Vancouver
A public jam session for local and visiting bluegrass and old-time music fans staged upstairs at the ANZA Club; everyone is welcome to watch or join in. A…
Must-see entertainment in Canada
Southern Shore Folk Arts Council Dinner Theatre
Newfoundland & Labrador
Get a taste of local cuisine and Irish–Newfoundland sketch humor and folk songs at this well-regarded dinner-theater production. Expect the entire show to…
Montréal
This downstairs jazz club has just the right vibe – with an intimate small stage so you can get close to the musicians. There are shows most nights, with…
Fairview & South Granville
The last holdout of a popular Vancouver independent theater chain that succumbed to a takeover by the big boys a few years back. But the Park is still a…
Québec City
Devoted to children and young people, this brilliantly creative French-language theater company mounts some 10 shows annually, primarily between September…
Cineplex Odeon International Village Cinemas
Gastown & Chinatown
Incongruously located on the 3rd floor of a usually half-empty Chinatown shopping mall, this popular Vancouver theater combines blockbuster and art-house…
Vancouver
One of Vancouver's most vital and refreshing theater companies, Touchstone has been treading the local boards for more than 30 years. It's never lost…
Old Town, Corktown & Distillery District
This theater company has a repertoire ranging from new works to classics, most focused on the diversity of Canada's voices and identities. Youth-outreach…
Ottawa
Friendly and funky, if a little grimy in the thick of a busy weekend, Irene's is the three-decade-old spiritual home for the Glebe neighborhood's artists…
Montréal
The century-old Blumenthal Building is a polished venue of Montréal’s jazz fest as part of the Quartier des Spectacles. With more than 300 seats and…
Ottawa
Ottawa is a hard-core hockey town. It’s worth getting tickets to a game even if you’re not into hockey – the ballistic fans put on a show of their own…
Québec City
This contemporary-dance center has performances by both international touring companies and local dancers, such as those of the influential Maison pour la…
Entertainment & Financial Districts
This innovative theater company – 'Home of the Canadian Playwright' – has been busy since 1970 producing exclusively Canadian plays. Stay for the talk…
Edmonton
To avoid any embarrassing situations, wise up on the Oilers before you arrive in Edmonton. The local National Hockey League (NHL) team dominated the game…
Montréal
This Montréal landmark and historic movie house hosts touring Broadway productions, rock concerts and various theatrical and musical performances. Its two…
Québec City
We really love it when our dive bars come with a heavy dose of live music, which is exactly the case at this sweet little upstairs venue in the heart of…
Calgary
Archrival of the Edmonton Oilers (and the only-slightly-less-hated Vancouver Canucks), the Calgary Flames play ice hockey from October to April at the…
Montréal
From film to theater, stand-up comedy to music concerts, this venue presents a variety of shows: Oscar Wilde one night, burlesque dance the next. Its…
Newfoundland & Labrador
There are lots of shed/kitchen parties put on for tourists in Newfoundland, but this one comes close to feeling like a random gathering in a friend's…
Montréal
Mado is a flamboyant celebrity who has been featured in Fugues, the gay entertainment mag. Her cabaret is a local institution, with drag shows featuring…
Niagara Falls
On summer weekend nights, check out local talent during free classic-rock concerts at Queen Victoria Park, facing the American Falls. The music starts at…
Toronto
Way north on Yonge St, the TCA is home to four stages, including the 1036-seat George Weston Recital Hall, where the Toronto Symphony Orchestra performs…
Montréal
This small live-music and events venue in the basement of a church is blessed with character. Its Greek-theater acoustics means you can see and hear well…
Montréal
This grand 1920s theater was inspired by the Paris Opera house and, since 2010, has undergone restoration to its former glory following years of neglect…
Entertainment & Financial Districts
The National Ballet of Canada is known for its full-length classical works and sumptuous sets, made more beautiful by the theater itself. Come early for…
East Toronto & Rosedale
The old Opera House is an early-1900s vaudeville hall. Over the years, rockers like the Black Crowes, Rage Against the Machine, Eminem, Nirvana and Beck…
Toronto
Legendary Lee's Palace has set the stage over the years for Dinosaur Jr, the Smashing Pumpkins and Queens of the Stone Age. Kurt Cobain started an…
Montréal
This bar is literally behind an unmarked door – look for a big intimidating bouncer or the beautiful folks walking past him. Follow on, into a basement…
Kingston
Once an opera house, then a movie theater, the Grand is now the city's premier venue for theater, concerts and comedy. It has undergone extensive…
Québec City
One of the city's better boîtes á chanson (live, informal singer-songwriter clubs), this is the place to catch newcomers, the occasional big-name…
Vancouver
Formed by dancers Noam Gagnon and Dana Gingras, the internationally acclaimed Holy Body Tattoo has been performing riveting, edge-of-your-seat pieces to…
Prince Edward Island
This country-music venue is dedicated to the local musician Stompin' Tom Connors, who was raised nearby at Skinners Pond (although he was actually born in…
Entertainment & Financial Districts
A range of classics, Cole Porter–era pops and new music from around the world is presented by the TSO at Jello-mold-like Roy Thomson Hall (sometimes also…
Southwestern Ontario
James St N does artsy well and Zyla's is intimate enough for a real sense of the Hamilton vibe. Comedians and indie bands perform at beer-splashing…
Kensington Market & Chinatown
Since the 1960s the Theatre Passe Muraille, in the old Nasmith’s Bakery & Stables, has focused on radical new plays with contemporary Canadian themes…
Québec City
This theater and 'maison de la chanson' (music house) near the base of the funicular in the Old Lower Town is a great place to see and hear Québec’s most…
Eastern Ontario
Built in 1858 as Brockville's town hall, what is now the arts center has survived one fire and several incarnations. Today the theater hosts performers…
Annapolis Valley
Right on the waterfront, this nonprofit theater presents musicals, dramas and concerts most evenings in July and August, and occasionally during the rest…
Winnipeg
Home to the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and the highly acclaimed Manitoba Opera, complete with subtitles.
Nova Scotia
In an imposing brick building that's served as a post office, a customs house and an armoury, this arty place is now a combined workshop venue, vegetarian…
