Articles — Stir

Cherish Menzo's JEZEBEL lands at PuSh Festival in copresentation with New Works, January 22 and 23

Electrifying performance reclaims hyper-sexualized “video vixen” of hip hop’s golden era

DANCE, FESTSStir VancouverJanuary 9, 2026Partner Content, New Works, Cherish Menzo

Community mourns former Vancouver Writers Fest artistic director Hal Wake

The former CBC radio host is being remembered for his long, deep relationship with the literary community

FESTS, NEWS, READJanet SmithJanuary 8, 2026Hal Wake, Vancouver Writers Fest

The Choral fills story of First World War England with music, opening January 9

Ralph Fiennes plays a choir director in 1916, tasked with performing Edward Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius

SCREEN, WHAT'S STIRRINGJanet SmithJanuary 8, 2026Fifth Avenue Cinemas

Chan Centre for the Performing Arts hosts An Evening With Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, January 29

Acclaimed Indigenous writer, musician, academic, and activist discusses her latest prize-winning book, Theory of Water

Stir Cheat Sheet: 3 movies to catch at the New Spanish Cinema festival, January 9 to 14

A historical adventure about Cervantes and documentaries about a flamenco guitarist and a matador are among the must-sees at the expanded event at the VIFF Centre

FESTS, SCREENStir VancouverJanuary 8, 2026VIFF, VIFF Centre, New Spanish Film, New Spanish Cinema

Anvil Theatre presents Michael Harrison's Ventastic: Reimagining the Art of Ventriloquism, January 31

Skilled Canadian ventriloquist has competed on America’s Got Talent and headlined with Disney Cruise Line for more than two decades

THEATREStir VancouverJanuary 8, 2026Partner Content, Anvil Theatre, Anvil Centre

Beverly Glenn-Copeland and Elizabeth Copeland share years of magical memories onstage, January 16

At the Chan Centre, the life partners offer songs and stories from their forthcoming album Laughter in Summer

The VSO hosts Nielsen’s triumphant symphony “The Inextinguishable”, January 30 and 31

Conductor David Robertson and pianist Orli Shaham also join forces for a John Adams piano concerto

MUSICStir VancouverJanuary 7, 2026Partner Content, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, VSO

Rowdy film captures Quebec’s hugely popular Les Cowboys Fringants in concert, January 8

Screening at Alliance Française and co-presented by Visions Ouest, the documentary of the folk-rockers’ rip-roaring 2023 show was shot less than a year before lead singer’s death

Matriarchs Uprising spotlights stunning contemporary dance by Indigenous women, February 16 to 21

Festival brings live performances, conversations, and community workshops to the Scotiabank Dance Centre and Morrow

FESTS, DANCEStir VancouverJanuary 7, 2026Partner Content, Matriarchs Uprising, O.Dela Arts

Film review: Resurrection's dream scenarios pay dazzling tribute to a century of motion pictures

At the Cinematheque, Bi Gan creates five chapters, told in vastly different visual styles—from silent-film Expressionism to shadowy noir to neon-lit contemporary

SCREENJanet SmithJanuary 6, 2026The CInematheque, Bi Gan, Homepage feature

Advance Theatre Festival brings five staged readings to the Shadbolt Centre, January 26 to 30

Ruby Slippers Theatre presentation features new works by Irene (Fan) Yi, Abi Padilla, Marcia Johnson, Alexandra Lainfiesta, and Sewit Eden Haile

At interplay_2026, artists blur the lines between digital and physical realms

Chimerik 似不像 and New Works XR partner to continue the online festival with new artistic producer Caroline Chien-MacCaull

FESTS, DANCEJanet SmithJanuary 6, 2026interplay_, chimerik, Chimerik Collective, Chimerik, Sammy Chien

Vancouver Opera presents Mozart's comedic masterpiece Così fan tutte on February 7, 12, and 15

Two couples are put to the ultimate test of fidelity in this timeless opera buffa

MUSICStir VancouverJanuary 6, 2026Partner Content, Vancouver Opera, VANCOUVER OPERA

Vancouver Chamber Choir performs an exhilarating multimedia work at I Fall, I Rise, January 24

Concert marks the Western Canadian premiere of Timothy Takach’s We Are Phoenix, featuring the singers of the post-secondary FOCUS choir

MUSICStir VancouverJanuary 5, 2026Partner Content, Vancouver Chamber Choir

Pianist Ian Parker and violinist Kerson Leong join forces at the Kay Meek Arts Centre, January 11

Program includes a special guest appearance by celebrated trumpeter Jens Lindemann

MUSIC, WHAT'S STIRRINGJanet SmithJanuary 5, 2026Kay Meek Arts Centre, Kay Meek, Ian Parker

Promoter Tim Reinert energizes local jazz with ever-stronger sense of adventure and diversity

The renowned MC has left his day job to expand his commitment to building jam-packed club nights, bold concert series, and an open door for innovation-hungry young performers and audiences

MUSICJanet SmithJanuary 5, 2026jazz, Tim Reinert, Modo Live, Jazz at the Bolt, Coastal Jazz & Blues Society

Six world premieres hit Vancouver stages at PuSh International Performing Arts Festival, January 22 to February 8

Multidisciplinary offerings include Jerahuni Movement Factory’s Kamwe Kamwe (One by One) and Plastic Orchid Factory’s Catching Up to the Future of Our Past

Stir Cheat Sheet: 5 Vancouver arts and culture stories to watch for in 2026

Details are expected in the coming year for a new cultural hub on Granville Island, for a reimagined Vancouver Art Gallery site, and for other announcements