Articles — Stir

Queer people with intellectual and developmental disabilities flourish through self-advocacy in A Place Where I Belong

Documentary at the Vancouver Queer Film Festival highlights peer-led groups working to overcome a long history of stigma and isolation by creating connection to the broader queer community

SCREEN, FESTSJanet SmithSeptember 3, 2025Vancouver Queer Film Festival, Cineplex

Vancouver Writers Fest announces 2025 edition featuring guest curator Canisia Lubrin, a special event with Margaret Atwood, and much more

With the main lineup taking place October 20 to 26, events cover everything from censorship to Canadian identity

FESTS, READJanet SmithSeptember 3, 2025Vancouver Writers Fest, Margaret Atwood, VWF

Still Moon Arts Society welcomes autumn with the Renfrew Ravine Moon Festival, September 12 to October 4

With a Wetlands theme, the 23rd annual festival features an afternoon of artmaking, a labyrinth walk, a lantern procession, and much more

Vancouver International Film Festival unveils whole program, with Richard Linklater’s Nouvelle Vague opening

Ido Fluk’s ode to Keith Jarrett concert Köln 75 closes the fest, while VIFF Live brings in Mad Professor, claire rousay, and more

FESTS, SCREENJanet SmithAugust 27, 2025VIFF, Vancouver International Film Festival

Flamenco Rosario's Soulfulness celebrates 35 years of the Vancouver International Flamenco Festival, September 27

Evening of ensemble works and solo pieces features local company dancers alongside international guest artists from Montreal, Spain, and Mexico

Chan Centre hosts fourth edition of ʔəm̓i ce:p xʷiwəl Come Toward the Fire, September 20 and 21

Indigenous-led festival features performances by powwow group Northern Cree and pop singer Tia Wood, plus film screenings, a marketplace, and more

Richmond Maritime Festival drops anchor in Steveston for 22nd edition, August 23 and 24

Roots musicians Murfitt & Main and the jugglers of Cause & Effect Circus are among the acts in store at the Britannia Shipyards National Historic Site

FESTS, WHAT'S STIRRINGJanet SmithAugust 21, 2025Richmond Maritime Festival, Steveston

Vancouver Latin American Film Festival launches three brand-new series, September 4 to 14

Opening with The Best Mother in the World, the fest features diverse titles as part of Vanguardias, Migraciones, and Mexico Today

SCREEN, FESTSStir VancouverAugust 18, 2025Partner Content, Vancouver Latin American Film Festival, VLAFF

Vancouver Queer Film Festival unveils September program of 100 films, under new artistic director Mary Galloway

Local documentary A Place Where I Belong makes world premiere, while Starwalker musical movie makes its Vancouver debut

FESTS, SCREENJanet SmithAugust 14, 2025Vancouver Queer Film Festival, Out on Screen

Vancouver International Flamenco Festival announces 35th edition, September 20 to 28

From short film “SOIS” to fiery masterclasses and a flamenco-infused take on Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, there’s plenty in the lineup

DANCE, FESTSJanet SmithAugust 6, 2025Vancouver International Flamenco Festival, Flamenco Rosario

Elemental Nourishment caps this year’s Vines Art Festival with a full day of outdoor offerings, August 16

Performers at Trout Lake Park include Sam Chimes, Siobhan Barker, and Ashley Chodat

FESTS, MUSICJanet SmithAugust 5, 2025Vines Art Festival, Summer 2025

At the Monsoon Festival, Kenyan-born actor Nimet Kanji reads play excerpts from her storied career

This installment of salon series includes Anosh Irani’s Bombay Black, Munish Sharma’s Mrs. Singh and Me, and NYC–set period piece The Heiress

Vines Art Festival gains a fresh perspective with incoming co-artistic director

Working with founder Heather Lamoureux, Manuel Ax Strain aims to make the legacy of the land a major focus of the annual event

FESTSJanet SmithJuly 30, 2025Vines Art Festival, Summer 2025

Stir Q&A: Mireille Lebel and Rachel Fenlon dish on new dance-opera meld Pierrot entre 3 lunes

Vancouver team that includes Ne.Sans Opera and Dance reimagines the clown in Schoenberg's Pierrot lunaire at Festival d’opéra de Québec

DANCE, OPERA, MUSIC, FESTSJanet SmithJuly 29, 2025opera, Mireille Lebel, Rachel Fenlon, Ne.Sans Opera and Dance, Idan Cohen

Brazil’s The Best Mother in the World set to open Vancouver Latin American Film Festival

Running September 4 to 14, celebration also includes Canada Looks South and Mexico Today series, New Directors Competition, and much more

Times Reflection brings Indigenous Filipinx music and folk-noir banjo to Vines Art Festival, August 7

Ghostly Hounds, Babette Santos, and Ricardo are among the artists performing at free Pandora Park event

FESTS, WHAT'S STIRRINGJanet SmithJuly 28, 2025Vines Art Festival, Vines Art Society, Summer 2025

Onibana Taiko pumps Japanese tradition full of riot grrrl aesthetics at the Powell Street Festival

Taiko artists Noriko Kobayashi and E. Kage reflect on punk-rock roots and gender expression

FESTS, CULTURE, MUSICJanet SmithJuly 23, 2025Powell Street Festival, Summer 2025, taiko, Onibana Taiko

For soprano Magali Simard-Galdès, early music performance and sustainability work go hand in hand

Early Music Vancouver Summer Festival’s artist-in-residence interprets Bach, Schubert, and Mozart—and hosts a panel on how to bring environmentally sound practices to performing arts