What’s happening in Vancouver this week

Where to go in Vancouver: events, concerts and shows worth your night

Vancouver has a compact downtown built for going out: an art deco ballroom with a sprung dance floor, a 1927 vaudeville palace that houses the symphony, a theatre district on one street, and, in summer, festivals on the beaches and in the parks. Below is where to go in Vancouver for a night out, with addresses, and what tends to be on when.

Concerts and live music in Vancouver: the Commodore and the Orpheum

The Commodore Ballroom (868 Granville Street, commodoreballroom.com) has been the city’s best room since 1930: a restored art deco hall for about 1,000 people with a sprung dance floor, hosting more than 150 shows a year from touring rock to hip-hop. Across the street, the Orpheum (601 Smithe Street), a 2,700-seat 1927 theatre with a frescoed dome, is home to the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and takes the seated concerts. The Vogue (918 Granville Street) and the Rickshaw (254 East Hastings Street) cover the mid-sized and rougher ends; arena tours play Rogers Arena and the Pacific Coliseum.

Vancouver nightlife: Granville Street, Gastown and Main Street

Granville Street between Robson and Davie is the entertainment district, loud and crowded at weekends, with the clubs and the two theatres above. Gastown, east of the downtown core, has the cocktail bars and a few small clubs, Fortune Sound Club among them; Main Street and Commercial Drive are the neighbourhood alternatives. Bars close at 2 am, and the SkyTrain runs until around 1 am.

Theatre, opera and dance in Vancouver

The Queen Elizabeth Theatre (630 Hamilton Street) is home to Vancouver Opera and Ballet BC and takes the touring Broadway musicals; the Arts Club Theatre runs several stages including the Stanley on Granville Street, and Bard on the Beach stages Shakespeare in tents in Vanier Park from June to September.

Museums and galleries in Vancouver for an evening

The Vancouver Art Gallery (750 Hornby Street) is the largest in western Canada, with a by-donation evening on Tuesdays. The Museum of Anthropology at UBC holds the great Northwest Coast collection, and the Contemporary Art Gallery on Nelson Street and the galleries of the Eastside fill the smaller end.

Vancouver festivals and events by season

• Winter: the Dine Out Vancouver festival in January and February, the Vancouver International Wine Festival, and the Christmas lights at VanDusen Garden.
• Spring: the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival in April and the Vancouver International Children’s Festival in May.
• Summer: the Vancouver International Jazz Festival in late June, Canada Day on 1 July, the Folk Music Festival at Jericho Beach in July, the Celebration of Light fireworks over English Bay, and Pride at the start of August.
• Autumn: the Vancouver International Film Festival in September and October, the Fringe on Granville Island in September, and the opera and symphony seasons opening.

Things to do in Vancouver tonight and this weekend

The listings above are the live version of all this: every concert, show, club night and exhibition on in Vancouver tonight, tomorrow and this weekend, with times, prices and tickets, updated every hour.