Hopefully the spring season is going well for everyone! With so many cultural events and festivals happening these days, there’s never been a better time to explore the vibrant and diverse city of Vancouver. Whether you’re interested in film, music, art or history, you’re sure to find something to satisfy your interests.
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Bring Back the ‘90s!
April 20–May 27
Let’s go back to a simpler time of boy bands, lava lamps and mixtapes where your biggest worry was which VHS to rent on a Friday night! I think we can all agree – WE MISS THE ‘90s! This nostalgic, energy-packed improv show will transport you to the good ol’ days of dunkaroos and Bop-Its. So, throw on a neon scrunchie, join the ‘live studio audience’ and help The Improv Centre create the ultimate ‘90s Improv Comedy Show! For tickets and more information, check out The Improv Centre’s website.
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Bright Futures
April 26, 2023–January 14, 2024
Bright Futures brings together the innovative art of Bill Reid with new works by contemporary emerging and established Indigenous artists of the Northwest Coast. To celebrate the life of Bill Reid 25 years after his death, contributing artists were invited to ponder and critique the question: How is Bill Reid continuously inspiring contemporary Northwest Coast artists? Bright Futures is both a retrospective on how Northwest Coast art has evolved over the past 25 years and an invitation for the next generation of Indigenous artists to continue to create bright futures for Northwest Coast art. There will be an opening celebration on April 25 from 6–8 p.m.
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Party for the Planet 2023
April 29, 11 a.m.–7 p.m.
The Party for the Planet returns to the Surrey Civic Plaza on April 29. Sit and learn about various environmental topics in their Speaker Series. The Environmental Workshops encourage active participation and inspire you to learn about different sustainable topics. There will also be many performers, food trucks, exhibitors and a plant sale. For more information about the party, please check out the City of Surrey’s website.
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The Flying Dutchman
April 29–May 7
Based on a European maritime legend, The Flying Dutchman tells the haunting story of a sailor and his daughter who encounter a ghost during a storm on the sea. The Dutchman, who has been condemned to wander for eternity, is searching for a bride to finally bring him peace. This tragic tale of love and sacrifice is the composer’s first masterpiece and features magnificent orchestration of Wagnerian proportions. This will be a new production for Vancouver Opera. For tickets and cast information, please visit the Opera’s website.
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Peace Arch International Sculpture Exhibit
May 1–Oct. 31
www.blainebythesea.com/events/peace-arch-celebrates-100-years
Come and see the work of international artists at the 25th Annual International Peace Arch Art Exhibit in beautiful Peace Arch Park straddling the U.S./Canadian border. The International Peace Arch Association hosts this event, open to all park guests. Artwork is selected through a juried panel that selects the art based on its artistic impression, quality, durability, aesthetics, and community appropriateness. So come out and enjoy some amazing artwork! And don’t forget to pick up a sculpture brochure while you’re there.
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Art Vancouver 2023
May 4–7
Art Vancouver’s international art fair kicks off at the Vancouver Convention Centre, West from May 4–7, 2023. This year, Art Vancouver hosts new artists and galleries from around the world, celebrating a multitude of voices from a diverse cultural breadth. The representation of artists from Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas emphasizes Vancouver as a destination city for artists, collectors and art lovers alike. Featuring 37 artists from across the country, connecting local and national artists who are selling their work to an international audience of collectors and galleries. With the emergence of artificial intelligence this year’s Art Talks assembled a panel of experts in Artificial Intelligence to discuss this new era of technology, exploring the future of art and how artificial intelligence will instigate a shift in the current paradigm.
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DOXA Documentary Film Festival
May 4–14
DOXA Documentary Film Festival, Western Canada’s largest documentary film festival, returns to present the 22nd edition, screening in theatres May 4 through May 14, 2023. DOXA will screen its roster of crucial and thought-provoking documentaries in theatrical venues across the city, bringing filmmakers and audiences together for a communal cinema experience. And for folks who prefer to view from the comfort of their own homes, a selection of festival films will be available to stream online after festival dates, between May 15 and 24, 2023.
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The Sacrifice – Dada Masilo (South Africa)
May 5–6, 8 p.m.
With The Sacrifice, choreographer Dada Masilo explores the minimalism and connection with nature and animals of Tswana dance through the lens of Pina Bausch’s interpretation of Igor Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring. Masilo, who grew up in South Africa in a Xhosa environment, and rose to the highest heights of European ballet, explores her own origins with her trademark combination of traditional, contemporary, and classical dance. The Sacrifice is an exploration of the pain and suffering humans can inflict on each other. What must we sacrifice? How can we start again differently? Is sacrifice essential for change? On the stage, four musicians and 10 dancers form a community whose humour and rituals make cruelty bearable – just. For more information, check out the DanceHouse’s website.
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Unexpecting
May 5–21
Married couple Annie & Josephine have been trying to start a family for the past 5 years. As their patience and pennies have dried up, and they start to second-guess themselves, their chance at a baby literally bursts through their front door. Unexpecting explores marriage, friendship and modern motherhood. Playing this May at Studio 16 of the Zee Zee Theatre Company. Check out the theatre’s website for more information.
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Star Wars in Concert: Revenge of the Sixth
May 6, 8 p.m.
Hear your favourite music from a galaxy far, far away, performed live at The Chan Centre for the Performing Arts at UBC. Jaelem Bhate leads the orchestra through Imperial March, Across the Stars, Battle of the Heroes, Duel of the Fates, Princess Leia’s theme and much more! Celebrate the music of John Williams and his inspirations in this one-night-only event. For tickets and more information, check out the Chan Centre’s website. Come in costume, enter to win prizes and may the force be with you…
