Whether you want to hit up a beachside night market, a free outdoor concert, or North America’s largest dragon boat festival, this week really has it all. So with that in mind, here are 10 of the best things to do in Vancouver this week (June 16-20).
Free pop-up concerts are back in Mount Pleasant this summer, and it’s already the second week of the series. This Wednesday, June 11, 2025, Dust Cwaine will perform at Main Street and East 14th, and on Thursday, June 12, 2025, the Fox Hop Quartet will perform at the East 21st Avenue Plaza.
When: Wednesdays and Thursdays starting Wednesday, June 4, 2025
Time: 5 to 7 p.m.
Where: Main Street and East 14th Avenue, and Main Street and 21st Avenue
Cost: Free admission
Canada’s first and only all-vegan market is hosting another beachside market this week with dozens of tasty plant-based vendors and local artisans at Locarno Beach.
When: Thursday, June 19, 2025
Time: 6 to 9:30 p.m.
Where: Locarno Beach
Cost: $4 minimum donation
Canada’s Men’s National Team kicks off their 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup series against Honduras this Tuesday at BC Place, so get ready to cheer them on at this exciting international soccer tournament.
When: Tuesday, June 17, 2025
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Where: 777 Pacific Blvd.
Cost: $55.95
The 2025 Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival returns to Vanier Park this week, and it’s kicking off with Much Ado About Nothing and The Two Gentlemen of Verona. So get ready for an outdoor theatre production like no other.
When: Tuesday, June 10, 2025 to Tuesday, September 30, 2025
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Where: 1695 Whyte Ave.
Cost: $35 to $88 per person
Vancouver’s summer Queer Arts Festival (QAF), an annual artist-run celebration of queer and trans experiences, and the creativity to come out of them. Portals is this year’s curated visual exhibition, which explores the themes of queerness, migration, and belonging at a time of rising anti-trans rhetoric. There are tons of events taking place across the city until the end of June, primarily at the SUM gallery at the Sun Wah Centre.
When: Now until Saturday, June 28, 2025
Time: Varies per event
Where: 268 Keefer St., Unit 205
Cost: Varies per event
Since 1990, Le Centre culturel francophone de Vancouver has put on the Festival d’été francophone de Vancouver (Vancouver Francophone Summer Festival), one of the most important cultural and musical francophone events in Western Canada. This year will be no different, hosting a week of concerts celebrating international francophone music.
When: Wednesday, June 11, 2025 to Saturday, June 21, 2025
Time: 8 p.m.
Where: 1551 West 7th Ave.
Cost: $5
The end of the week marks the first day of the Concord Pacific Dragon Boat Fest — the largest of its kind in North America. In addition to the boat races, there will be a local marketplace and food vendors, a new Concord Community Zone, live entertainment, and cultural pavilions.
When: Friday, June 20 to Sunday, June 22, 2025
Time: 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Where: 1455 Quebec St.
Cost: Free
There’s still time to check out the Improv Centre’s comedy show, The Bachelorish, which features one lucky improviser looking for love, based on the hit reality show, The Bachelor.
When: Fridays and Saturdays until Saturday, June 28, 2025
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Where: 1502 Duranleau St.
Cost: $35 per person
The beloved Richmond Night Market is in its 25th year, complete with hundreds of international street food booths, local retail vendors, and a first-of-its-kind zipline.
When: Open Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays this June
Time: 7 p.m. to midnight
Where: 8351 River Rd., Richmond
Cost: $7 for GA
This free public market has a licensed patio and has transformed customized shipping containers into an array of rotating pop-ups, vendors, and live entertainment space. Junction Public Market will operate from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Tuesday to Sunday starting May 1, 2025.
When: Open from Tuesday to Sunday
Time: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Where: 200 Granville St.
Cost: Free admission
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