Welcome to the peak of summer in Vancouver! It’s the hottest time of year both outside and on the events calendar which is packed with activities and things to do from Vancouver to the valley. This weekend Miss604 is sponsoring Summer at Burnaby Village Museum. Find this and many more things to do listed below:
Weekend Events in Vancouver Things to do July 7-9, 2023
Ripe tomatoes, crisp corn, juicy berries and more are ready to be savoured this season. Enjoy shopping for fresh, local produce and artisanal goods at these farmers markets in the Fraser Valley this summer:
The Fraser River sustains life for most communities in south west BC. With some of the worlds best farmland, this region’s farmers provide a steady stream of food: berries, peppers, artisan cheeses and dairies, fresh meats, eggs and more.
Enjoy the freshest food the season has to offer with the help of the BC Farmers’ Market Trail to find markets all across the province this Summer. This mobile site helps shoppers quickly find the nearest market or search for markets by region, community, season, days open, market name, and other features such as whether they’re dog-friendly or wheelchair accessible.
Fort Langley National Historic Site has launched a new exhibit in collaboration with Semiahmoo First Nation and Museum of Surrey called: Che’ Semiahmah-Sen, Che’ Shesh Whe Weleq-sen Si’am / (I am Semiahmoo, I am Survivor of the Flood).
Opening event – Photo credit Parks Canada
Che’ Semiahmah-Sen, Che’ Shesh Whe Weleq-sen Si’am / (I am Semiahmoo, I am Survivor of the Flood)
At the opening event, Semiahmoo First Nation expressed appreciation to Kwantlen First Nation for welcoming the exhibit to the area. The exhibit was originally developed in partnership between the Museum of Surrey and Semiahmoo First Nation, and will be hosted in the upstairs area of the Big House throughout the summer.
“This exhibit started in partnership with the Museum of Surrey showcasing the Semiahmoo culture in a modern perspective. It highlights the history and oral history of the Semiahmoo people.”
– Chief Harley Chappell, Semiahmoo First Nation
Through the exhibit, the Semiahmoo First Nation people tell their story with a focus on their oral history, who they are as a people, and their place in the Lower Mainland. Visitors will take a journey focusing on Semiahmoo’s story as it relates to land and water, spoken from the traditional knowledge of the Nation’s Chief Harley Chappell. Throughout the exhibit, visitors can view cedar baskets, dioramas of reef net sites and summer villages, and items related to present-day Semiahmoo that will tell the story of the nation and its journey in the past and present.
This collaboration is an opportunity for Parks Canada to make space for Indigenous peoples’ histories, voices, and perspectives at Fort Langley National Historic Site, a commitment in response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action 79.
Fort Langley National Historic Site falls within the unceded, ancestral lands of the Kwantlen, Katzie, Semiahmoo, and Matsqui First Nations. This exhibit will provide context into how Fort Langley fits into the communities that have existed locally for thousands of years.
It’s been a Vancouver summer tradition over the last eight decades and you can enter to win your way in to Theatre Under the Stars in Stanley Park this summer! The 2023 season, from July to August, features performances of The Prom and Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical.
Theatre Under the Stars at Stanley Park’s Malkin Bowl. Photo by Shawn Bukhari.
Win Tickets to Theatre Under the Stars
When: July 6 – August 26, 2023
Previews: July 6 – 9, 2023
Opening Nights: July 11 and 12, 2023
Times: All shows begin at 8 pm except for July 22, 26, & 29 when shows begin at 7:00pm for Fireworks Nights
Where: Malkin Bowl in Stanley Park (610 Pipeline Rd. Vancouver)
I have a pair of tickets to give away to each show! Enter via the contest box and if you’re leaving a comment entry, include which show you’d like to see. I’ll draw a winner for each show:
Set at a small-town high school, The Prom masterfully balances unabashed hopefulness, heartfelt vulnerability, and hard-hitting hilarity. Desperate to improve their public image, four down-on-their-luck Broadway actors rally behind Emma, a teenager whose prom has just been cancelled because she planned to attend with her girlfriend. But their scheming quickly goes sideways, and they ultimately come to learn what everyone is searching for – a place to belong.
Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musicaltakes place in a small English village, where a brilliant little girl with a lively imagination is bullied by her self-absorbed parents and tyrannical headmistress. Through the strength of her whimsical storytelling abilities, she uses her newfound magical powers to ‘fight for the right to be a little bit naughty.’ With toe-tapping songs and outstanding dance numbers featuring a talented cast of young people, this family-friendly stage phenomenon is the perfect TUTS introduction for young audiences.
Follow Theatre Under the Stars on Facebook for the latest show information.
The Indian Summer Festival (ISF) is back for its 13th edition with ten ticketed and free events running from July 6 to July 16, 2023. This year, the carefully curated festival speaks to the theme of “inter/dependence’’ with events hosted in venues across Vancouver.
Indian Summer Festival 2023
“The Indian Summer Festival programming is always guided by our themes that aim to introduce festival goers with new ways to think, feel and perceive the world around us and our role within it,” says Pawan Deol, Executive Director of Cultural Programming. “This year, our curatorial team worked with artists on the “inter/dependence” festival theme to bring us from separateness to connectedness along with a sense of joy and levity with the work.”
Event Lineup
Opening Party: inter/dependence
Thursday, July 6, 2023 at 7:00pm
Performance Works, 1281 Cartwright Street, Vancouver
The legendary art-filled party features a compelling performance by Nisha Patel, the Poet Laureate Emeritus of the City of Edmonton, a trans-continental choral performance weaving together traditional sounds from South Asia, the Middle East and East Africa orchestrated by the singular composer/conductor Hussein Janmohamed along with the Afro-Caribbean rhythms of DJ Nea. Chef Tushar Tondvalkar will curate an exquisite menu featuring Indian Pantry, Kula Kitchen and Ono Vancouver.
The Vessel With Two Mouths – Art Installation by Rajni Perera
July 6 – 13, 2023
Roundhouse (181 Roundhouse Mews, Vancouver)
One of the country’s leading multimedia artists Rajni Perera, is making her Vancouver debut with a new body of work, The Vessel with Two Mouths. Sprung from Perera’s imagination after a month-long residency in her home country of Sri Lanka, this exhibit at the Roundhouse represents her longing for an ancestral home and renegotiates her relationship with her heritage.
Rajni Perera: In Conversation with Devyani Saltzman
Friday, July 7, 2023, at 7:00pm
Djavad Mowafaghian Cinema, SFU Woodwards (149 W Hastings St, Vancouver)
Join Rajni Perera for an in-depth conversation with writer/curator Devyani Saltzman about her practice, her relationship to ancestry and Sri Lanka, and the Vancouver debut of her exhibition, The Vessel with Two Mouths. The talk is followed by a reception at the exhibit itself, at the Roundhouse.
Not What You Expected: Harsha Walia & Anjali Appadurai with Anoushka Ratnarajah
Saturday, July 8, 2023 at 8:00pm
Performance Works, 1281 Cartwright Street, Vancouver
Two powerhouse activists, Harsha Walia and Anjali Appadurai, pushing against the expectations to behave like a model minority, cut through the noise in this honest conversation about compassionate leadership, institutional accountability and transparency, and decolonization. They share what drives them to continue fighting for the things that matter to them and those they love. This conversation is facilitated by interdisciplinary arts organizer and curator Anoushka Ratnarajah.
Watersmeet
Tuesday, July 11, 2023 at 7:00pm
Performance Works, 1281 Cartwright Street, Vancouver
Watersmeet features genre-defying music composed by sitarist Mohamed Assani and an eveningshowcasing a special live musical collaboration between South Asian and Western musicians. Each musical tradition brings rich histories and stories, currents that collide and merge into a new tide that flows into a greater reservoir of creative expression.
Punch Up
Wednesday, July 12, 2023 at 8:00pm
Performance Works, 1281 Cartwright Street, Vancouver
ISF presents a diverse roster of laugh makers for a dynamite night of stand-up! Featuring: Joanne Tsung, whose unfiltered stand-up reflects her experience as a queer, first-generation immigrant settler from Taiwan. Tin Lorica’s deadpan observational storytelling pulls you into ridiculous yet relatable life moments. A Cree-Métis performer, Sasha Mark is known for his diverse comedy showcase, ‘The Sasha Ha-Ha Show.’ Using her Indigenous perspective and fashion-focused lens, Savannah Erasmus creates a fresh and endearing stand-up persona to deliver sharp truths, and Indian Summer Festival favourite Kamal Pandya.
Rhythm Infinitum: Shabazz Palaces & Sarathy Korwar in Concert
Thursday, July 13, 2023, at 7:00pm
Chan Centre for the Performing Arts (UBC 6265 Crescent Rd, Vancouver)
Two visionary artists come together to explore, explode, and break assumptions of the linearity of time. This is an invitation into kaleidoscopic sound worlds, charting pathways from past-present-future. Experience the Afrofuturist hip-hop sonic landscapes of Shabazz Palaces (Seattle) and the Indofuturist world-building of percussionist and polymath Sarathy Korwar (UK).
Svāhā! – Dance Performance with Nova Bhattacharya
Friday, July 14 and Saturday, July 15 2023 at 8:00pm
In addition to a cast of more than 20 performers from almost 30 different dance traditions – everything from Bharatnatyam to Butoh, as well as ballet, jazz and salsa, Svāhā! features local artists in an opening invocation that accompanies the performances. From this experience of communion and solidarity comes a work brimming with life, colour, and revelry of every hue.
Indian Summer Festival Closing Cabaret
Sunday, July 16, 2023, at 7:30pm
Performance Works, 1281 Cartwright Street, Vancouver
The 13th Indian Summer Festival wraps with a party featuring some of our city’s most vibrant young artists! Featuring beats of DJ Vixen Von Flex and DJ Business Bacha, a drag performance led by Batty Banks andan epic trio of musicians presenting a brand-new collaboration featuring trumpeter Feven Kidane, the innovative jazz fusion sounds of Shruti Ramani, and the wondrous bass player Harmeet Kaur Virdee.
Granville Island Public Market – Courtyard (1689 Johnston St, Vancouver)
Celebrate summer in the city with our free ISF music stage in the heart of Granville Island. Join us for a day of incredible live music in the Public Market Courtyard at the foot of False Creek.
