Queer Arts Festival — Articles

Summer Arts Guide 2026: Must-see Vancouver festivals this soccer-mad season

From world-renowned folk, jazz, and classical musicians to up-and-coming local dance performers and visual artists, make it your goal this summer to catch them all

FESTSJanet SmithJune 11, 2026Bard on the Beach, Queer Arts Festival, 5X Fest, Dancing on the Edge, Pinoy Festival, Strathcona Blocks Party, Gastown Sunday Set, Kitsilano Showboat, Vancouver International Jazz Festival, North Shore Jazz, Alliance Française Vancouver, Polygon Gallery, The Polygon, theatre under the stars, TUTS, Steveston, Taiwanese Canadian Cultural Festival, Vancouver Greek Summerfest, Indian Summer Festival, Khatsahlano Street Party, West Coast Modern WEek, Vancouver Civic Theatres, Carnaval del Sol, VSO, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Vancouver Opera, Vancouver Folk Music Festival, Eastside Arts, CREATE! Eastside Arts Festival, New Works, Mission Folk Music Festival, Early Music Vancouver, Harmony Arts Festival, Powell Street Festival, Vines Art Festival, African Descent Festival, Wreck Beach Butoh, Music on Main, Vancouver Fringe Festival, SUMMER 2025, Summer 2025, Homepage feature, Summer 2026, SUMMEr 2026, SUMMER 2026

With MY HOUSE, Ralph Escamillan brings the spirit of Ballroom to contemporary-dance stage

At The Dance Centre, new FakeKnot production taps into deep community ties to celebrate the family bonds and playful energy behind the voguing

DANCEJanet SmithJune 10, 2026DANCE CENTRE, The Dance Centre, Ralph Escamillan, Queer Arts Festival, Homepage feature, Summer 2026

Queer Arts Festival kicks off with exhibitions “On the Edge”, June 5 to 27

Community Art Show captures a cross-section of experience, while Varied Editions plays with multiple prints of the same image

ART & DESIGN, WHAT'S STIRRINGJanet SmithMay 28, 2026Queer Arts Festival, Summer 2026

Isaiah Collier, Keyon Harrold, and more as Vancouver International Jazz Festival unveils first ticketed shows

Running June 19 to July 5, event also unveils Performance Works Series that includes Haleluya Hailu Plays Ethiopia and Stranger Friends Orchestra with Fredrik Ljungkvist

MUSIC, NEWS, FESTSJanet SmithApril 1, 2026Vancouver International Jazz Festival, Coastal Jazz, Coastal Jazz & Blues Society, Queer Arts Festival, Granville Island, jazz

Bruno Hubert reflects on his Montreal roots ahead of Vancouver International Jazz Festival concert

Pianist brings his expressive playing to Performance Works alongside bassist André Lachance, drummer Joe Poole, and trumpeter Brad Turner

MUSIC, FESTSJanet SmithJune 18, 2025Vancouver International Jazz Festival, Coastal Jazz & Blues Society, Coastal Jazz, Performance Works, Queer Arts Festival, Summer 2025

Queer Arts Festival opens Portals for emerging artists and contrasting journeys

With its complex searches for identity, the celebratory exhibition at Centre A reflects the unifying theme of QAF’s latest edition

ART & DESIGN, FESTSJanet SmithJune 13, 2025Queer Arts Festival, Summer 2025, Mark Takeshi McGregor, Homepage feature

Summer Arts Guide 2025: Vancouver festivals shine a spotlight on local creativity all season long

Here’s a month-by-month roundup of all the stellar offerings in store, from butoh on the beach to jazz concerts in the heart of downtown

FESTSJanet SmithJune 12, 2025Bard on the Beach, Queer Arts Festival, 5X Fest, Dancing on the Edge, Pinoy Festival, Strathcona Blocks Party, Gastown Sunday Set, Kitsilano Showboat, Vancouver International Jazz Festival, North Shore Jazz, Alliance Française Vancouver, Polygon Gallery, The Polygon, theatre under the stars, TUTS, Steveston, Taiwanese Canadian Cultural Festival, Vancouver Greek Summerfest, Indian Summer Festival, Khatsahlano Street Party, West Coast Modern WEek, Vancouver Civic Theatres, Carnaval del Sol, VSO, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Vancouver Opera, Vancouver Folk Music Festival, Eastside Arts, CREATE! Eastside Arts Festival, New Works, Mission Folk Music Festival, Early Music Vancouver, Harmony Arts Festival, Powell Street Festival, Vines Art Festival, African Descent Festival, Wreck Beach Butoh, Music on Main, Vancouver Fringe Festival, SUMMER 2025, Summer 2025, Homepage feature

Night Owl bridges sound and storytelling at the Queer Arts Festival, June 8

Dutch accordionist Erica Roozendaal explores themes of abuse and childhood instability in her heartfelt solo performance

MUSIC, FESTS, WHAT'S STIRRINGJanet SmithMay 28, 2025Queer Arts Festival, VICO, Vancouver Inter-Cultural Orchestra

Queer Arts Festival steps into the future with 18th annual edition, June 6 to 28

Centred around portals, this year’s just-announced lineup includes several visual-art exhibitions, Vancouver International Jazz Festival concerts, and more

ART & DESIGN, FESTSJanet SmithMay 16, 2025Queer Arts Festival, Pride in Art Society, Centre A, Malaspina Printmakers, SUM Gallery, Vancouver International Jazz Festival, Coastal Jazz & Blues Society, Summer 2025

Moor Mother brings sonic poetry to the Vancouver International Jazz Festival, June 21

Experimental artist inspired by jazz, hip hop, and beat poetry will also play a June 22 show with her quintet Irreversible Entanglements

MUSICEmily LythJune 17, 2024Vancouver International Jazz Festival, Moor Mother, Queer Arts Festival, Summer 2024, Coastal Jazz & Blues Society

Flavourcel Animation Collective reimagines home in Queer Arts Festival visual-art exhibit CRAWL SPACE, June 14 to 25

Show spans projection, experimental animation techniques, and interactive installation

ART & DESIGN, FESTS, WHAT'S STIRRINGJanet SmithJune 12, 2024Queer Arts Festival, LGBtQ+

Montreal-based trans artist Elle Barbara brings experimental theatre to Queer Arts Festival

In Ayibobo III: Little Dollhouse on the Prairie, Mother Elle of the House of Barbara incorporates contemporary dance and burlesque to retell Haitian voodoo tales

FESTSGail JohnsonJune 11, 2024Queer Arts Festival, ballroom, Trans