The summer solstice this year starts on June 20, but the weather’s been pretty amazing lately; it already feels like summer! Celebrate the start of summer this month by checking out the many events happening around the city, both indoors and outdoors. From festivals and musical performances to art exhibitions and theatrical plays, there is something for everyone. It’s time to get out and enjoy what our great city has to offer. Plus, Father’s Day is on June 16, so why not take your dad out to some of these places too?
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Queer Arts Festival
June 1–30
www.queerartsfestival.com
The Queer Arts Festival returns to Vancouver this month. The Ties That Bind examines the bonds and complexities of Family, be it blood or chosen, and how Queer communities continue to survive and thrive alongside, within, and occasionally despite, traditional family constructs. From collectives to choirs, from drag houses to dance troupes, from the community art show to the many partnerships the festival enjoys year after year, QAF 2024 examines the many ways in which “family” manifests itself in Queer and Queer-arts communities.
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Third Annual Vancouver Greek Film Festival
June 6–27
www.thecinematheque.ca/series/third-annual-vgff
The Vancouver Greek Film Festival begins this year’s event with Z, the chef d’oeuvre of internationally renowned auteur Costa-Gavras, which arguably inaugurated the famous cycle of political thrillers based on true events in the 1970s and 1980s. The festival will also celebrate the acclaimed filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos with The Lobster and The Killing of a Sacred Deer, important transitional works between his Greek Weird Wave films and his Oscar-winning The Favourite and Poor Things. The Greek Film Archive have helped to restore Face to Face, an important nouvelle vague-inflected film of the 1960s. Cult classic Singapore Sling and John Cassavetes’s early studio picture Too Late Blues round out the program, which concludes with Sofia Exarchou’s multiple-award-winning Animal, about a wild summer at an all-inclusive resort on an unnamed Greek island.
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Barbu
June 12–23, 7:30 p.m.
www.thecultch.com/ticket/barbu
Barbu delves into the birth of the circus in Montréal at the turn of the 20th century. Imagine a fairground where spectators are left spellbound by remarkable performances, outrageous feats and unexpected eccentricities! Music, video, circus and kinds of craziness collide as each performer wows the audience with a showcase of spectacular skills. May the boldest heart and the best beard win! Check out The Cultch’s website for tickets, showtimes and more information.
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Museum of Anthropology Reopening
June 13, 5 p.m.
www.moa.ubc.ca
The Museum of Anthropology at UBC will reopen its doors to the public on June 13 at 5 p.m., following an 18-month closure that saw the successful completion of cutting-edge seismic upgrades to its Great Hall, coupled with the revitalization and reinterpretation of displays of Northwest Coast Indigenous carvings, poles, weavings and other works from the past and present. Along with the Museum’s reopening, MOA will present two exhibitions sharing Indigenous perspectives on colonial history: in Pursuit of Venus [infected] (Western Canada premiere) by famed Māori artist, Lisa Reihana and To Be Seen, To Be Heard: First Nations in Public Spaces, 1900–1965 (world premiere). MOA’s reopening this summer coincides with the 75th anniversary of the Museum’s opening to the public.
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Chapter Two by Neil Simon
June 13–30
www.whiterockplayers.ca
The White Rock Players Club season closes with Chapter Two, a comedy-drama from American playwright Neil Simon. This semi-autobiographical play delves into the complexities of past loves coming to haunt the present. The original play premiered on Broadway in 1977, where it ran for 857 performances. Check out the WRPC’s website for tickets and more information.
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Kärma Sounds
June 14, 7 p.m.
www.bluefrogstudios.ca/store/p160/Karmasounds.html
Karina Morin of Kärma Sounds, known for her role in Coco Jafro and chart success with Jaï, blends R&B and electro-soul in her new album. With influences like Sade and Prince, she’s a dynamic performer captivating audiences in Vancouver and beyond, as featured on CBC and Wave 98.3. Catch her live on June 14 for an unforgettable experience.
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92nd British Columbia Highland Games
June 14–15
www.scotfestbc.com
The 92nd British Columbia Highland Games & World Music Festival takes place from June 14 – 15. This year it’s “A Concert of Champions” on the Main Stage overlooking Lafarge Lake. There will be a performance by the Robert Malcolm Memorial Pipe Band, 2nd place Gr. III world champions, plus the SFU Pipe Band Drum Corps, champion highland dancer Marielle Lesperance, Pipe Major Jeff Rowell, our official opening ceremony and of course, the 78th Fraser Highlander’s cannon blast. Piping, drumming & pipe bands competitions, highland dancing, the REMAX Scottish heavy events, whisky school, cultural workshops, a multicultural stage, kids activities and chances to try pipes, drumming, dancing or even caber tossing – it’s a whole day of entertainment for the whole family.
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National Indigenous Peoples Day
June 21
www.indigenousbc.com/2024-national-indigenous-history-month-peoples-day
The Governor General of Canada proclaimed June 21 as National Indigenous Peoples Day in 1996, as an occasion for Canadians to come together, reflect on and celebrate the unique heritage, traditions and knowledge of First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples. There are many celebrations happening throughout B.C., including events at Edmonds Park in Burnaby, Bill Reid Millennium Amphitheatre in Cloverdale, the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre in Whistler and Ambleside Park in West Vancouver. There will be cultural entertainment, physical activities, arts and crafts, Indigenous vendors and storytelling at many of these events.
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Future Memoria
June 22–August 25
www.surrey.ca/arts-culture/surrey-art-gallery/exhibitions/future-memoria
This exhibition traces the spectrum of futurity, a mode of imagining the future in all of its tempting humours and horrors: from lush fantasies of aesthetic splendour and abundance, to the spectres of nuclear apocalypse; from idealistic self-help programs and artificial landscapes, to the dominance of computational thinking and technological solutions; and from the promise of a better life through the democratic nation-state and improved civic infrastructure to the hells of economic scarcity, ecological catastrophe, social breakdown. The worlds of utopia and dystopia coexist, each a dark reflection of the other’s excesses.
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Greek Day on Broadway
June 23
www.greekday.com
There will be a spectacular celebration on June 23 as Greek Day on Broadway marks its 50th anniversary! This year, the festival organizers are going bigger and bolder, inviting you to immerse yourself in the heart of Greek culture right here in our vibrant city. Dive into a day filled with authentic Greek food, live music, traditional dance performances and interactive activities that promise fun for the entire family.
