Festivals
Warm summers, outdoor venues and a culture-hungry population combine to make Vancouver an important festival city. Recognized as one of the leading festivals of its kind, Vancouver's annual International Jazz Festival (late June to early July) is organized by the Coastal Jazz and Blues Society (tel 872-5200, www.jazzvancouver.com ). Past line-ups have featured such luminaries as Wynton Marsalis, Youssou N'Dour, Ornette Coleman, Carla Bley and John Zorn. Some 800 international musicians congregate annually, many offering workshops and free concerts in addition to paid-admission events. Other music festivals include the Vancouver International Folk Music Festival (tel 681-0041, www.thefestival.bc.ca ), a bevy of international acts centred on Jericho Park and the Centennial Theatre for several days during the third week of July. In July, Vancouver loses its collective head over the Sea Festival (tel 684-3378) - nautical fun, parades and excellent fireworks around English Bay. Further afield in Whistler , there's a Country & Bluegrass Festival held in mid-July. Theatre festivals come thick and fast, particularly in the summer. The chief event is the Fringe Festival (tel 257-0350, www.vancouverfringe.com ), modelled on the Edinburgh equivalent. It currently runs to more than 550 shows, staged by some ninety companies at ten venues. There's also an annual Shakespeare Festival (June-Aug) in Vanier Park and an International Comedy Festival (tel 683-0883, www.comedyfest.com ) in early August on Granville Island. Many of the city's art-house cinemas join forces to host the Vancouver International Film Festival (tel 685-0260), an annual showcase for more than 150 films running from late September to mid-October.
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