The long summer season is here and I hope everyone has a great summer planned! There is a sampling of events to check out below as well as many outdoor summer activities to do. Whatever your plans, make the most of it! Create some amazing summer memories and I’ll see you in late August!
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Shifting Articulations of Asian-ness in Contemporary Canada
July 1–August 29
www.intersectionsinart.com/shifting-articulations
This online exhibition broadens the conversation around “Asian-ness” and complicates what it means to be part of Canada’s Asian diaspora today. Highlighting diverse perspectives within Canada’s Asian communities, this exhibition features twelve artists of Asian heritage who work in a variety of artistic mediums. Their work engages with intersecting narratives, communities and discursive contexts that connect with different points in place and time, which shape the complexities of “Asian-ness” and Asian identities. Although these artists come from diverse backgrounds and contexts, their works reveal shared concerns and connections that are inspired by their personal experiences or those of their respective cultural communities.
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Dancing on the Edge Festival
July 7–16
One of the most eagerly anticipated events in British Columbia’s contemporary dance scene, the 34th annual Dancing on the Edge Festival will kick off on July 7th. Canada’s oldest and longest running contemporary dance festival will host live performances both indoor and outdoor for eagerly awaiting audiences. This year’s festival will once again deliver high calibre, challenging and gorgeous dance delivering innovative and spell-binding works featuring World Premieres, North American and Western Canadian debuts, and works-in-progress from some of the most sought-after contemporary choreographers. Check out the festival’s website for more information.
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Carnaval Del Sol
July 8–10
Vancouver’s own Carnaval del Sol Festival, the biggest Latin American event in the Pacific Northwest is back for the 14th time to promote all the diversity of Latin American culture. Come enjoy an exciting Latin experience: artists, music, food exhibitors, beer garden and family fun. For a complete list of events during the festival, please visit their website.
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Khatsahlano Street Party
July 9, 11 a.m–9 p.m.
The West 4th Avenue Khatsahlano Street Party is Vancouver’s largest free Music + Arts Festival! Created in 2011 by the members of the Kitsilano West 4th Avenue Business Association, Khatsahlano features multiple stages showcasing more than 50 of Vancouver’s top musical performers as well as the eclectic work of local artisans and street performers. This 10-block street fair, spanning from Burrard to MacDonald Street also features a wide variety of food options, bustling patios, giveaways, special activities and licensed beer gardens!
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Vancouver Folk Music Festival
July 15–17
The 45th Annual Vancouver Folk Music Festival lets festival-goers experience the music and culture of more than 40 international, national and local acts. Listen to diverse styles of music, from Cajun tunes and soul jazz-funk to Cree/Irish trip-hop and Arabic musical ensembles, at this internationally renowned festival. Be sure to check out the artisan market and folk bazaar, enjoy the many food vendors set up around the beachfront and have fun at the Little Folks Village for children 12 years and younger. Check out their website for a complete list of performers.
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Diyan Achjadi: Carried Through the Water
July 15–Sept. 18
Carried Through the Water, a solo exhibition held at the Burnaby Art Gallery by Vancouver-based artist Diyan Achjadi, features the beautiful stop motion watercolour animation Hush, alongside new and recent works on paper that explore the impact of human activity on the ecosystem, including shifting of shorelines due to climate change and land reclamation. Through visual storytelling, Achjadi’s work also considers how activities in one location might impact multiple other locations. An ash-cloud from volcanic activity on one island might change the colour of the sky thousands of miles away, and the movement of people, objects, stories, and memories, can have profound effects that reach across oceans.
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2022 Vancouver Bach Festival
July 26–Aug. 6
This year’s Bach Festival by the Early Music Vancouver team explores new territory by fusing Scottish traditional music with Baroque masters. It is well known that Johann Sebastian Bach employed instrumentalists for his church performances who often also played in taverns. We also know that Baroque dance-forms, such as the gavotte and gigue (jig), were born in country dances which were reimagined by composers of the time for courtly circles. Scottish Baroque, a fusion of Scottish traditional music combined with the virtuosity and style of 17th and 18th-century Italian music, began in a pub in Edinburgh’s medieval Old Town. At this year’s Bach Festival, you will hear how traditional melodies weave throughout the concerts at a variety of locations ranging from a cathedral to traditional concert halls from a botanic garden to a Celtic pub with musicians from as far afield as Glasgow, New York, Montreal, and Portland as well as many from closer to home.
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Harmony Arts Festival
July 29–Aug. 7
For over 30 years, the Harmony Arts Festival has been one of the North Shore’s most popular cultural events. The free festival draws crowds from all over the city to celebrate a harmonious balance of visual, culinary and performing arts on the spectacular West Vancouver waterfront. The festival will feature world-class musical performances, inspiring art exhibitions and demonstrations, mouth-watering culinary events, Indigenous showcases, outdoor movies and more!
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Maple Ridge Caribbean Festival
July 30–31
For more than 22 years, the Caribbean Festival has drawn musicians from around the world to the Albion Fairgrounds in the tranquil and beautiful nature in Maple Ridge, British Columbia. Full of music, mingling, good tunes and great times. There will be a launch party on July 28. For a complete list of performers and the event schedule, check out the festival’s website.
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Powell Street Festival
July 30–31, 11:30 a.m.–7 p.m.
Powell Street Festival, returning to the city for the 46th time, is one of the largest and the longest-running community arts festivals in Canada, located in Vancouver’s historic Japanese Canadian neighbourhood, Paueru Gai – today known as the Downtown Eastside. Celebrate with a weekend of exciting programming, musical and theatrical performances, a bustling marketplace and your favourite festival foods. Check out the festival’s website for a full schedule of events and booths.
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Ambleside Music Festival
Aug. 12–14
The GSL Group is excited to announce their three-day Ambleside Music Festival is taking place at Ambleside Park in West Vancouver from Aug. 12 to 14. Combining the striking mountain and waterfront views, the seaside landmark will transform into one of the city’s premiere open-air concert and festival venues. For a complete list of events and performers, please visit the festival’s website.
