Single tickets are now on sale for Bard on the Beach's 2026 season, running June 9 to September 19

Special events include Wine Wednesdays, Family Days, and the all-new Bard After Dark cabaret nights

SPONSORED POST BY Bard on the Beach

Melissa Oei (left) and Jennifer Lines in The Merry Wives of Windsor. Photo by Emily Cooper

 
 

Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival returns to Sen̓áḵw/Vanier Park from June 9 to September 19, and single tickets are now available for purchase. The 37th season features a blend of Shakespearean comedy and tragedy with unique adaptations of Greek classics.

On the BMO Mainstage, Rebecca Northan directs a laugh-out-loud, music-filled production of The Merry Wives of Windsor, adapted by Bruce Horak with Northan. Set in a fictional, soccer-obsessed Vancouver suburb, this production guarantees laughter, mischief, and merriment. It plays in repertory with Macbeth—adapted and directed by Stephen Drover, the tragic tale uses stark design and stylized visuals to heighten themes of power and paranoia.

Over in the Douglas Campbell Theatre, local playwright Kate Besworth’s bold adaptation of Sophocles’s Antigone, directed by Ming Hudson, tells the emotionally potent story of a generational reckoning. And in Goblin:Oedipus, Wug, Kragva, and Moog bring chaotic curiosity and hilarious audience interaction to John Murrell’s adaptation of Sophocles’s Oedipus the King.

Several special events are taking place over the summer. New this year is Bard After Dark, a cabaret with drinks, laughs, and improv in the Douglas Campbell Theatre. Happening throughout August every Friday night at 10 pm, it features a rotating cast of some of Canada’s best improvisors. An additional ticket is required.

Wine Wednesdays promise exclusive tastings on July 8, August 12, and September 2, while Bard Pride Night on July 31 includes a pre-show celebration with special guests. Matinees on July 11, August 16, and September 6 are Family Days that welcome infants and children under six. There’s also a “Pay-What-You-Will” Relaxed Performance of The Merry Wives of Windsor on July 5.

Bard Club matinees are a chance to make new friends during pre-show talks and lively discussions at intermission; RSVP by adding Bard Club to a ticket on July 15, August 5, and August 26. More free offerings include In A Nutshell pre-show talks, Talkback Tuesdays with cast members, and Bard Explored talks with acclaimed scholars.

The full 2026 season schedule is on the Bard on the Beach website. Tickets are available for purchase online or by phone from the Bard Box Office at 604-739-0559.


Post sponsored by Bard on the Beach.

 
 
 

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