The Fall Arts Preview 2025: The Best Arts and Culture Events Happening in Vancouver This September and October

GREEN ROOM: Great Outdoors Comedy Festival

WHEN September 12 to 14

WHERE Stanley Park

COST From $69

Mulaney, Kreischer and Cummings serve belly laughs under cedar canopies. Picnic blankets, porta-potties, zero roofs.

SAVING GRACE: Taylor Tomlinson: The Save Me Tour

WHEN September 19 to 21

WHERE Queen Elizabeth Theatre

COST From $55

Three Netflix specials, one CBS mic-drop as host of After Midnight—Tomlinson’s serving up razor-sharp comedy, existential dread and hilarious cries for help.

WANDA VISION: Wanda Sykes

WHEN September 26

WHERE Queen Elizabeth Theatre

COST From $52

Emmy-winning Sykes serves sharp, no-nonsense humour and piping-hot takes. Like therapy, but cheaper and with way more laugh-crying (as opposed to, well, cry-crying).

THRONE SHADE: RuPaul’s Drag Race: Werq the World Tour

WHEN October 15

WHERE Queen Elizabeth Theatre

COST From $74

A royal visit fit for a Queen (E Theatre, that is). Lizzie might be on most of our $20 bills, but RuPaul’s queens are here to get theirs. This monarchy werqs hard and slays harder—which is more than we can say for a certain nepo-king.

DEADPAN SOCIETY: Emily Catalano

WHEN October 19

WHERE Biltmore Cabaret

COST From $40

Awkward pauses and punchlines from a Conan-approved queen of quiet comedy.

MURDER SHE WROTE: An Evening with Louise Penny

WHEN October 29

WHERE Chan Centre for the Performing Arts

COST From $79

Canada’s crime boss (of fiction) talks murder, mystery and The Black Wolf—her 20th Inspector Gamache book. Like your favourite true-crime podcast, but IRL.

BREAKFAST CLUB: Japanese Breakfast

WHEN September 1

WHERE Orpheum Theatre

COST From $94

Fresh off a new album, with possibly one of the best titles ever: For Melancholy Brunettes (and Sad Women). It’s your chance  to cry in public without the  weird looks.

OLD MAN YELLS AT CROWD: Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts

WHEN September 6 and 8

WHERE Deer Lake Park

COST From $120

Canada’s rock grandpa returns—save the earth, relive your youth, try to forget how much your knees hurt.

MR. FREEZE: Ice Cube

WHEN September 20

WHERE Pacific Coliseum

COST From $79.50

The N.W.A lyricist and West Coast rap legend is headed to Canada’s version of the West Coast on his Truth to Power: Four Decades of Attitude Tour and is bringing the party.

COMFORTABLY NUMB: Linkin Park

WHEN September 21

WHERE Rogers Arena

COST From $228

On their From Zero world tour. Millennial dads, get ready to rock!

HOG WILD: Black Rebel Motorcycle Club

WHEN September 23

WHERE Commodore Ballroom

COST From $72

BRMC is firing up the engines for Howl’s 20th anniversary—dusting off leather jackets and reminding you that, yes, 2005 was that long ago. Feel the nostalgia… and probably some level of backache.

SOUL EN ESPANOL: Natalia Lafourcade: Cancionera Tour

WHEN September 27

WHERE Chan Centre for the Performing Arts

COST From $99

Latin music legend Natalia Lafourcade makes her Vancouver debut with just her voice, her guitar and 18 Latin Grammys’ worth of goosebumps.

MANE EVENT: Disney’s The Lion King

WHEN Until September 14

WHERE Queen Elizabeth Theatre

COST From $10

Puppets, Pride Rock and a few hours of blissful hakuna matata from your kids.

MUSE CLUES: The Dark Lady at Bard on the Beach

WHEN Until September 19

WHERE Douglas Campbell Theatre

COST From $35

Who was Shakespeare’s secret muse? Hint: she’s tired of being just a footnote. A witty, feminist reimagining of Elizabethan literary drama—romance, rivalry and poetic shade included.

FRINGE BENEFITS: Vancouver Fringe Festival

WHEN September 4 to 14

WHERE Granville Island

COST From $16 per show

Eighty-seven unjuried, uncensored indie theatre shows (and their posters) set to take over Granville Island—anything goes!

OUT AND ABOUT: Vancouver Queer Film Festival

WHEN September 11 to 21

WHERE Various venues

COST From $7

Celebrate transformative 2SLGBTQIA+ films and unforgettable after-parties, and—if you’re more into couch vibes—stream the magic online B.C.-wide from September 22 to 28. Queer cinema hits different in sweatpants.

SCREEN LEGEND: Kurosawa Akira Restored

WHEN September 14 to  November 2

WHERE The Cinematheque

COST $15

Six stunning restorations from Japanese master Akira Kurosawa—including iconic films like Ikiru, Yojimbo and Throne of Blood. Samurai swords, existential dread and cinematic genius.

MÉTIS CALL: You Used to Call Me Marie

WHEN September 25 to  October 12

WHERE BMO Theatre Centre

COST From $78

Part epic love story, part Indigenous history lesson, this world- premiere play by Tai Amy Grauman spans 95 years and four Métis love stories—with the same two souls meeting and reuniting across eras.

BRICK YEAH: Artemis Space Adventure with LEGO Bricks

WHEN To April 6

WHERE Science World

COST From $35

Blast off with massive LEGO rockets, race rovers across lunar terrain and build Mars habitats—just don’t forget to let your kids try, too.

CLAY NATION: Two Must-See Ceramic Shows at the VAG

WHEN Until November 9

WHERE Vancouver Art Gallery

COST $29

It’s clay days at the VAG! Dive deep into B.C.’s ceramic scene with Written in Clay: From the John David Lawrence Collection, then lose yourself in oversized, surreal ceramic creations at Otani Workshop: Monsters in My Head.

SOCIAL CLIMBER: VQC x MEC Meetups

WHEN September 18

WHERE MEC Vancouver

COST Free

A monthly queer climbing hang. No climbing skills needed… but snacks? Essential. (Okay, snacks aren’t required, but emotionally, yes.)

CRAFTOPIA: Vancouver Etsy Co.’s Fall Pop-Up

WHEN September 27

WHERE Robson Square

COST Free

Shop local, get crafty, eat snacks, buy handmade soap—like shopping the online version of Etsy, but maybe you’ll make a few friends along the way.

HAUS PARTY: Harvest Haus Oktoberfest

WHEN October 3 and 4

WHERE PNE Forum

COST From $30

Bavarian beer-hall vibes, bratwurst and bench-dancing aplenty, plus probably a boot of beer? We don’t know what an Oktoberfest is.

JUST DOUGH IT: Italian Pizza-Making Class at Il Centro

WHEN October 20

WHERE Il Centro

COST $107

Give Uber Eats a break—you’re about to master dough tossing, sauce slinging and crust whispering at this three-hour pizza-palooza. Bonus points: it’s BYO wine-friendly.