It’s finally June! The long sunny days are here with the sun setting past 9 p.m. all month, and summer being right around the corner. Enjoy a plethora of both online and outdoor events happening around the city, from film and food festivals to artistic and musical performances. Why not check out some of the events below happening around town?
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rEvolver Festival 2022
May 25–June 5
rEvolver takes place each May at The Cultch in East Vancouver and will be returning to live, in-person programming. One of the themes in this year’s submissions is the theme of interdependence: the need for community togetherness in order to work through something. Much of this year’s programming hinges on connection: between strangers, within communities and between performer and audience. Many of this year’s shows engage the relationship to one’s own mind and body, the impacts of systems of oppression on that relationship and the discovery of how we can heal through connecting our experiences with other people’s. For a list of events, check out the Up in the Air Theatre’s website.
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Human Rights Watch Film Festival
May 26–June 2
https://hotdocs.ca/whats-on/cinema-series/hrw-film-festival
The Human Rights Watch Film Festival (HRWFF) bears witness to human rights violations in direct storytelling and exposé form, and creates a forum for courageous individuals on both sides of the lens to empower audiences with the knowledge that personal commitment can make a difference. One of the films will be Klabona Keepers, which follows a small group of determined Elders in the village of Iskut as they heal from the wounds of colonization to push back against law enforcement, the government and some of the world’s largest multinational companies. The festival runs from May 26 to June 2 – for a complete list of shows and showtimes, check out the film
festival’s website.
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Songs for a Lost Pod
May 28–29
www.musiconmain.ca/event/songs-for-a-lost-pod/
Music on Main and SFU School for the Contemporary Arts will be presenting the world premiere of singer-songwriter/composer Leah Abramson’s Songs for a Lost Pod in late May. Told from the perspective of various whale species, the songs explore interspecies communication, intergenerational trauma and grief for a polluted planet. Songs For a Lost Pod highlights separation – both animal and human – to one another and to the natural world, with the goal of reconnection through musical communication. For more information, check out Music on Main’s website.
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Yellow Fever
May 28–June 12
Yellow Fever is an award-winning comic mystery by R.A. Shiomi that follows hard-nosed private eye ‘Sam Shikaze’ as he investigates the disappearance of the mysterious ‘Cherry Blossom Queen.’ Set on post-war Powell Street, Yellow Fever deftly navigates complex threads of political intrigue, racism and police corruption with a sharp wit and fast-paced dialogue. A cornerstone in the Japanese-Canadian theatre canon, this is the first time in over 30 years that Yellow Fever will be presented in the Powell Street area where it is set. This special production will mount Yellow Fever in the style of a radio play. Check out the Firehall Arts Centre website for more information.
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15th B.C. Polish Festival
May 29, 1–9 p.m.
The 15th B.C. Polish Festival will be held on May 29 from 1 to 9 p.m. in Port Coquitlam. There will be a free outdoor dance party with bands, traditional cuisine and beverages and arts & crafts, raffles and attractions for children. There will also be an art auction by Polish Artists for Ukraine. Check out the Polonez Tri-City Polish Association website for more information.
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Vancouver International Children’s Festival
May 31–June 5
(May 31–June 12 online)
The Vancouver International Children’s Festival inspires and motivates young minds with professional artistic experience that transforms a child’s understanding of the world around them and what is creatively possible. This year’s festival is from May 31 – June 5, 2022 (in-person on Granville Island) and from May 31 – June 12th (online). Join them this spring as they delight, enchant and engage children of all ages. For a complete schedule and list of performers, check out the festival’s website.
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15th Doors Open Richmond
June 2–5
The 15th Doors Open Richmond returns this spring as a free, in-person and online event from June 2–5. All in-person activities will take place on June 4–5, and will be complemented by virtual content available from June 2. Some family-friendly programs this year include: a shuttle tour on June 4 that takes visitors to three sites along No. 5 Road (aka the “Highway to Heaven”) – the Az-Zahraa Islamic Centre, Lingyen Mountain Temple and the Richmond Jamia Mosque, a tour of Saint Germain Bakery’s central facility where cakes and pastries are produced – ending with a sample tasting, workshops on how to bring drawings and figurines to life using stop-motion technology at the Richmond Media Lab and hands-on activities and demonstrations at Fire Hall #1, Richmond’s largest and busiest fire hall. The event celebrates Richmond’s diversity and brings together the many communities that comprise the city. It’s a chance for residents and tourists alike to become more familiar with local businesses, organizations, museums, places of worship and more.
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Bridge Festival
June 3–4
The Bridge Festival at Ambleside Park in West Vancouver celebrates B.C.’s diversity with immersive cultural experiences, flavours from around the globe and live performances from over 30 local and international performers. Mingle with friends while experiencing the very best that our communities have to offer with the iconic Lions Gate Bridge as a backdrop. With a 250-foot zip-line, cultural pavilions, international food and more, there is something for every member of the family
to enjoy!
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Ghosts of the Machine
June 3–Aug. 14
Whether browsing the internet, playing a video game, checking social media or wearing a VR headset, users entering online spheres assume they are stepping away from reality. Why are digital experiences so often thought of as existing outside of real life? The international group of artists in Ghosts of the Machine, showing at The Polygon in North Vancouver, reminds us that despite its otherworldly lustre, cyberspace cannot be separated from the “real world”. It is an extension of our societies, economy and ecosphere. Through the glowing interfaces associated with digital media, these artists constantly point back to the world offline. By defying the imaginary boundary between online and offline worlds, they slip across other made-up binaries: between human versus nonhuman, technology versus nature. They reveal how these things do not exist in opposition to each other, but are in fact continuous and fluidly interconnected.
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Day of Music
June 4
The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra will be returning the Day of Music to Downtown Vancouver with free performances by artists and organizations from across the Lower Mainland, and a host of family-friendly activities by the VSO School of Music. Enjoy performances and activities by the VSO and others as people come together and celebrate the joy and fun of music. Check out the Day of Music website for
more information.
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Planted Expo Vancouver
June 4–5
Over 200 vegan edible and lifestyle businesses will be at the Vancouver Convention Centre along with a stage packed with insightful, informative, inspirational speakers from around the world to discuss the present and future of plant-based alternatives in our daily diet. Check out the expo’s website for tickets and more information.
