During Vancouver Pride this summer, Queer As Funk will take to the stage at the Commodore Ballroom to mark a decade of spreading queer joy and positivity through their music.
Queer As Funk will be joined by special guests Marcus Mosely (of The Sojourners) and Beau Wheeler.
For the last decade the band has been a transformative force within the 2SLGBTQI+ community, using their music as a catalyst for joy, acceptance, and social justice.The band intends to use the anniversary performance as an opportunity to gather the queer community and allies to lead with love, especially in the face of rising discrimination against trans and queer folks.
At its core, Queer As Funk was born from a desire to celebrate diversity, using music as a tool to spread that positivity throughout the community. As one of the few predominantly queer and non-binary bands in the province, their shows are not only dynamic and entertaining, but a powerful statement of pride and identity.
Throughout their ten-year history, Queer As Funk has been dedicated to visiting small communities to provide celebration and visibility to queer individuals looking to gather, connect, and strengthen their communities. They aim to inspire queer youth by offering themselves as models for living full, joyful lives as successful queer adults, and; as the band’s love for one another is palpable in performances, models for celebrating queer friendship, love, and chosen family.
Alongside their commitment to social justice, Queer As Funk has also earned a reputation as a powerful and entertaining band. Their tight horn arrangements, groovy rhythms, and powerful vocals have won over fans at music festivals and Pride events across Canada.
This anniversary celebration promises to be a night of love, joy, and powerful music, as the band showcases ten years of triumphant dedication to uplifting the 2SLGBTQI+ community. Follow the band on Facebook for more info and updates.
The Chan Centre for the Performing Arts at UBC and Musqueam present the second annual Indigenous festival, ʔəm̓i ce:p xʷiwəl (Come Toward the Fire). On September 16, 2023, ahead of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, the festival features free outdoor programming showcasing the diverse talents of Indigenous Peoples from Musqueam and Indigenous nations across Turtle Island (North America).
Admission to all festival events is FREE for Indigenous Peoples, however, tickets are required for the evening concert
In addition to the performances, the festival will feature an Indigenous artisan market, food vendors, film screenings, workshops and speakers. More details will be announced later this summer.
Eastside Arts Society presents its 3rd CREATE! Arts Festival in Strathcona Park on Saturday, July 22 and at various Eastside Arts District studios on Sunday, July 23, 2023.
A community initiative designed to welcome guests to explore, learn, and create art together with local artists, CREATE! Arts Festival features a wide variety of accessible visual and performing arts workshops for adults and youth, including watercolour painting, needle felting, indigo dying, pottery, glass fusing, photography, ukulele, Salish singing, storytelling, and much more.
CREATE Arts Festival – Photo Credit Wendy D
CREATE Arts Festival
Workshops are $35 + GST for youth/adults, with the exception of Amberlie Perkin’s workshop for children/youth at $20 + GST.
Children under the age of 12 must be supervised by an adult.
The general public can access festival activities at Strathcona Park – including the CREATE! Art Zone, Festival Art Shop, beer garden, and food trucks for a $5 general admission fee (children under age 12 are free).
On Saturday, July 22, the festival will offer a series of outdoor art-making workshops taught by more than 15 artists who live and/or work in the Eastside Arts District, many of whom will be participating in CREATE! Arts Festival for the first time.
Adult and youth workshops will be hosted by Taaye Wong, Tanna Po, Suzan Marczak, Nima Nasiri, Naomi Yamamoto, Niki Holmes, Ross den Otter, Daphne Roubini, Russell Wallace, Naomi Steinberg, Nicole Caspillo, Nathaniel Marchand, Eri Ishii, and Chantal Cardinal (FELT à la main with LOVE). A children and youth workshop will be hosted by Amberlie Perkin and an all-abilities workshop by Alternative Creations Studio.
Saturday festivities at Strathcona Park will also include a general admission CREATE! Art Zone. Art demonstrations include painting, pottery, and glass beading from Francis Tiffany, Julia Chirka (summer skool), and members of Terminal City Glass Co-op.
Public participation art projects include a life-size colouring mural with Serena Chu of Chu Chu, squeegee art with Joanne Probyn, and the building and performing of two giant crow puppets – in honour of Eastside Arts Society’s unofficial mascot – with Jacquie Rolston. Opus Art Supplies will have a hands-on block carving and printing activation, as part of the CREATE! Art Zone. Carve and pull a mini-block print, and contribute to a collaborative printmaking collage.
CREATE Arts Festival Tents – Photo Credit Wendy D
A selection of local handmade artworks and goods, curated by OH Studio Project, will be available at the Festival Art Shop. On site, visitors can also enjoy the festival’s fully licensed beer garden serving beer, cider, and wine, from Strange Fellows Brewing, as well as a delicious assortment of food from a collection of food trucks, including Earnest Ice Cream, Wak Wak Burger, Mahshiko, and Camion Café.
July 22 will see the return of the beloved crowd favourite event, the 8th Annual Art! Bike! Beer! Crawl Fundraiser and tour, which for the first time will end at the CREATE! Arts Festival grounds where attendees will enjoy a final tasting pint, food, raffle, and the CREATE! Art Zone.
Festival activities will move indoors on Sunday, July 23, connecting participants with art production spaces in neighbouring Eastside art studios, with additional art workshops hosted by members of the Terminal City Glass Co-op, Richard Tetrault, Sonya Iwasiuk, Grace Lee (eikcam ceramics), and Naomi Yamamoto. View a full schedule online here.
Enter to Win
I have a prize package valued at over $175 to give away! It includes tickets to the Composing with Cameras workshop (at 10:00am on July 22nd at Strathcona Park) so you can amp up your photo-taking. The winner will also receive a $100 Opus gift card and a CREATE cap. Here’s how you can enter to win:
Surrey’s Honeybee Centre is hosting their annual Honeybee Festival, which includes everything from beekeeping demos and food trucks, to an artisan market, activities for the whole family, and the famous Bee Beards!
Some of the vendors at the Surrey Honeybee Festival
Honeybee Festival in Surrey
When: Saturday, July 15 & Sunday, July 16, 2023
10:00am to 4:00pm daily
Where: 7480 176 St, corner of 176th and the Fraser Hwy in Surrey
The Honeybee Centre is a commercial honey farm, country store, educational facility, CFIA registered packing facility, visitor attraction, and more. Their beekeeping operations are centred around the pollination of multiple fruit crops so they can produce a variety of sweet, specialty honeys for everyone to enjoy. They also work with blueberries, raspberries, and cranberries for local growers, and have even become the largest pollinators of blueberries in Western Canada.
Throughout the summer they will also host a variety of workshops, from Summer Bee Camp to Junior Beekeepers.
You can find a list of Honeybee Festival vendors in this post. Shop the Honeybee Centre online anytime or at the store 7 days a week from 10:00am to 6:00pm. Follow along on Instagram for the latest news and updates.
The Kitsilano Showboat has been entertaining Vancouverites at the beach since 1935. This free community stage provides a venue for entertainers of all ages and all backgrounds from across the Lower Mainland.
The Showboat will celebrate Canadian Multiculturalism Day Tuesday, June 27 with an eclectic and vibrant starting at 7:00pm. Author, journalist, and political commentator Hadani Ditmars will sing “O Canada” acapella in English and French, then Vancouver-based independent singer-songwriter Norine Braun will take to the stage, accompanied byAlice Fraser on keyboards and harmony vocals. A long-time supporter of Showboat, Norine is an award-winning artist in the roots rock, blues and jazz vein. She has received many awards, including the Canada Council for the Arts Award and a First Peoples’ Cultural Council Award.
The Bright Sunset Chinese Dance Group will then perform in authentic, colourful and beautiful costumes as they present various classical and folk dances from China. Bright Sunshine’s aim is to share the rich variety of Chinese culture and to encourage seniors to stay healthy, fit and active.
The highlight of Canadian Multiculturalism Day will be performances by Kohania, a professional, dynamic and multitalented group of Ukrainian refugees. They’re currently in Canada under the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) program, one of the special measures the Canadian government has taken to support the people of Ukraine. CUAET offers Ukrainians and their family members free, extended temporary status and allows them to work, study and stay in Canada until it is safe for them to return home. Kohaina (which means “love” in Ukrainian) will hold you spellbound with multi-instrumental music, gymnastics and dance.
On Friday, June 30th the Showboat will host the 15th Field Regiment Band, and on July 1st there will be festivities from 3:00pm to 9:00pm.
The Royal City Concert Band and West Vancouver Concert Band will perform on Friday, July 7th, and on Saturday, July 8th enjoy the talents of Halau Kia’O Ka Hula and Dunvegan Dance Academy. Wailele Wai Wai and Vancouver Dorfmusik will perform Friday, July 14th and there will be a special fundraising showcase on Saturday, July 15th. The Showboat will also be active during KitsFest August 11-13.
All performances are free to attend. The full summer schedule is available online and you can follow on Facebook for updates.
About Kitsilano Showboat
Kitsilano Showboat is a beloved Vancouver institution that dates back to 1935, when it was launched to keep unemployed entertainers performing for audiences that couldn’t afford entertainment. Since then generations of local performers have treated audiences to shows spanning the whole entertainment gamut, all set against the magnificent backdrop of English Bay and the North Shore mountains.
