The latest arts, culture and other happenings in Vancouver this August, 2023. Have a tip? Email kristi@looselipsmag.com
The PNE Fair 2023: Vancouver’s End-of-Summer Tradition with can’t-miss attractions and entertainment including The SuperDogs, Knights of Valour jousting show, The Flying Fools High Dive Show, Dueling Pianos, an immersive Monet art exhibit, agriculture displays, drag shows, cooking demonstrations, a pyro musical, exhibits, and Summer Night Concerts!
Date: Until September 4
Location: The Pacific National Exhibition at Hastings and Renfrew
Light Up Chinatown! A free two-day outdoor festival with special live performances, Vancouver’s favourite food trucks, colourful lights and lanterns, and fun activities for all ages.
Date: September 9 – 10
Location: 500-block Columbia St; between East Pender and Keefer Street
Word Vancouver: The Word Vancouver Reading & Writing Festival is Western Canada’s largest free literary festival featuring talks and events with authors, journalists, magazine editors, and more. This hybrid online and in-person festival runs through the middle of September at venues around the city. Co-EIC Kristi Alexandra joins the Art of Pitch panel on September 16.
Dates: September 8 – 23
Location: Hybrid online and in-person, mainly at UBC Robson Square
Classification Crisis: A major survey of artist Sonja Ahlers’ 30+ year career, curated by Godfre Leung. Throughout the decades, Sonja has had a knack for capturing the cultural moment in her deeply personal oeuvre of collage art, poetry, books, and zines. She is a touchstone for generations of feminists, starting with her work in the zine and Riot Grrrl subcultures of the 90s.
Date: September 9 – November 5
Location: Richmond Art Gallery
Vancouver International Film Festival: The annual Vancouver International Film Festival showcases exceptional cinema in one of the world’s most beautiful cities. Our spectacular 2023 roster will include some of the best cinema from around the globe, talks, conferences, live performances and other unique events that celebrate film and film culture.
Dates: September 28 – October 8
Location: VIFF Centre and various venues
Vancouver Fringe Festival: Pushing the limits of performing arts in true Fringe fashion, Vancouver Fringe returns with 85+ blistering new acts. From emerging local artists to trailblazing talent from all across the globe, this year will see more theatre, comedy, dance, drag, spoken word and music than ever before!
Date: September 7 – 17
Location: Various venues, Granville Island and beyond
PURE HONEY: CLUB RENAISSANCE: All Beyonce, all night. A pre-concert, heated, Beyoncé dance party of your queer dreams.
Date: September 8
Location: THE BIRDHOUSE by Eastside Studios
Just Off Main – Free Kids Block Party: Join the Mount Pleasant BIA for the Third Just Off Main Block Party in Mount Pleasant, celebrate community with live entertainment and local business vendors.
Date: September 9
Location: 197 E 17th Ave, Vancouver, BC
Beyoncé: Renaissance World Tour: Following the wildly successful release of her seventh studio album, Renaissance, Beyoncé performs the Renaissance World Tour, her first solo tour in over six years.
Date: September 11
Location: BC Place
Great Outdoors Comedy Festival: Performance comedy including acts from locals to superstars, such as Russell Peters, Reggie Watts, Steph Tolev, and Kevin Hart. All while celebrating beautiful parks.
Date: September 15-16
Location: Stanley Park
Global Climate Strike: Join young people, students, parents, teachers and community members at the Global Climate Strike on unceded xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and sə̓lílwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) lands / Vancouver
Date: September 15
Location: Gather at Vancouver City Hall at 1 PM, march at 1:30 pm. Speakers, performances, and activities at 3 PM at the Vancouver Art Gallery.
Doing It For The Dads: A workshop for self-identified dads prep for baby! In a relaxed and non-judgemental space, Brood is here to help you feel prepared for everything from how to change a diaper, comforting your baby, supporting your partner, and navigating your own emotional experiences.This class is designed to run parallel with any prenatal classes you’ve taken with your partner, and will be focused just on you, with 2.5 hours of education and conversation, followed up a happy hour with beers or non-boozy bubbly!
Date: September 16
Location: Kelly&Kelly Creative (196 West 3rd Avenue #Suite 215)
Bard on the Beach: Bard on the Beach is one of Canada’s largest not-for-profit, professional Shakespeare festivals. The 2023 season boasts the Beatles-inspired rendition of As You Like It, plus Shakespeare’s gripping political drama, Julius Caesar, Henry V, and the hilariously interactive Goblin: Macbeth
Date: Until September 30
Location: Sen̓ákw/Vanier Park
Compañía Rocío Molina’s extraordinary masterwork Fallen from Heaven (Caída del Cielo): This show comes to the Vancouver International Flamenco Festival. This Canadian premiere is a radical celebration of womanhood and its contradicting gender roles and sees Molina transform from virtuous beauty to bondage-clad toreador to bloodied avenging angel.
Date(s): September 27-30
Location: SFU Goldcorp (149 W Hastings)
Dressed for History: Why Costume Collections Matter: Costume collectors share their deep knowledge of costume history by showcasing pieces from their collections at MOV. The exhibition makes the case that fashion and costumes are significant and enduring expressions of personal identity and of political and social change.
Date: Until November 1
Location: Museum of Vancouver
Little Shop of Horrors: The sci-fi musical thriller with a killer ’60s sound from The Arts Club. Synopsis: Things start looking up for Seymour, a nerdy flower shop assistant, when he discovers a highly unusual plant during a solar eclipse. This fast-growing and fast-talking new organism, named Audrey Two, attracts fame and helps Seymour win the affection of his crush. But will the price of satisfying the plant’s hunger for human blood prove too steep?
Date: Until October 8
Location: Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage
The Art of Dimension: A vibrant celebration of Haida metalwork practices, and a powerful artistic affirmation of Indigenous knowledge sharing across generations, The Art of Dimension features the copper, gold and silver carving artistry of Haida Gwaii’s lauded Skil Xaaw Jesse Brillon, alongside Bill Reid’s own masterful repoussé works.
Date:Until October 15
Location: Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art (639 Hornby Street)
