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5 Festivals to Attend In Vancouver This Week (Sept. 3 to 9)

By Alyssa Hirose /

This week is flooded with festivals celebrating music, magic and more.

Fringe Photo: Poly Queer Love Ballad

Binge the Fringe

September 6-16

The Vancouver Fringe Festival is back with another year of uncensored independent theatre. The Fringe’s selection process is totally random—mainstage productions are literally chosen from a hat–so every artist who applies has an equal chance of getting in. The festival kicks off on Monday, and showcases a whopping 99 different shows and 700 individual performances over the next 11 days. There’s an after party every night, and theme days, too (this Friday is Fancy Friday, so dust off your top hats and monocles).When: Thursday, September 6 – Sunday, September 16Where: Multiple locationsCost: $15 with Fringe membershipMore Info: vancouverfringe.comJuliana Chen Photo: Juliana Chen

Work Some Magic

September 7 – 9

Vancouver transforms to Vegas this week for the World of Magic Festival. Seven magicians, illusionists and daredevils from all over the world will gather to astound and amaze believers and skeptics alike. Highlights include Chinese illusionist Juliana Chen and Victoria Natives Murray Hatfield and Teresa, whose acts normally involve fire and people appearing out of thin air.When: Friday, September 7 – Sunday, September 9Where: Vancouver PlayhouseCost: from $58More Info: worldofmagic.caSkookum Photo: Skookum

Party in the Park

September 7 – 9

Hey, faithful festival lovers getting carsick on the Sea-to-Sky every year only to be sunburnt out of your mind in the wilderness of Pemberton and Squamish – this one’s for you. The Skookum festival has eclectic art, awesome music (The Killers and Florence + the Machine are headliners) and curated picnic baskets for those festival rumblies. It’s the first festival of its kind in Vancouver. “Skookum” comes from the historical Chinook Jargon of the Pacific Northwest – it means strong or brave as an adjective and celebration as a noun. This festival is a collaboration with the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations.When: Friday, September 7 – Sunday, September 9Where: Brockton Field Complex in Stanley ParkCost: $319 for a weekend passMore Info: skookumfestival.comDog Photo: SPCA

Hound Around

September 9

If Saturday is for the boys, Sunday is for the dogs. Treat Fido to a few hundred extra butts to sniff at the Paws For a Cause dog walk. Your registration fee goes towards all of the doggone good deeds the SPCA does (like animal cruelty prevention, education programs, and enforcement of animal cruelty laws). After the walk, chill out in their new dog-friendly beer garden—with beer from Yellow Dog Brewing, of course—and check out their festival with vendors, SPCA booths, and a kid’s tent. How can you say no to this face?When: Sunday, September 9Where: David Lam ParkCost: $20More Info: support.spca.bc.caFarm Photo: Farmfolk Cityfolk

Feed on a Farm

September 9

This is definitely the fanciest (and priciest!) meal you’ll ever have on a farm. The lucky diners at the Metro Vancouver Feast of the Fields festival will travel from tent to tent at the UBC Farm, sampling food and drink from some of the top chefs, bakers, vinters and brewers in BC – all to the beat of live music and with a linen napkin in hand, of course. Proceeds from this event go to FarmFolk CityFolk, a nonprofit that cultivates local, sustainable food systems through protecting foodlands, supporting growers and engaging local communities. They even have a “feast bus” that will take you from downtown to the farm and back – but that’ll cost you extra.When: Sunday September 9, 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.Where: UBC FarmCost: $95 for general admissionMore Info: eventbrite.ca