Downtown Eastside Heart of the City Festival weaves community and connection, October 30 to November 10
Vancouver Moving Theatre’s 21st-annual fest includes a tribute to Theatre in the Raw’s late artistic director Jay Hamburger, Day of the Dead celebrations, and more
SPONSORED POST BY Vancouver Moving Theatre
La Llorona. Photo by David Cooper
The 21st-annual Downtown Eastside Heart of the City Festival takes place from October 30 to November 10 with over 100 events across the Downtown Eastside and online. Since its founding in 2004, the festival has been woven with the threads of dedicated community members who contribute their skills and artistry year after year, whether it be through performances, visual art, workshops, residencies, or cultural events.
The Festival Opening Ceremony at the Carnegie Community Centre on October 30 sees co-founders Terry Hunter and Savannah Walling reflect on their 21-year history with the festival, express their gratitude, and “pass the paddle” to new leadership. Special guests include Squamish Nation Elder Bob Baker/S7aplek; Chinese Canadian rap artist Gerry Sung; grass and powwow dancers Larissa Healey and Pavel Desjarlais; the lexwst’í:lem Drum Group; and Ukrainian Hall musicians.
Jay Hirabayashi in The Big Tree. Photo by Cecelia Muirhead
John Atkin and Bob Sung are hosting the popular Two Amigos Chinatown Walking Tour on November 10. On November 7, Diane Wood is presenting her fabric-art exhibition Speaking Words of Wisdom. And the Vancouver InterArts Collective is staging its multidisciplinary improvisational work The Big Tree on November 7 with Brad Muirhead, Jay Hirabayashi, and Barbara Bourget.
The Keep it Raw Cabaret on November 9 honours Theatre in the Raw’s late artistic director and longtime festival contributor Jay Hamburger, who was a beloved teacher, director, political activist, and radio host. On November 2, Sharon Kallis and the EartHand Gleaners Society are partnering with grassroots Indigenous collective Ancestral Foodways for Threads of Support & Resilience, a special day of events at Trillium Park and Strathcona Park.
Keep It Raw Cabaret. Photo by David Cooper
There are countless more offerings to explore. Among them are The Prop Master’s Dream, a Vancouver Cantonese Opera fusion show; Kin, a queering of flamenco by Kelty McKerracher and AJ Simmons; and La Llorona, Gerardo Avila’s shadow puppet ode to Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead).
Cross-country threads link the Downtown Eastside to Montreal as the Arrivals Legacy Project brings Diane Roberts back to the festival after 20 years, while new threads allow artist Sammy Chien to host both an interactive media installation called Ritual-Spective–RE: turning 迴融: 迴歸 with his father, and the Chinatown Stories Audio Tour.
For more details on all the events, visit the Downtown Eastside Heart of the City Festival.
Post sponsored by Vancouver Moving Theatre.
Sammy Chien (left) and his father Jackson Chien, creators of the Ritual-Spective–RE: turning 迴融: 迴歸 installation.