Piknic Électronik at the Vancouver Francophone Summer Festival. Photo: Vancouver Courier

Officially, June is Italian Heritage Month in Vancouver, but it could just as easily be “multicultural month:” There are so many multicultural events happening! Along with  North America’s Largest Dragon Boat Festival and Greek Day on Broadway, there’s also the 23rd annual Vancouver Francophone Summer Festival (Festival d’été), which starts this week.

Primarily a music festival, the Festival d’été, organized by Le Centre Culturel Francophone de Vancouver, showcases the rich diversity of the francophone community through an eclectic line-up of musicians and artists. And tickets to the performances—which range from an outdoor techno dance party at Stanley Park to the annual “Children Fete”—are just $5 – $10!

Vancouver Francophone Summer Festival (Festival d’été) 2012 Schedule

• Thursday, June 14, 2012 – Raphaël Freynet
• Friday, June 15, 2012 – Marième
• Saturday, June 16, 2012 – Children Fete with Monsieur Bémol
• Saturday, June 16, 2012 – Les Cowboys Fringants & Alpha Yaya Diallo
• Saturday, June 23, 2012 – Piknic Électronik in Stanley Park
• Sunday, June 24, 2012 – Petits Chanteurs du Mont-Royal celebrate St. Jean Baptiste Day – FREE

The biggest event of the Festival is definitely the Piknic Électronik in Stanley Park, where you can dance under the sun at the Park’s outdoor Malkin Bowl. Featuring the Montreal-based DJ collective Piknic Électronik (DJs Hakim Guelmi, Bowly and SHAYdakiss & A-Rock), as well as Vancouver DJ Vincent Parker, this techno dance party is the perfect way to kick off the summer! Get all the details here.