SAX MAN: Vancouver International Jazz Festival presents Isaiah Collier
WHEN July 1
WHERE Vancouver Playhouse
COST From $55
The buzzy sax phenom—as in saxophone, don’t be weird—is bringing the cool sounds of Coltrane to the Vancouver Playhouse.
WILE AWAY: Kurt Vile and the Violators
WHEN July 1
WHERE Commodore Ballroom
COST From $136
A hazy night of shaggy, slacker-cool rock for swaying gently and lightly dissociating in denim.
GET YOUR KICKS: FIFA Fan Festival Vancouver presents Arkells
WHEN July 7
WHERE PNE Amphitheatre
COST From $44
The PNE is about to become soccer central (June 11 to July 19) and for everyone not actually at the game, Arkells are here to keep the crowd kicking and screaming.
THAT’S AMOR, EH?: CA7RIEL and Paco Amoroso
WHEN July 8
WHERE Queen Elizabeth Theatre
COST From $145
The Argentinian duo brings their signature blend of Latin trap, funk, pop and pure theatrical nonsense to town, for those who like their concerts loud, weird and a little sexually confusing.
FISH BOWL: Theatre Under the Stars presents The Little Mermaid
WHEN July 5 to August 22
WHERE Malkin Bowl
COST From $35
Alongside Sister Act, TUTS is bringing everyone’s fave boy-crazy half-fish teen to the Bowl. Expect big songs, daddy issues, some light cave hoarding and the silent treatment as flirting.
CLEVER GIRL SUMMER: VSO presents Jurassic Park in Concert
WHEN July 9 to 10
WHERE Orpheum Theatre
COST From $32
Catch the ’90s dino blockbuster on the big screen, with the VSO playing John Williams’s iconic score live while that kid on the electric fence still stresses you out more than the dinosaurs.
THE KHAT’S MEOW: Khatsahlano Street Party
WHEN July 11
WHERE West 4th Avenue (from Macdonald to Burrard)
COST Free
West 4th’s annual 10-block blowout is back with eight stages, live music, food trucks, shopping and beer gardens. Wander, snack and let your Fitbit tally the steps while you lose count of the beers.
NOT FOR THE SHEEPISH: Goat
WHEN July 12 to 13
WHERE The Pearl
COST From $69
The mysterious Swedish psych-rock collective is doing two nights at The Pearl, which means masks, maximalism and the kind of groove-heavy weirdness that makes you feel cooler by proxy.
GULLS JUST WANNA HAVE FUN: Vancouver Folk Music Festival
WHEN July 17 to 19
WHERE ?ə’yalməxw/I’yálmexw Jericho Beach Park
COST From $150
Three days of oceanfront folk bliss served blanketside. Finally, a concert I can lie down at without security “checking up on me.”
PEEP SHOW: VIFF Centre Pantheon Series presents Rear Window
WHEN July 19 and 21
WHERE VIFF Centre
COST $23
Hitchcock’s classic tale of neighbourly nosiness, suspicious non-birding binocular use and why minding your own business is a life skill.
DRY CLEAN: Nate Bargatze
WHEN July 23
WHERE Rogers Arena
COST From $83
The king of clean-cut deadpan, proving once again that comedy does not equal yelling.
ARTS AND CRAFT BEER: Eastside Arts Festival’s Free Outdoor Concert
WHEN July 26
WHERE MacLean Park
COST Free
As part of the 10-day Eastside Arts Festival (art, performance, workshops), MacLean Park plays host to a free outdoor concert with food trucks and a beer garden—because culture is thirsty work.
KIM POSSIBLE: Kim Gordon
WHEN July 27
WHERE Hollywood Theatre
COST From $64
The alt icon is coming to make your Monday night significantly cooler while reigniting your quest for the perfect leather jacket: your indie white whale.
NO STRINGS ATTACHED: The Muppet Drag Show: An Adult Pride Brunch
WHEN August 1
WHERE Hotel at The Waldorf
COST $20
An adult Pride drag show and brunch with a side of some serious nostalgia. Let’s be honest, Miss Piggy is drag. Period.
DANCE APPEAL: Public Disco Pride Block Party
WHEN August 1
WHERE E 3rd Ave. and Ontario St.
COST From $24
Hit the all-day open-air Mount Pleasant dance party: two stages, food trucks, live art and more—you’ll forget you actually left your house to pick up groceries.
HALF-CENTURY YOUNG: Powell Street Festival
WHEN August 1 to 2
WHERE Oppenheimer Park
COST Free
Hitting the big 5-0 this year, the beloved fest brings Japanese Canadian art, culture, food and community to Oppenheimer Park for one very well-earned anniversary party.
BODY BREAK: KitsFest 2026
WHEN August 6 to 9
WHERE Kitsilano Beach
COST Free
For four fitness-packed days, we’re going full Kits with active-people fun: Spikeball, tennis, basketball, volleyball and chess (because yes, the brain is a muscle too), plus DJs, sunset yoga and other beachy programming.
THE RUNNING MAN: SeaWheeze Half Marathon and Sunset Festival
WHEN August 8
WHERE Hastings and Hornby
COST Sunset Festival, $125; half marathon, $325
Technically, you can head straight to the post-run yoga-and-dance afterparty at Brockton Field. Did you run? That’s between you and your Apple Watch.
IT’S ELECTRIC: AC/DC
WHEN August 13
WHERE BC Place
COST From $106
Alert the dads: AC/DC is coming to BC Place. Expect decibels, denim and enough air guitar to throw out a shoulder. For one night only, your pop’s garage “tinkering” playlist comes roaring to life.
BETWEEN SEVERAL FERNS: Great Outdoors Comedy Festival presents Bill Burr
WHEN August 28
WHERE Brockton Fields
COST From $89
Stanley Park becomes a 19-plus open-air comedy club for one weekend only, with a new lineup each night. Bill Burr opens the fest on August 28.
