
www.chinatownfoundation.org/light-up-chinatown
Light Up Chinatown! is a community event presented by the Vancouver Chinatown Foundation and the Vancouver Chinatown Business Improvement Area Society that kickstarts the return of friends and visitors back to Vancouver’s beloved Chinatown, featuring live entertainment, food trucks, lights, decorations and more! The Light Up Chinatown! lights and lanterns will act as beacons by creating vibrancy in the neighbourhood and a picturesque reminder of the unique and cultural history Chinatown holds. Check out the Foundation’s website for more information.
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F-O-R-M 2021
Sept. 13–18
The Festival of Recorded Movement will be sharing movement-based films by youth and emerging artists for a sixth year. At F-O-R-M 2021, expect to see more exciting expressions and intersections of movement and film that embody community and culture. The festival will be sharing 20 short films from around the world, screening nine world premiere short films from the 2021 Commissioned Artists over two days (Sept. 17-18), and offering artist talks, workshops, technology and interaction and the signature FORMations filmmaking jam. Check out their website for more information.
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Jody Wilson-Raybould in Conversation with Dana Gee
Sept. 15, 7 p.m.
As one of the most high-profile political figures in Canada, Jody Wilson-Raybould‘s experience in Trudeau’s Cabinet revealed important lessons about how we must continue to strengthen our political institutions and culture, and the changes we must make to meet challenges such as racial justice and climate change. Inspirational and full of integrity, Wilson-Raybould stood on principle at a critical juncture and resigned when the government failed to uphold its promises. Hear a riveting and timely conversation of this Fall’s Festival on the power of change, and our capacity to implement it, as Wilson-Raybould is joined by journalist Dana Gee online to discuss her latest book.
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We’re Back! Gala Performance
Sept. 18, 8 p.m.
Maestro Otto Tausk and the full Vancouver Symphony Orchestra will take you on an emotional journey of return to the historic Orpheum Theatre. With celebration, meditation, an eye to the future and nod to the past, the VSO will open a season like no other with this very special gala performance. Featuring Beethoven’s Fidelio Overture, excerpts from Massenet and Berlioz, compelling new Canadian voices Dinuk Wijeratne and Barbara Assiginaak and closing with Tchaikovsky’s powerful 5th Symphony, do not miss this once-in-a-lifetime season-opening gala performance.
