Kick off 2025 with a great art show happening in and around Vancouver!
Here are 10 fantastic ones to add to your calendar to start the new year, including Beetlejuice, The Lind Bienniel, and more.
And for more fun things happening around town, be sure to visit our Listed section.
Broadway Across Canada
What: Beetlejuice is an eight-time Tony Award-nominated Broadway musical based on the hit Tim Burton film. Follow along as teenager Lydia Deetz meets a recently deceased couple and a demon with a penchant for stripes.
Time: 7:30 pm (Tuesday to Sunday), 2 pm (Saturday and Sunday)
Where: Queen Elizabeth Theatre — 630 Hamilton Street, Vancouver
Cost: Various; purchase online
What: Cirque du Soleil is returning to Vancouver this fall with its newest big top show, and it promises to be an experience worth shouting about!
The internationally acclaimed acrobatic circus is back in the city with Echo. Described as a story about connection and intention, the production will take over Concord Pacific Place with an exploration of the “symbiotic unions between humans and the animal kingdom.
When: Now until January 5, 2025
Time: Performance times will vary based on the date
Where: Concord Pacific Place — 88 Pacific Boulevard, Vancouver
Tickets: Various prices, purchase online
What: The Polygon Gallery at The Shipyards in North Vancouver hosts a showcase of new work by the finalists of the Philip B. Lind Prize for Emerging Artists. This is your opportunity to see the best in emerging BC-based artists working in the mediums of photography, film, or video.
When: Now until February 2, 2025
Time: Wednesday, 10 am–5 pm; Thursday, 10 am–9 pm; Friday–Sunday, 10 am–5 pm
Where: The Polygon Gallery — 101 Carrie Cates Court, North Vancouver
Cost: By donation
What: I Remember, written, performed, and choreographed by Joe Laughlin, is a dive into the memories and lessons he learned from his 40 years as a dancer. Expect an emotional, moving, and relatable look at aging and why we should always keep moving.
When: January 15 to 18, 2025
Time: 7:30 pm
Where: Firehall Arts Centre — 280 East Cordova Street, Vancouver
Tickets: Sliding scale of $30-$100; purchase online
The Improv Centre
What: Some of the world’s funniest comedians are coming to The Improv Centre this month, and the live shows are sure to crank up the temperature in Vancouver.
The improv theatre company’s The Heat is an international comedy showcase happening on Granville Island from January 23 to 27, featuring groups from the Phillippines, New Zealand, Estonia, Zimbabwe, and Canada.
When: January 28 to February 1, 2025
Time: Various times
Where: The Improv Centre – 1502 Duranleau Street, Vancouver
Cost: Starting from $15. Tickets available online.
Head over to the Bill Reid Gallery to celebrate Bill Reid’s legacy during his birthday weekend. There will be a tea party and a conversation with Dr. Martine Reid and Chester Gryski, who will discuss Bill Reid’s creative collaboration with print and book designer Bob Reid.
When: January 11, 2025
Time: 1 to 2:30 pm
Where: Bill Reid Gallery — 639 Hornby Street, Vancouver
Cost: Included with gallery admission, tickets $6-$13. Purchase online
What: The Vancouver Maritime Museum hosts the feature exhibit, Heartbeat of a Vessel, by Jo Scott-b. Artworks on display will spotlight how each valve and gauge in an engine has a story to tell.
When: Now until May 2025
Time: 10 am to 5 pm
Where: Vancouver Maritime Museum – 1905 Ogden Avenue, Vancouver
Cost: $14-$18.50, free for children five and under with a paying adult (max two free children per one adult)
Duck Pond
What: Duck Pond is Circa’s irreverent take on the timeless Swan Lake. Leave any preconceived notions of ballet at the door as the highly-anticipated show will embrace the controlled chaos that is Australia’s premiere dance-circus company.
Under the direction of visionary choreographer Yaron Lifschitz, Circa mixes it up, combining burlesque, heart-in-throat acrobatics, romance, and more in Duck Pond, coming to the Vancouver Playhouse in January.
When: January 22 to 25, 2025
Time: 8 pm (plus 2 pm matinee on January 25)
Where: Vancouver Playhouse – 600 Hamilton Street, Vancouver
Tickets: Starts at $40.75, purchase online
What: The Vancouver Art Gallery presents Multiple Realities: Experimental Art in the Eastern Bloc, 1960s–1980s, a deep dive into the experimental art made in six Central Eastern European nations over the three decades.
The interdisciplinary exhibition features works from nearly 100 artists questioning how, when, and where art could exist and uncovering its various meanings for society.
When: Now until April 21, 2025 (closed Tuesdays)
Time: 10 am to 5 pm (Saturday to Wednesday), 10 am to 8 pm (Thursday and Friday)
Where: 750 Hornby Street, Vancouver
Admission: $29-$35, free for ages 18 and under, gallery members, Indigenous peoples, and caregivers. Book online
What: Some comics are known to kill onstage, but how far will one of them go in this murder mystery stand-up show at Little Mountain Gallery? Laugh along and listen carefully as clues are revealed in this hilariously gruesome comicide. Presented by A Little Weird Weekend.
When: January 31, 2025
Time: 7 pm
Where: Little Mountain Gallery — 110 Water Street, Vancouver
Tickets: $15 in advance, $20 at the door plus fees. Purchase online