city

Mark Your Calendars: These Are the Best Events in Vancouver Happening in June

Don't miss these top-tier arts and culture (and food!) events happening this month.

By Kerri Donaldson /
Brewery and the Beast
Photo COURTESY OF BREWERY AND THE BEAST

1. Ale as Old as Time: Brewery and the Beast

WHEN June 2

WHERE Concord Pacific Place

COST From $174

If you’re into tailgating, same energy—except it’s over 55 of Vancouver’s top chefs grilling up a storm, not your buddy Dave who insists those charred patties are just “well-done.”

Meatball sub

2. Roman Holiday: Italian Day on the Drive

WHEN June 9

WHERE Commercial Drive

COST Free

Get ready for an Italian street party that’s sure to be a fun (and tasty) way to celebrate the birthplace of of pizza (among other things, sure).

3. Fortnight: Twelfth Night

WHEN June 11 to September 21

WHERE Senákw/Vanier Park

COST From $30

Bard brains, get thee to the beach for some sun and Shakespeare, specifically Twelfth Night, set to the music of celebrated Vancouver songstress Veda Hille. Seeth thee th’re?

Jimbo

4. Cirque de Slay: Jimbo’s Drag Circus

WHEN June 11

WHERE Vogue Theatre

COST From $40

RuPaul’s Drag Race All-Stars season 8 winner and Canada’s beloved buxom drag oddball is bringing her circus spectacle to our town and we are more than down to clown.

Barbu performance
Photo courtesy of Frederic Barrette

5. Big Tent Energy: Cirque Alfonse Presents Barbu

WHEN June 12 to 23

WHERE The Cultch

COST From $39

Get ready for a retro circus rave! (Three words you don’t often hear together.) With a live electro-trad band and the theme “birth of the circus in early 1900s Montreal” it’s like a twirly-mustache Bat Signal.

6. Drag Race: Concord Pacific Dragon Boat Festival

WHEN June 21 to 23

WHERE False Creek

COST Free

Live music, food vendors and over 200 teams from around the world paddling for all the glory—think: aquatic Kentucky Derby (minus the fun hats… though you can wear a fun hat if you want!)

7. Toga Party: Greek Day on Broadway

WHEN June 23

WHERE West Broadway

COST Free

Greece is the word at this all-day fam-friendly street party in Kits’s Greektown. Come for the live music, dancing and cultural celebration—stay for the souvlaki, gyros and baklava.

8. Jazz Hands: Killer Mike at the Jazz Festival

WHEN June 29

WHERE Granville Island and various venues

COST From $59

The Vancouver International Jazz Fest loves to challenge our ideas of what “jazz” is (is VIJF super punk?), and we love to see it. This year, Grammy-winning rapper and activist Killer Mike is on deck.