Festival season

Windigo, a harrowing look at the violence perpetrated on Indigenous people. Mixed Edge programs boast names like Wen Wei Dance, Company 605, Lesley Telford, and Noam Gagnon. Snapshot: Natasha Gorrie and the B-boys and -girls of Diamonds in the Rough busting moves at Granville Island’s outdoor Chain & Forge performance area. Essential Accessory: Java to fuel you through multiple day and evening shows.

SUNDAY AFTERNOON SALSA (At Robson Square on Sundays from July 8 to August 26) Free outdoor salsa dances continue to heat up the height of summer in downtown Vancouver every Sunday. Head down at 3 p.m. for free beginner lessons, dancing from 3:30 to 7 p.m., and shows by awe-inspiring experts at 5 p.m.; an after-party starts at 7 p.m. Snapshot: Guys in Havana shirts and women in sundresses carving up the floor like it’s midnight in Miramar. Essential Accessory: A Panama hat or strappy Latin-dance shoes.

ENSEMBLE THEATRE COMPANY SUMMER REPERTORY FESTIVAL

(At the Jericho Arts Centre from July 12 to August 17) Three meaty plays revolve in repertory in the summer’s most serious acting extravaganza: Aaron Sorkin’s military courtroom drama A Few Good Men, Ian Rankin and Mark Thomson’s twisty, Scotland-set crime thriller Dark Road, and The Beauty Queen of Leenane, by Martin Mcdonagh—the frenetically foul-mouthed, blackly comic Irish scribe who gave you Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Snapshot: Walking in from the nearby beach to sink into the searing dysfunction between Beauty Queen’s elderly Mag and her lonely daughter Maureen. Essential Accessory: Your brain.

VANCOUVER BACH FESTIVAL (At Christ Church Cathedral and the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts from July 30 to August 10) Early Music Vancouver expands to 15 concerts in the third iteration of its Bach fest, kicking off with French harpsichordist Benjamin Alard. Angela Hewitt tackles The Well Tempered Clavier—book 1 the next night at the Chan. Other names include countertenor Reginald L. Mobley with Pacific Musicworks; Monica Huggett and Byron Schenkman; and the full orchestra and choir of Gli Angeli Genève for the Bach Cantatas. The event wraps with Johann Sebastian Bach’s Trauer Ode, with the Pacific Baroque Orchestra led by Alexander Weimann. Snapshot: Lyric tenor Colin Balzer singing Franz Schubert lieder, with Lucas Harris playing a restored 1831 guitar. Essential Accessory: A touch of brocade, taffeta, or lace. HARMONY ARTS FESTIVAL (Along the West Vancouver waterfront from August 3 to 12) West Van’s lively summer fest features outdoor concerts on two stages, visual-arts exhibitions, a sprawling art market, nightly outdoor movies, and the two culinary events, Best of the West and Night on the Pier. The newest additions are an Indigenous exhibition (a Coast Salish–focused marketplace and group show) and an Indigenous-themed Ambleside feast (August 7). Snapshot: Painters busily brushing up a storm at the Plein Air Challenge on Ambleside Landing (August 4). Essential Accessory: Your Blue Bus ticket.

POWELL STREET FESTIVAL (At Oppenheimer Park and surrounding streets and venues on August 4 and 5) The largest Japanese fest in the country kicks off with a bang, with an appearance by percussionist Tatsuya Nakatani and his 14-member Nakatani Gong Orchestra. Other international guests include “sadgrrlrocker” Emma Lee Toyoda and the experimental musical duo Kamura Obscura, joined by Kataritaiko, Kaya Kurz, and the Sakura Singers. Also search out exhibitions by artists Chiharu Mizukawa and Nao Uda at the Centre A gallery. Snapshot: Sweaty sumo tournaments juxtaposed with serene tea ceremonies. Essential Accessory: An empty stomach.

VANCOUVER MURAL FESTIVAL

(In Mount Pleasant and various other locations from August 6 to 11) Create Vancouver Society’s third annual public-art bash features work this year by Vancouver names Danielle Krysa (the Jealous Curator) and Musqueam designer and weaver Debra Sparrow, as well as an all-female roster of international guest muralists: South Africa’s FAITHXLVII, Los Angeles’s Bunnie Reiss, and New York City’s Bkfoxx. The week’s mural-making culminates in the massive Mount Pleasant Street Party on August 11, with transformed alleyways, interactive art activities, music, markets, street-dance contests, a craft-beer garden, and a bash celebrating more than 30 new murals. It’s all followed by a ticketed concert at Jonathan Rogers Park. Snapshot: More than 100,000 people mingling amid graffiti jams along Main Street and its alleys. Essential Accessory: Your Insta app.

MONSOON FESTIVAL ARTS OF PERFORMING

(At locations in Vancouver and Surrey from August 9 to 19) South Asian theatre takes the spotlight, with Anita Majumdar’s acclaimed onewoman show The Fish Eyes Trilogy and the site-specific The Undocumented Trial of William C. Hopkinson. Snapshot: Fish Eyes’ Majumdar bringing to life three teenage girls in small-town Canada, with dazzling dance. Essential Accessory: Ideas around colonialism and cultural appropriation.

VANCOUVER FESTIVAL OUTSIDER ARTS

(At the Roundhouse Community Arts and Recreation Centre from August 10 to 12) Discover a hidden talent in this showcase of visual and performing artists who operate well outside the mainstream. Snapshot: Visitors wandering through rows and rows of artworks that they otherwise may never have seen. Essential Accessory: Curiosity.

KALEIDOSCOPE ARTS FESTIVAL

(At Coquitlam’s Town Centre Park on August 11) Two stages go all day at this free event, featuring headliners the Philosopher Kings, plus concerts by pop singer Mathew V and “violinist extremist” Kytami. The array spans the Eagle Song Dancers, the Royal Academy of Bhangra, and the contemporary–hip-hop Ouro Collective. Visit the artisan market, take part in a community-art project, or hit Food Truck Alley and the Beer Corner. Snapshot: The Philosopher Kings belting out “Charms” across a grassy field bathed in sunshine. Essential Accessory: Shades. ALL OVER THE MAP (At Ron Basford Park on August 12, 19, and 26) New Works brings you dance from around the globe, all for free at 1 and 3 p.m. on on Granville Island (inside at Performance Works if it rains). This year, flamenco fires up the series, with Calle Verde pummelling the stage at the opening show, followed the next Sunday by Spain-based Fin de Fiesta. The final show mixes it up with Kunda African Culture Music & Dance. Snapshot: Ivorian acrobat and dancer Kesseke Yeo tumbling across the outdoor stage. Essential Accessory: Sunblock.

VANCOUVER FRINGE FESTIVAL

(At Granville Island and various venues around town from September 6 to 16) Wrap up the summer with the city’s gigantic theatre extravaganza. Look for five shows making their way through the world’s Fringe circuit before coming to Vancouver: Al Lafrance: I Think I’m Dead, Magical Mystery Detour, Banned in the USA, Red Bastard: Lie With Me, and Forget Me Not: The Alzheimer’s Whodunnit. Other Fringe faves returning include Martin Dockery and offbeat German standup Paco Erhard. Snapshot: Theatre entrepreneurs madly handing out flyers to the lineups that snake throughout Granville Island venues. Essential Accessory: Your Fringe pass and a handy schedule.