The Stage is Set

July 4—13, 2025

Featured This Season

  • Audience seated and standing at a comedy show or live performance in a theater setting.

    Borderless Solidarities: Storytelling in Ruptured Times

    July 4, 2025
    7:00-10:00 p.m

    An evening with Minelle Mahtani, Adel Iskandar, Baljit Sangra and Nermin Gogalic. From journalism to film to writing, these voices explore how storytelling can open up space for new stories—especially in times of profound rupture.

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  • Person wearing traditional South Asian jewelry and patterned clothing, lying on a yellow background, overlaid with geometric shapes.

    Today is the evening to strike lightning / Aaj To Bijiliyan Girane Ki Shaam Hai

    July 5, 2025
    7:30-9:00 pm

    Justine A. Chambers and Simran Sachar’s first choreographic collaboration is an act of devotion that collapses Waacking, choreographic scores, and gestures sourced from memories and images of their mothers dancing.

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  • A collage featuring a woman with braided hair smiling, a person with a headscarf, a close-up of hands holding a clay object, a body of water reflecting sunlight, a tree with exposed roots, and decorative patterns with icons of suitcases, circles, and stars.

    Tiffin Talk: We Carry Her Name

    July 6, 2025
    12:00-2:00 p.m

    An intimate gathering honouring ancestral lineages and matriarchal wisdom. With artists Justine Redila, Linsay Willier Kendall, and moderated by Suvi Bains, this gathering is a reflection and offering: a space to honor the ancestral lineages that birthed us, carried us, and continue to walk with us—followed by a warm meal in Indian-style tiffins.

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  • Kiran Deol a women, in a pink shirt holding a microphone, smiling, with a patterned overlay of pink and black geometric shapes.

    A Raucous Evening with Kiran Deol

    July 8, 2025
    7:00-9:00 pm

    Kiran Deol—comedian, actor, writer, and all-around badass—is bringing her signature blend of sharp wit, unfiltered honesty, and South Asian realness to the stage for a one-night-only comedy blowout.

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Meet the Artists

We see artists as important voices in the larger community, allowing us to step into the worlds they create, while also addressing the pressing questions of the one we inhabit. We present acclaimed international and local artists, connecting Vancouver to itself and the world. Curating through a South Asian lens, we center the exciting work of culturally diverse artists.

Alam Khan, a man playing a sarod, an Indian string instrument, against a dark background.
Person wearing a black coat with hand on head, wooden background
Black and white photo of a South Asian women comedian holding a microphone on stage with stage lighting in the background.

Borderless Solidarities

2025 Curatorial Theme

by ISF’s Curator in Residence, Am Johal

In an era of hardened borders and unraveling certainties, we invoke an audacious idea—an insurgent solidarity that defies the inertia of our times. Through acts of deep hospitality, promiscuous alliances, and joyful resistance, Indian Summer Festival invites you to gather, dream, and imagine otherwise.

A man with glasses and a beard smiling while sitting against a wall, wearing a beige blazer and white shirt, in a warmly lit setting.

  • "It is amazing to be a part of the South Asian community here, and see all the ways that people are forming community, performing their art, living, and thriving!”

    Nishant Jain (@thesneakyartist)

  • “ISF is a one-of-a-kind experience that must be felt. It has the power to transform your understanding of yourself and this beautifully mixed-up world we live in.”

    Zena Henriquez, Festival Patron

  • “I love the respectful collaboration with Indigenous peoples and the inclusiveness of Queer voices”

    Festival Patron

  • "Extremely and graciously sensitive to current times and issues"

    Festival Patron

  • “A sensual and cerebral smorgasbord—a veritable feast—for those with a curious mind.”

    Charlie Smith, The Georgia Straight

  • “When the world of culinary excellence meets sophisticated conversation, everybody wins.”

    Vancouver Magazine

A group of people mingling at an indoor event in a modern building with large glass windows. The attendees are wearing formal and traditional attire. The venue has concrete walls and a vaulted ceiling.

Be Part of What’s Next

For the past fourteen years, Indian Summer has produced our annual festival, modeling the kind of society we’d like to see: one that is creative, diverse, innovative, and inclusive—one that centers multiple perspectives and voices, and believes we’re stronger together.

There are four ways to support: donate, buy tickets, volunteer, or join our Patrons Circle.

Our Partners

  • Logo displaying text in an indigenous language with the English phrase 'THE COLLEGE OF HIGHER LEARNING.'
  • Logos for Granville Island, Creative BC, and British Columbia.
  • Logos of British Columbia Arts Council and British Columbia, with the text "Supported by the Province of British Columbia."
  • Text "Canada" in stylized font with maple leaf above the "a".
  • Canada Council for the Arts logo with tree symbol.
  • British Columbia logo with sun and mountains graphic
  • City of Vancouver Cultural Services logo with stylized leaves.
  • Metro Vancouver logo with tagline "Services and Solutions for a Livable Region."
  • Vancouver Civic Theatres logo in black and white with block letters V, C, T.
  • Logo of Vancouver Foundation with stylized text
  • CBC logo with a stylized black and white circular emblem and the text 'CBC' in bold letters.
  • Logos for 'Stir Arts & Culture Vancouver' and 'SP!CE Radio' at 1200 AM.
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