Mountain Stage, Photo: Ambleside Music Festival
Festival season in Vancouver is in full swing. From local music to car-free street festivals and block parties, there’s something for everyone across Metro Vancouver’s many neighbourhoods, parks, and outdoor spaces.
TD Burrard Stage, Photo: Shop West 4th
Khatsahlano Street Party
West 4th Avenue (from Burrard to Macdonald) – July 8 @ 11am-9pm
Every year, Kitsilano goes car-free across ten blocks of West 4th Avenue for the annual Khatsahlano Street Party. This free event offers attractions, games, and shopping alongside live music. This year, 60 performers will take one of seven stages headlined by local indie rock darlings Yukon Blonde (Burrard Stage) and Pink Mountaintops (Maconald Stage).
For families and young music lovers, Khats Kids on Trafalgar Street features fun and free kid-friendly entertainment all day long, including a new 9-hole mini golf course installation at the MacDonald Community Garden site. Enjoy more than 50 food trucks in addition to a diverse selection of restaurant patios and beer gardens.
See the full entertainment lineup on the event website.
Omikosh, Photo: Kayla Isomura/PSF
Powell Street Festival
Oppenheimer Park – August 5-6 @ 11:30am-7pm
Celebrate Japanese-Canadian art and culture at the 47th annual Powell Street Festival, a free two-day event with a spectrum of entertainment for all from live performances to a Japanese food and handmade craft marketplace to traditional elements and exciting cultural touchstones. This year’s program is packed with panels, workshops, walking tours, martial arts demonstrations, a sumo tournament, and other exciting events commemorating the neighbourhood’s rich history where Japanese immigrants initially settled in Vancouver.
Local, national, and international artists will bring over 35 live performances to three different festival stages. Experience Daikagura, a rare and auspicious 1000-year-old art form with ceremony and juggling, or witness the resurrection of Okuni, the 17th-century cis-female founder of kabuki reimagined as a punk/synth/glam-goth figure in a multidisciplinary dance. You can even dance along to an up-and-coming J-pop dance group.
Stay up to date with the Powell Street Festival on their website.
Mother Mother, Photo: Ambleside Music Festival
Ambleside Music Festival
Ambleside Park – August 19-20 @ 1-8pm
Rockers Weezer and Third Eye Blind will headline the hotly anticipated Ambleside Music Festival this year. West Vancouver’s outdoor music series and summer party promises a packed weekend of great food, engaging community activations, and live music from a mix of local talent and internationally celebrated artists. If you’re into eclectic outdoor music festivals, Ambleside is for you.
Vancouver natives Said the Whale and Juno award-winning hip-hop collective Bran Van 3000 round out the impressive two-day lineup. Concert-goers can also expect local retailers, food trucks, craft beer, wine tastings, and more. Last year, over $500,000 in tickets were donated to front-line healthcare workers with further details on how the festival plans to give back this year to be announced.
Get tickets via the festival website.
Shipyards Live, Photo: MRG Events
Shipyards Festival
The Shipyards District – September 23
Take in some of North Vancouver’s finest waterfront views at the Shipyards Festival while enjoying local entertainment and family fare. The highly walkable and accessible Lower Lonsdale area will be taken over by activities like bounce houses, face painting, balloon art, and craft stations, anchored by the Shipyards Live performance stage for the one-day festival. This is a great excuse to travel with the family by Seabus if you’re coming from Vancouver.
More details and the festival lineup will be announced on the Shipyards Festival website.
Main Stage, Photo: Explore Burnaby
Burnaby Blues + Roots Festival
Deer Lake Park – August 12 @ 1-10pm
Hosted by the City of Burnaby, fans of the Burnaby Blues + Roots Festival will be treated to an impressive lineup of artists (all for free this year!) including Cree singer/songwriter and celebrated multi-instrumentalist Buffy Sainte-Marie as the headliner. Other award-winning performers include Allison Russell, The Dip, Boy Golden, and The Trade-Offs. Attendees can also enjoy a family zone and food trucks. Keep in mind capacity will be capped at 9,000, so get there early.
See the full performance lineup online.
Macdonald Stage, Photo: Shop West 4th
Whether your priority is music, family entertainment, or just an excuse to get outside, there’s a festival for you. Plan those summer weekends accordingly.
