Must-see entertainment in Vancouver

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • Arts Club Theatre Company

    Vancouver

    Vancouver's largest, most popular and most prolific theater company, the Arts Club stages shows at three venues around the city. A new artistic director…

  • Fresh Air Cinema

    Vancouver

    Screening outdoor, admission-free movies at venues around Metro Vancouver every summer, the company's Stanley Park events often draw thousands of blanket…

  • Vancouver Symphony Orchestra

    Vancouver

    The city's orchestra plays classical and popular music concerts (think movie music) around the city and beyond. Venues range from the palatial Orpheum…

  • Exterior of the Granville Island Stage theatre

    Granville Island Stage

    Vancouver

    The Granville Island arm of Vancouver's leading theater company, this intimate, raked-seating venue is the perfect spot to feel really connected to the…

  • Cultch

    Vancouver

    This once-abandoned church has been a gathering place for performers and audiences since being officially designated a cultural space in 1973. Following…

  • Kino

    Fairview & South Granville

    Vancouver's only flamenco cafe is a great place to chill on a summer evening. If it's really warm, bask in the sun with a beer outside. But be sure to…

  • Pat's Pub

    Gastown & Chinatown

    The Downtown Eastside's most-accessible dive bar started a century ago and, in recent years, it's dusted off the jazz chops that saw Jelly Roll Morton…

  • Carousel Theatre

    Vancouver

    Mostly performing at Granville Island's Waterfront Theatre, with some shows at the alternate Performance Works space nearby, this child-focused drama…

  • Vancouver Theatresports

    Vancouver

    The city's most popular improv group stages energetic romps – sometimes connected to themes like Tinder dating – at this purpose-built theater. Whatever…

  • Pacific Theatre

    Fairview & South Granville

    This unusual fringe-style venue stages a broad mixture of shows during its September-to-June season, mostly with a light undercurrent of Christian themes…

  • ANZA Club

    Vancouver

    This yellow-painted, wood-built community hall – which has the look of a worker's club without the edge – is popular with local cool kids as well as old…

  • BC Lions

    Vancouver

    Founded in 1954, the Lions are Vancouver's team in the Canadian Football League (CFL), which is arguably more exciting than its US counterpart, the NFL…

  • Firehall Arts Centre

    Gastown & Chinatown

    One of the leading players in Vancouver's independent-theater scene, this intimate, studio-sized venue is located inside a historic former fire station…

  • Vancouver Canucks

    Vancouver

    Recent years haven't been hugely successful for Vancouver's National Hockey League (NHL) team, which means it's sometimes easy to snag tickets to a game…

  • Cineplex Fifth Avenue Cinemas

    Vancouver

    Kitsilano's biggest movie house, popular Fifth Avenue screens indie films, foreign flicks and blockbuster Hollywood schlock (those locals might look like…

  • Vogue Theatre

    Vancouver

    A 1940s heritage venue – check out the retro art-deco figure perched on top of the streamlined exterior – the Vogue was bought and refurbished a few years…

  • Malkin Bowl

    Vancouver

    Formerly just a summertime venue for musicals, this smashing Stanley Park stage has become an increasingly popular spot for alfresco live music. Elvis…

  • Vancouver Poetry Slam

    Vancouver

    If you thought poetry was a tweedy, soporific experience, check out the weekly events organized by the Vancouver Poetry House at Cafe Deux Soleils for a…

  • Wise Hall

    Vancouver

    This comfortably grungy former church hall is a friendly neighborhood spot, close to the heart of in-the-know locals who flock here to catch live ska,…

  • Fox Cabaret

    Vancouver

    One of North America’s last remaining porn cinemas has been transformed (and fully pressure-washed) into a brilliantly eclectic independent nightlife…

  • Jericho Folk Club

    Vancouver

    These fun folkie meet-up nights include an open-stage session, support act, jam time and the 9pm main act. Local and visiting performers may be scheduled…

  • Rickshaw Theatre

    Gastown & Chinatown

    Revamped from its grungy 1970s incarnation, the funky Rickshaw shows that Eastside gentrification can be positive. The stage of choice for many punk and…

  • FUSE

    Vancouver

    Cross-reference with the Vancouver Art Gallery's website before you arrive and you might find there's an upcoming FUSE event to add to your vacation…

  • Celluloid Social Club

    Vancouver

    Visiting movie nuts with a penchant for making their own flicks – or just chewing the fat with those who do – should unspool their film at one of…

  • Kitsilano Showboat

    Vancouver

    An 80-year-old tradition that generations of locals know and love, this alfresco waterfront stage near Kits Pool offers free shows and concerts in summer…

  • Dance Centre

    Vancouver

    Vancouver's dance headquarters, this cleverly reinvented old bank building offers a kaleidoscopic array of activities that makes it one of Canada's…

  • Bluegrass Jam Night

    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…

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