Home Culture in Vancouver Brahm’s Tams Stanley Park Drum Circle at Third Beach

Brahm’s Tams Stanley Park Drum Circle at Third Beach

August 28, 2018

Brahm’s Tams Drum Circle is a semi-informal gathering of drummers at Stanley Park’s Third Beach on sunny Tuesday evenings in the summer.

The drum circle is an informal, weather-dependent gathering with no fixed schedule, typically happening on warm summer evenings when conditions are right. It’s a free event and all are welcome.

In 2026, the drum circle is expected to continue, as it has in past years. As the gathering is informal and weather-dependent, attendees are encouraged to check the event’s Facebook group on the day of a planned visit for updates.

This article includes the following information about Brahm’s Tams Drum Circle:

Vancouver’s Brahm’s Tams Drum Circle

Stanley Park‘s Third Beach is a sight to see (and hear) on sunny evenings in the summer. That’s when dozens of drummers and thousands of drumming fans gather to listen to the beats of djembes and watch the sun set over English Bay.

Third Beach Drumming Sunset Silhouettes — Drumming Circle at Sunset

When and Where is the Stanley Park Drumming?

The drumming takes place on sunny Tuesday evenings in the warmer months of the year. Between May and September, if the forecast is for sunshine, then there will likely be drumming. If there’s a chance of rain, however, or no visible sunset expected, then the drumming sometimes doesn’t happen.

Brahm’s Tams Drum Circle usually starts up in May, but depending on the weather there can be sessions as early as March some years. June, July and August are always the best months to attend as they attract the biggest crowds. Sessions finish for the year with the arrival of Vancouver’s rainy season beginning sometime in September.

Sessions usually start in the late afternoon and are in full swing and at their busiest by sunset (which varies in time over the course of the summer).

The drumming takes place on the beach at Third Beach in Stanley Park. The location is just a short walk north of the Stanley Park Teahouse which is at 7501 Stanley Park Drive.

Drum Circle Crowd at Third Beach — Third Beach on a Drum Circle Night

What to Expect

If you find yourself walking along the Stanley Park Seawall near Third Beach on a sunny Tuesday in the late afternoon or evening, don’t be surprised to hear drumming. Lots of drumming!

A hundred, sometimes more people, turn out for the drumming on slow days. Thousands turn out on busy sunny summer days.

On hot sunny Tuesday evenings in June, July, and August, expect the sand at Third Beach to be jam-packed full of people. On busy days, it’s impressive!

In the middle of the crowd will be a small group of musicians drumming on their djembes (rope-tuned West African-style goblet drums played with the bare hands). With so many people, it’s hard to see the drummers, but you know they’re there!

Additionally, at the drumming events, you can expect a police presence. Police are usually at the edges, huddled in groups, at either end of the seawall as you approach the drumming venue. They are there to make sure things don’t get out of hand. Sometimes there are even police on horseback, just wandering up and down the beach. It’s a bit of a strange sight!

Brahm’s Tams Drum Circle is a free event that is both interesting to watch and listen to. People of all ages attend, although the crowd is predominantly young. Children attend, but not so many. It’s mostly young adults.

About Brahm’s and the Drum Circle

Tam-Tams is a free weekly drumming gathering held at Mount Royal Park in Montreal, Quebec. Brahm Olszynko is a man who loved the Montreal drumming tradition and decided to bring it to the Lower Mainland.

The Vancouver drumming sessions began with three drums and four people over 12 years ago. Today, the Third Beach event attracts tens of thousands of people throughout the summer. Actual drummers nowadays range from just a few to several dozen. The crowd is primarily the audience.

Brahm’s Tams Drum Circle is not a formal event and is not run by a nonprofit society or other organization (at least not that we know of). It’s just an informal gathering of drumming enthusiasts that has become a fairly significant summer tradition. It’s free, it’s fun, and it happens when the weather is good.

When not at the beach drumming his djembe, Brahm Olszynko works as a mobile massage therapist in Vancouver.

Drum Circle Video

The following video was taken in the summer a few years ago on a sunny Tuesday evening just before sunset. The video provides an overview of the drumming event and the number of attendees.

Tips & Advice

Below are some tips and suggestions to help you make the most of your Brahm’s Tams Drum Circle experience.

TIP #1: Check out the event if you can. Third Beach is a beautiful spot, the sunsets are amazing and the drumming adds to the ambience. If you’re looking for “good vibes,” then Brahm’s Tams Drum Circle is a great place to be.

TIP #2: While there, explore the area! Go for a walk or bike ride along the Seawall. Siwash Rock isn’t far away. The Teahouse is also a nice place for a snack, meal or beverage. Or take a picnic, your swimsuit, sunscreen, a blanket, and a book for some time on the beach.

TIP #3: If you have a djembe drum, take it! All are welcome to join in the drumming.

TIP #4: If you don’t like crowds, in the summer, arrive early or in the late afternoon before it gets really busy. Or go at the start or end of the season, in May or September.

TIP #5: Don’t be surprised to get the occasional whiff of “weed” in the air!

TIP #6: Alcohol is not permitted in public areas (including at the beach in Stanley Park). While you’re walking in the area along the seawall, you can tell who is on their way to the drum circle for the first time – the groups of young folks walking in the direction of the drumming with bags clearly marked “BC Liquor Store” on the outside. They obviously don’t know about the police officers waiting just around the corner!

Other Information

If you want to follow the Brahm’s Tams Drum Circle, see more of their photos, join their group, or see when the next session is, join their Facebook page.

For more information about the area, click Third Beach or Stanley Park.

For ideas about other things to do in the Lower Mainland, check out any of the following: