10 Vancouver Events to Check Out in August

Celebrate Japanese culture, go for a slide and flex those DIY muscles.

Listen to Stories from LGBTQ2+ Refugees

August 3

Presented by the Vancouver Pride Society (who also host the Vancouver Pride Parade on August 4) and the Canadian International Council, Welcome to Vancouver: A Discussion on LGBTQ2+ Refugees is an inaugural forum to discuss human rights issues that impact the LGBTQ2+ community. The panel discussion will include talks from local organizations that support LGBTQ2+ refugees as well as personal stories from refugees who now live in Vancouver. All proceeds will go to Rainbow Refugee.When: 5 p.m.to 7 p.m.Where: SFU’s Segal Building, 500 Granville St.Cost: $20Tickets: Eventbrite

Celebrate Japanese Canadian Culture

August 5 and 6

Celebrating Japanese Canadian culture, the Powell Street Festival is a multi-media weekend that includes musical acts, panel discussions, poetry, food and craft markets, historical tours and so much more. This year the festival features an interactive installation that includes giant sushi costumes, a panel with Haruki Murakami’s translators, taiko drumming and stories of the playfulness amidst the struggle of living in a Japanese internment camp as a child.When: 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.Where: Oppenheimer Park (400 block of Powell St.) and various nearby venuesCost: FreeMore info: Powell Street Festival

Marvel at Murals

August 7 to 12

One of Vancouver’s largest celebrations of public art, Vancouver Mural Festival is back with more than 50 incredible murals and a whole host of community events. Murals by Vancouver’s talented emerging artists will be finished and ready for display so you can take a tour while enjoying a street party. Musical guests performing throughout the week include Basia Bulat, Yukon Blonde and Chapel Sound as well as a paint filled prom with the mural artists.When: August 7 to 12Where: Various VenuesCost: Up to $25More info: Vancouver Mural Fest

Catch the Tall Tale

August 11

The premise of Story Story Lie is genius in its simplicity: performers from across Vancouver share personal and often hilarious stories with an audience—only one of those stories is a lie. What follows is an interrogation by the audience, where the first audience member to guess who told the lie wins prizes and accolades. This month’s performance features the All Stars of the show going head to head in a game of deceit.When: 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.Where: The Fox Cabaret, 2321 Main St.Cost: $12Tickets: Eventbrite

Make a Wish on a Shooting Star

August 12

Learn about the night sky while surrounded by the dark of the endowment lands with the Museum of Anthropology’s event, Blackout: Night Sky Festival. The festival will feature Indigenous sky stories, astronomers from the UBC Astronomers Club and the HR Macmillan Space Centre and a parade of lanterns to lead you to an incredible view during the peak of the Perseid Meteor Shower.When: 5 p.m. to midnightWhere: Museum of Anthropology, 6393 NW Marine Dr.Cost: $10 (adults); free (students and youth)More info: MOA

Slide Down a Massive Water Slide

August 12 and 13

Nothing says summer like barrelling down a water slide the length of three football fields, amirite? As part of North Vancouver’s Fun City Festival, Slide the City will be installing a 1,000-foot-long vinyl water slide to help fulfil all your inflatable inner tube dreams along with DJs, food vendors and more.When: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.Where: Along Lonsdale from 8^th Ave. to Lonsdale Quay, North VancouverCost: $25More info: Slide the City

Watch a Performance on a Tall Ship

August 15 to September 3

Performed on a Tall Ship moored in False Creek, Nomadic Tempest: A Climatopian Spectacle by Caravan Stage Company is a viewing experience that will really put the wind in your sails. The performance tells the story of butterfly monarch migrants searching for refuge using aerial performers and music sung in English, Henqeminem, Arabic, Mandarin and Spanish.When: 9:45 p.m.Where: West of Hinge Park on South East False CreekCost: FreeMore info and registration: Eventbrite

Make or Buy Beautiful Goods

August 19 and 20

Have you ever wanted to make your own healing salve, handmade patch, Jun tonic or botanical embroidery masterpiece? Look no further than Watch and Learn: A Vancouver Maker Festival. This weekend event features workshops, food trucks, live music and an Etsy Market for those with butter fingers who prefer well-crafted things made by others!When: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.Where: Queen Elizabeth Theatre Plaza, 650 Hamilton St.Cost: $7 per day or $10 for a weekend passMore info: Watch and Learn

Practice Yoga on the Beach

Until August 31

Stretch out with a big mat and breathe in that salty summer air. Mat Collective both recycles used yoga mats and puts on free yoga classes outdoors during the summer. Classes are held at two locations, multiple times per day.When: Various timesWhere: Kits Beach and Main Street LocationsCost: FreeMore info: Mat Collective

See Salmon Swim up the Cambie Street Bridge

Until September 24

Uninterrupted is a video installation depicting the migration of Pacific Salmon, projected onto the belly of the Cambie Street bridge. This gorgeous 25-minute film screens every night, Tuesday through Saturday until September 24. If you’re looking for more outdoor screenings, check out Evo Summer Cinema in Stanley Park and Waterfront Cinema at Canada Place.When: Tuesday through Saturday night, 10 p.m.Where: Coopers’ Park underneath Yaletown side of Cambie BridgeCost: FreeMore info: Uninterrupted

Events