The May long weekend has come and gone, and unlike parts to the East who experienced snowy long weekends, here on the snowless West Coast it moved us into (unofficial) Summer season
Improv: Who couldn’t use a laugh at the end of the work week? Find plenty of guffaws with The Improv Centre’s show Exploration Blank – a rotating, rag-tag crew of space explorers blasts off on an adventure through audience suggestions and a series of improv mini games, exploring a brand-new, dazzling galaxy of comedy every show, running Fridays & Saturday until June 27th
Heritage: ahmm 2026 (Asian Heritage Month at Morrow) moves into its final weekend, May 23-24 with Saturday featuring Experimental Sacred, a double-feature of a multi-disciplinary duet performed by drag artists SKIM and Maiden China, followed by a musical set performed by Kimmortal. Sunday features Movies, Matcha, Muse a mixed program of poetry, drag and film complimented by a bespoke matcha beverage.
Reading: Massey Theatre’s Eighth & Eight Reading Theatre returns Today at 1:15pm with a play by one of Reading Theatre’s own members, Toph Whitmore, A Death in Gravy is a farcical, single-set, two-act comic whodunnit that both pays homage to and satirizes Agatha Christie
Choir: For one night only, 600 voices of the Vancouver Youth Choir (VYC) presents Village, an evening of vibrant choral music that celebrates family, community, and togetherness, with special guest, Vancouver’s own folk artist and activist, Luke Wallace on stage at the Orpheum Theatre, May 24th
Snap: Omigod You Guys! How’s your bend and snap? Take a lesson from Elle Woods on her experience at Harvard Law School in the pinktastic, bubbly, comedy Legally Blonde: The Musical bringing the Metro Theatre brings its season to a close on June 7
Moon: Western Gold Theatre’s production of David French’s Salt-Water Moon , directed by Michael Fera opens this week, running May 21 to June 7 at PAL Studio Theatre.
Comedy: Celebrating its fourth year, Graham Clark’s 24-Hours of Stand-Up returns to Little Mountain Gallery, the marathon comedy event of the year runs from Friday, May 22 at 8pm to Saturday, May 23 at 8pm.
Dance: May 21-23, at the Vancouver Playhouse, Arts Umbrella Dance Company performs Memento Mori: A Season Finale Performance, a powerful series of performances marking the end of one cycle and the beginning of another.
Glitch: For one night only – Glitch Theatre, in partnership with the Roundhouse Community Arts & Recreation Centre, presents Arc One – an evening of live original performances by D/disability-identified artists.
Premiere: The Dance Centre presents the Global Dance Connections series presents the World Premiere of Corporeal Imago’s Drift Thursday-Saturday May 21-23
Neighbourhood: May 23rd, Collingwood Neighbourhood House celebrates its 40th anniversary fundraising gala by presenting Krystle Dos Santos & Friends at Anvil Centre
Tea: Dr Sun Yat Sen Classical Chinese Garden presents Garden Tea Festival: Tea For All, an immersive day celebrating the rich traditions and cultures of tea from all across the globe.
Silent: Coming up Monday, Vancouver Civic Theatres presents the final film in its 2025/2026 Silent Movie Monday season: The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog By Alfred Hitchcock
Children: Looking ahead, the 49th Annual Vancouver International Children’s Festival returns from May 25 – May 31, bringing Granville Island an exciting week of world-class theatre, music, dance, circus, puppetry and storytelling.
Robes: Thursday, celebrate the Museum of Anthropology at UBC’s world premiere of I Use My Haida Eyes: The History Robes of Jut-ke-Nay–Hazel Wilson, on display in the Audain Gallery from May 14 to October 12.
Photography: The Polygon Gallery hosts a major exhibition by acclaimed artist, curator, and scholar Tania Willard, Photolithics, showcasing the artists inventive approach to photography – on view until May 24th, 2026
Butts: On display until June 6, Gallery 881 welcomes acclaimed Vancouver-based photographer Michelle Leone Huisman‘s Vapes & Butts, a new exhibition from , a compelling new body of work that transforms the discarded remnants of contemporary life into images of haunting beauty and permanence.
Chicago: Ongoing, Awaken Canada plays in repertoire with the new Believe Chicago – Flyover’s first-ever film set entirely in an urban city, this multi-sensory journey takes guests 13,000 feet into the sky for a thrilling flight through the heart of Chicago passing skyscrapers, cinematic car chases, fireworks, and more.
Border: On view until May 30, 2026, The Reach Gallery Museum in Abbotsford presents Parallax(e): Perspectives on the Canada–U.S. Border / Perspectives sur la frontière Canada–É.-U., an ambitious exhibition that looks at the history of the 49th parallel that separates Canada and the US, and its lasting impacts on Indigenous communities
Duo: Richmond Art Gallery presents a pair of exhibitions until July 5, 2026. Curated by Shaun Dacey, SIDE CORE: under city marks the North American debut of Tokyo-based SIDE CORE, melding together contemporary art with skate culture and urban infrastructure. Curated by Zoë Chan, I digress is a group exhibition featuring six Canadian artists who represent a wide range of perspectives and engage in both lived experiences and collective histories in their work.
Dream: The Chinese Canadian Museum’s award-winning feature exhibition; Dream Factory: Cantopop Mandopop 1980s–2000’s has been extended by two months to allow more visitors to experience the acclaimed installation, held over until July 19, 2026.
Sculpture: Also at The Polygon Gallery, until October 18, 2026, James Harry: Eye Of The Ancestor is a
new sculpture by James Harry marking The Polygon Gallery’s seventh collaboration and co-commission with Burrard Arts Foundation. Eye of the Ancestor is a striking yellow cedar wooden sphere, carved with Coast Salish designs on the surface and holding a mirror-polished steel sphere inside.
River: Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art prepares to present the world premiere of Every River Has a Mouth: the visual languages that connect us, guest curated by Snuneymuxw artist Eliot White-Hill, Kwulasultun, on display until February 14, 2027