Vancouver International Burlesque Festival unveils 2023 program, March 29 to April 2

Zyra Lee Vanity, Moscato Sky, and Vancouver-based Legend Lorna headline an inclusive live event

Zyra Lee Vanity, also known as Canada’s Urban Desire

Vancouver International Burlesque Festival runs from March 29 to April 2, online and at the Vancouver Playhouse

THE VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL Burlesque Festival has just unveiled a feathered-and-sequinned array of local and international guests for its big in-person event March 29 to April 2.

The weekend features two live evenings at the Vancouver Playhouse. Headliners include Seattle-based Moscato Sky, the first trans femme, nonbinary competitor in the Miss Exotic World category at the Burlesque Hall Of Fame Weekender; Zyra Lee Vanity, also known as Canada’s Urban Desire, an award-winning international burlesque entertainer based in Montreal; and Vancouver’s own Legend Lorna, a Las Vegas Burlesque Hall of Fame inductee who returned to the stage in 2022 at age 79.

The weekend will also feature a new virtual showcase, skill-based workshops, social happenings, and the educational, TED-talk-inspired “TIT Talks” series.

The 2023 event marks the first festival curated by VIBF’s new artistic director Androsia Wilde, Vancouver’s “Bahama Mama of Burlesque.” She’s focussed on amplifying BIPOC voices within the scene, and has participated in the formation of the all-BIPOC collective Diasporic Dynasty. This year’s lineup emphasizes visibility and inclusion across age ranges, body shapes and size, colour, abilities and disabilities, and the LGBTTTQQIAAP community.

Tickets for the two showcases are available now at vibf.ca.

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