Eighth annual Vines Art Festival presents more than 100 performing and visual artists in Vancouver parks
(This article is sponsored by the Vines Art Festival)
Vancouver’s premier multidisciplinary arts festival with a focus on land, water, and relational justice will return to city parks in from August 3 to 13.
The eighth annual all-ages Vines Arts Festival features more than 100 performing and visual artists dedicated to working toward generational healing through their creative expressions.
It takes place for free at a variety of locations—including St’it’ewekw’/Second Beach on August 3 with Kinfolk Nation, Tzo;kam, and Balam performing at the Opening Ceremonies.
The following day (August 4), the festival moves to K’emk’emelày/Oppenheimer Park in a celebration of the Downtown Eastside, featuring Michelle Heyoka, SoyJoy, and VANDU.
On August 5, it’s a time to honour queer spaces, lives, and stories with House of Rice and DJ Nea, among others, at I7iyIshn/Sunset Beach.
Resilient Roots, featuring mitcholos touche, Edzi’u, and TJ Felix, is at Grandview Park (August 11).
Denying the erasure wrought by the colonial project is in the spotlight the next night (August 12) at Xi7namut/New Brighton Park, with Tonya Aganaba and KeAloha among the list of artists.
The grand finale of the Vines Art Festival is at Trout Lake (August 13) with the shared table, Our Tended Harvest, and artists Jung Jaadee, Janelle Reid, and Mad Riddim.
A 2021 festival performer, singer-songwriter and accordionist Ana Bon-Bon, describes the Vines Art Festival as one of the more adventurous yet grounded festivals that she’s performed in.
“It seems outstanding in its values and scope of vision, support, and cohesiveness,” Bon-Bon says. “It has an enlightened and intuitive community-minded compass guiding its purpose—for public inclusion, questioning, expression, and enjoyment—from the deep love of and fight for the total health of our biosphere and ourselves within.”
Bilingual writer and performer Sio Barker says that it’s rare to find a festival that cares so deeply for artists in the preparation stage as well as in the performance.
“Vines has always positioned themselves as interested in supporting the development of the arts and not just vanished products,” says Barker, who will return to the festival this year.
“Way beyond the festival, they engage with the community to support sharing information that could really impact us as artists—like artist care initiative, government programs, tax info, et cetera,” Barker continues. “Folks can really feel welcome to bring a wide range of possible performances of different lengths and feel valued and appreciated by the Vines audiences, staff, and volunteers.”
