Cities/YVR

Jamie Lee

TD Jazz Festival
Sat., June 25 – Sun., July 4
Some events free; shows priced individually
Various locations and streaming
coastaljazz.ca

Back again for in-person festivities, Vancouver’s Jazz Festival, as usual, features national and international artists, from Canada to South Korea, playing in public spaces and concert halls. This year, the fest features over 700 artists, 200 performances, 19 venues and more than 60 free shows. Don’t miss legendary blues musician Buddy Guy (Sat., June 25, Queen Elizabeth), pianist Amanda Tosoff (Tue., June 28, Pyatt Hall) and the Jamie Lee Trio (Sat., July 2, Civic Plaza).

Craft Beer Week
Sat., July 9 – Sun., July 10
Two-day pass is $51
PNE Fairgrounds, 2901 E. Hastings St.
vancouvercraftbeerweek.com

In Vancouver, Craft Beer Week is much more than a simple celebration — it’s a bona fide event, with live music, food trucks, chef pop-ups and over 200 beers and ciders to taste. This year, catch shows from Titus Bank, Half Moon Run and Skratch Bastid while you sip.

Queer Arts Festival
Sat., June 18 Fri., July 8
Multidisciplinary arts festival
Many events are free; all-access passes are $69 – $150
Various locations
queerartsfestival.com

Vancouver’s expertly curated, avant-garde Queer Arts Festival takes over the city with exhibitions in constant rotation at the SUM Gallery, the Sun Wah Centre, On Main Gallery and more. This year’s theme is Haunting, and exhibitions explore the things that haunt each of us — fear, insecurity, colonialism, oppression and more. Expect to see visual art, performance, music and literary events that celebrate the beauty and diversity of queer identities.

FVDED in the Park
Fri., July 8 – Sat., July 9
Music festival
One-day pass is $140, two-day pass is $200
Holland Park, 13428 Old Yale Rd., Surrey
fvdedinthepark.com

Get your neon bras and hair glitter ready because FVDED in the Park — Greater Vancouver’s coolest major music fest — is back with a sick lineup to celebrate the return to IRL partying. This year, head out to Surrey and catch Young Thug, Nav, 347aidan, Pressa, Manila Grey, Snotty Nose Rez Kids and an all-star lineup of more local talent. With head-banging music and a can’t-miss vibe, this is a summer moment you have to catch.

Khatsahlano Street Party
Sat., July 9, 11 am
Free
4th Avenue, between Burrard and Macdonald
khatsahlano.com

After two years of hiatus, Vancouver’s largest street party is back and taking over the streets of Kitsilano to celebrate its 10th anniversary. The exuberant event sections off bustling West 4th Street to make a pedestrian-only utopia of music, shopping, food, art and more, all by local artists and vendors.

True to Place Art Exhibit
Launches Wed., June 15
$13, with discounts or free admission for seniors, students, and Indigenous peoples
billreidgallery.ca

Launching a yearlong run this June, the Bill Reid Gallery presents an intimate, must-see exhibition of Northwest Coast painters. Curated by artist and muralist Xémontalót Carrielynn Victor (Stó:lō), True to Place: stímetstexw tel xéltel examines the artistic practices of 10 Indigenous artists in all their diversity.

How the West Was One
Tue., June 7 – Sat., June 11, 8 pm
$30
Vancity Culture Lab, 1895 Venables St.
thecultch.com/event

The Cultch theatre knows how to put on a queer, campy show — and this month’s original western-themed comedy does not disappoint. This ensemble show features local talent playing out a 19th century blackjack game gone wrong, and it’s sure to make for a fun night out.

Poetry Project
Until Sun., July 3, 12 pm – 5 pm, Wed. – Sun.
Art show
Free
GALLERY GEORGE, 1502 East Hastings St.
parkerartsalon.com

Art and poetry meet again at the second Poetry Project exhibition. In a collaboration between Beedie Luminaries and ParkerSalon, this show features works of poetry paired with the art that inspired them in a uniquely intimate viewing experience.

Laketown Shakedown
Thurs., June 30 – Sat., July 2
Day and weekend tickets, $128 – $629
648 – 8811 Youbou Rd., Cowichan Lake, Vancouver Island
laketownshakedown.com

This Van Island fest is a bit of a road trip (plus a ferry trip), but with a lineup this cool and a venue this scenic, it’s more than worth it. Can you imagine anything better than camping out in Cowichan Lake while catching acts like Sugar Ray, Wu-Tang Clan, Lights and Arkells?

Seinfeld Burlesque at Rio
Sat., June 25, 8 pm
Live show
$30
1660 E. Broadway
riotheatre.ca/event

This might be one of the weirdest shows the city has to offer, but if you’re a fan of Seinfeld and/or partial nudity, don’t miss it. A burlesque team led by Claire Voyeur plays characters from the Emmy-winning sitcom in a night full of inside jokes, bizarre references and sexual confusion.