The Banyan Tree (ficus benghalensis) with its aerial roots, and the ever-spreading canopy is a hugely important tree in India. Not only is it India’s national tree, but it is also often at the heart of many Indian villages. It is the place where the village parliament takes place, but also where friends gossip, stories […]
"There's not another event like it on the summer calendar in Vancouver" — The Georgia Straight Our legendary art-filled party always signals the start of ISF season, and we’re back in person for the first time in two years! Speaking to our festival theme of Inner / Outer Climates are a roster of musical and […]
"Orene has stepped up to the plate to represent her communities, and her brilliance has not gone unnoticed." — Stir Vancouver Orene Askew aka DJ O Show has many identities – a sought after DJ, vibrant motivational speaker, a two-spirited Afro-Indigenous person, a former Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) councilor, and a pillar of Vancouver’s LGBT+ […]
Imaginarium is an electric evening of ideas, conversation and music hosted by award-winning Indigenous broadcaster and curator Jarrett Martineau and visionary artistic director Sirish Rao. Together, they invoke a long continuum of storytelling to weave present and past into intimate interviews with some of the world’s most noted writers and thinkers. For this inaugural edition […]
“…his videos of mushrooms making calming ambient soundscapes, have already racked up more than half a million Tik Tok followers and 25 million views.” - The Guardian, UK Modern Biology is the new project of veteran musician Tarun Nayar. Formally trained in Indian Classical music and educated as a biologist, Modern Biology sees him turn […]
"A luscious celebration of all things sensual and erotic, full-throttled defiance of heteronormative clichés, and a loving embrace of self.” — A.A. Cristi, Broadway World Created by award-winning dancer and choreographer Sujit Vaidya, OFF CENTRE is a stunning and provocative dance performance. Two dancers - Sujit Vaidya and Arun Mathai - work in marvellous harmony […]
Fresh from a win at the 2022 Grammy Awards, Arooj Aftab, one of the rising stars of the music world performs for the first time ever in Vancouver.
Supported by "Maitreyi has deep knowledge of artistic practices as well as traditional healing practices and philosophies.” — Dr. Arun Garg, MD FRCPS Yogacharini Maitreyi is both a trained artist and a master yoga practitioner with a dedicated following in Vancouver and around the world. In this special event, she invites us to a space […]
"If 5x15’s packed soirees feel like an evening of offline, communal surfing, it’s due to the eclectic menu of speakers." 5×15 is a global speakers series that has hosted some of the world’s most highly regarded thinkers. Quite simply, it features five stellar speakers, speaking for fifteen minutes each on a topic they are deeply […]
“This is Soul-capella!” - Questlove (about Madison McFerrin) Our 12th festival edition wraps its indoor programming with a fabulous, celebratory musical finale. Headlining the evening is the transcendental Madison McFerrin, who comes in from Brooklyn. Her critically acclaimed a cappella EP series, Finding Foundations, led Questlove to dub her sound “soul-cappella.” After making her debut […]
ISF Sound System is our free music stage in the heart of Granville Island’s Public Market courtyard. Over two Sunday afternoons (July 10 and July 17), we bring the sounds of classical and contemporary South Asia to the island. Featuring singer/songwriters, sitar virtuosos, tabla gurus and even a brass band, this is a musical Thali […]
