Must-see entertainment in Canada

  • Commodore Ballroom

    Vancouver

    Local bands know they've made it when they play Vancouver's best mid-sized venue, a restored art-deco ballroom that still has the city's bounciest dance…

  • Rio Theatre

    Vancouver

    A huge public fundraising campaign in 2018 saved this beloved theater and cinema venue from possible redevelopment, proving just how important it's become…

  • Horseshoe Tavern

    Kensington Market & Chinatown

    Well past its 70th birthday, the legendary Horseshoe still plays a crucial role in the development of local indie rock. This place oozes a history of good…

  • Cinematheque

    Vancouver

    This beloved cinema operates like an ongoing film festival with a daily-changing program of movies. A $3 annual membership is required – organize it at…

  • Reservoir Lounge

    Old Town, Corktown & Distillery District

    Swing dancers, jazz singers and blues crooners call this cool, candlelit basement lounge home, and it's hosted its fair share of musical greats over the…

  • Bookshelf

    Southwestern Ontario

    Forty years young, Bookshelf is the pacemaker of Guelph's cultural heartbeat, a combination bookstore, cinema, bar and music venue. Swing by to read the…

  • Diamond Tooth Gertie's Gambling Hall

    Dawson City

    This popular recreation of an 1898 saloon is complete with small-time gambling, a honky-tonk piano and dancing girls. The casino helps promote the town…

  • Brackley Drive-In Theatre

    Prince Edward Island

    Generations of PEI-ers have grown up catching the features here – screening since the 1950s, the drive-in was restored in 1992 – making this a real island…

  • Times Change(d) High & Lonesome Club

    Winnipeg

    Honky-tonk/country/rock/blues weekend bands jam while beer and whiskey flows at this small, rough, raunchy and real throwback. Don't miss the Sunday-night…

  • Trial of Louis Riel

    Regina

    Actual transcripts from Riel's 1885 trial – which resulted in his hanging – are the basis of this, Canada's second-longest-running play, first performed…

  • Winnipeg Jets

    Winnipeg

    There's Manitoba mania for the Jets who play at the Bell MTS Place. The ice-hockey games are raucous and often sold out; ask around for tickets.

  • Confederation Centre of the Arts

    Charlottetown

    This modern complex's large theater and outdoor amphitheater host concerts, comedic performances and elaborate musicals. Anne of Green Gables – The…

  • Casa del Popolo

    Montréal

    One of Montréal’s most charming live venues, the ‘House of the People’ has talented DJs and is a venue for art-house films and spoken-word performances…

  • TAP Centre for Creativity

    Southwestern Ontario

    A buzzing arts center in the heart of downtown London. Programming centers on emerging and developing artists; a black box theater and gallery on the 1st…

  • Rex

    Kensington Market & Chinatown

    The Rex has risen from its pugilistic, blue-collar past to become an outstanding jazz and blues venue. Over a dozen Dixieland, experimental and other…

  • Cirque du Soleil

    Old Montréal

    Globally famous Cirque du Soleil, one of the city’s most famous exports, puts on a new production of acrobats and music in this marvelous tent complex…

  • Biltmore Cabaret

    Vancouver

    One of Vancouver's favorite alt venues, the intimate Biltmore is a firm fixture on the local indie scene. A low-ceilinged, good-vibe spot to mosh to local…

  • Place des Arts, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

    Place des Arts

    Montréal

    Montréal’s premier music venue, the storied Place des Arts is at the heart of the growing Quartier des Spectacles.

  • Bard on the Beach

    Vancouver

    Watching Shakespeare performed while the sun sets over the mountains beyond the tented main stage is a Vancouver summertime highlight. There are usually…

  • Theatre Under the Stars

    Vancouver

    The charming Malkin Bowl provides an atmospheric alfresco stage for the summertime TUTS season, usually featuring two interchanging Broadway musicals. It…

  • Stanley Theatre

    Fairview & South Granville

    Popular musicals dominate early summer (usually the last show of the season) at this heritage theater, but the rest of the year sees new works and…

  • Grand Théâtre de Québec

    Québec City

    Designed by the Polish-Canadian architect Victor Prus in 1971, the 'Great Theater' is Québec City’s main performing-arts center, with a steady diet of top…

  • Vancity Theatre

    Vancouver

    The state-of-the-art headquarters of the Vancouver International Film Festival screens a wide array of movies throughout the year in the kind of…

  • Toronto Maple Leafs

    Toronto

    The 13-time Stanley Cup–winning Maple Leafs slap the puck around Scotiabank Arena. Every game sells out with fiery fans – hockey is intrinsic to the…

  • Orpheum Theatre

    Vancouver

    Opened in 1927, Vancouver's grandest old-school theater has a gorgeous and beautifully maintained baroque interior, making it the perfect place to catch a…

  • Banff Centre

    Banff Town

    Perched on the side of Tunnel Mountain, Banff’s flagship arts venue hosts a varied program of concerts, lectures, exhibitions and events throughout the…

  • Aura Basilica

    Old Montréal

    A unique immersive multimedia show where the interior of the Basilique Notre-Dame becomes the canvas for a light show set to surging orchestral music. The…

  • Ironwood Stage & Grill

    Calgary

    Cross over into the hip universe of Inglewood to find the grassroots of Calgary's music scene, here inside the Garry Theatre. Local bands alternate with…

  • Palais Montcalm

    Québec City

    Just outside the walls of the Old Upper Town, this art-deco theater subtitled 'La Maison de la Musique' (The House of Music) hosts a stellar lineup of…

  • Les Voûtes de Napoléon

    Québec City

    At this jubilant boîte à chanson (folk-music club), it will likely be just you and the locals. There’s lively Québécois music nightly, usually of the …

  • Vancouver Whitecaps

    Vancouver

    Using BC Place Stadium as its home, Vancouver's professional soccer team plays in North America's top-tier Major League Soccer (MLS). Their on-field…

  • Vancouver Canadians

    Fairview & South Granville

    Minor-league affiliates of the Toronto Blue Jays, the Canadians play at the charmingly old-school Nat Bailey Stadium. It's known as 'the prettiest…

  • Second City Toronto

    Entertainment & Financial Districts

    Running for decades, Second City has nightly improv and sketch-comedy shows that'll have you laughing all night long. Big-name comedians such as Catherine…

  • Scanner Bistro

    Québec City

    Ask any local between the ages of 18 and 35 to suggest a cool place for a drink and this is where they might send you. DJs and live bands serve up a…

  • TIFF Bell Lightbox

    Entertainment & Financial Districts

    Headquarters of the Toronto International Film Festival, this resplendent cinema complex is the hub of all the action when the festival's in town…

  • BMO Theatre Centre

    Vancouver

    The studio venue of the city's Arts Club theater empire hosts more challenging and intimate productions in a space that's cleverly and sometimes…

  • Fou-Bar

    Québec City

    Laid-back and offering an eclectic mix of bands, this bar is one of the town’s classics for good live music. It’s also popular for its reasonably priced…

  • Saskatchewan Roughriders

    Regina

    The Green Riders, as they're known to legions of rabid locals, have achieved cult status within the Canadian Football League (CFL). Don't underestimate…

  • Opéra de Québec

    Québec City

    Under the artistic direction of Grégoire Legendre, this world-class company presents classics like Aida, Pagliacci, Madame Butterfly, La Traviata, Carmen,…

  • Dakota Tavern

    Toronto

    This basement tavern rocks, with wooden-barrel stools and a small stage where you can catch some twang. You'll hear mostly country and blues, plus a bit…

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