The Vines Art Festival’s biggest event takes place at Trout Lake Park on August 17, when the art installations, concerts, and dance performances of Vines: The Wood5 Anniversary explore themes of eco-activism. Highlights include wordsmith Rabbit Richards, Sudanese-Canadian music from Sudanda, and a community sound-art piece by Matthew Tomkinson and Elissa Hanson.

But there’s much more innovative, enviro-friendly arts activism as the fest runs citywide from Wednesday (August 7) to August 18. Here are a few events worth checking out:

Opening ceremony

August 7 at Jericho Beach Park

Local Indigenous women kick things off, with Senaqwila Wyss of the Squamish Nation, Ocean Hyland of Tsleil-Waututh, and Christie Lee Charles of Musqueam performing, speaking, and singing. Singer Dalannah Gail Bowen takes the stage later.

Under the Canopy

August 8 at Hadden Park by Kits Beach

Theatre troupe the Only Animal uses vintage typewriters, audience participants, and the natural world of this site’s open-air setting to create story performances. That project is followed that evening with works by dancer and Ballet BC alumnus Dario Dinuzzi, artists Jen Aoki and Tomoyo Yamada, dance ensemble All Bodies Dance, and more.

The Eco-Runway

August 13 at David Lam Park

Ralph Escamillan mixes voguing and activism in a catwalk battle at 7:15 p.m. that asks performers to incorporate social and environmental justice when they strike a pose. Earlier on the outdoor stage, at 6:30 p.m., Escamillan, Kevin Fraser, and Ross Wirtanen dig further into vogue and ballroom culture with the Coven, a hyperenergized showcase that mashes up dance, fashion, music, and spoken word.