Vancouver Flamenco Festival

Showcasing both music and dance, the Vancouver International Flamenco Festival celebrates the Spanish dance art with a series of performances each year.

In 2024 the festival runs from September 12th until the 22nd. To learn more, visit the vancouverflamencofestival.org website or continue reading.

Some of the featured performers in 2024 include Marco Flores (from Spain), Sarah Bronsard (from Montreal), Melón Jiménez (from Spain), and the Flamencolía Dance Company (from Toronto).

Qairo Findefiest (photo by C. Von Tiedemann)

Vancouver’s Flamenco Festival

Flamenco is synonymous with traditional Spanish dancing. This art form is born from the various folklore music traditions of southern Spain. It comprises three elements – song (cante), dance (baile) and music (toque). Flamenco is closely associated with the traditional dance and music of the Andalusian gitanos, also known as gypsies.

The Vancouver International Flamenco Festival burst onto the scene in the 1990s and continues to entertain audiences to this day with its robust dancing. There are both free and ticketed performances as well as other types of events.

This year’s festival takes place on select dates between September 12th and 22nd. Along with a couple of days of free shows, there are a half dozen or so ticketed performances and some workshops.

The main hub for the festival is Granville Island. There are a series of ticketed shows at Waterfront Theatre while the free shows happen at Picnic Pavillion. The festival is produced by the Vancouver-based dance company, Flamenco Rosario.

For full details about the performances, visit the Vancouver International Flamenco Festival website.

Admission for the Shows

Prices for the shows last year ranged from around $25 to up to $100 depending on which seats you selected and which show you wanted to attend. This pricing structure is likely to be similar for the 2024 shows, but details are to be confirmed as of mid-July.

There is usually no registration needed for the free performances. You can just show up and enjoy them whenever you want and for as long as you’d like.

Schedule of Events

Below were the dates for both the free and ticketed shows in 2023. The full schedule for 2024 is TBC.

Ticketed Shows in 2023

The following shows took place as ticketed events. Three of them were at the Waterfront Theatre at 1412 Cartwright Street on Granville Island.

Wednesday, September 20th – Qairo at 8:00 pm at the Fox Cabaret
Thursday, September 21st – Rosanna Terracciano at 8:00 pm at Waterfront Theatre
Friday, September 22nd – Flor de Caña at 8:00 pm at Waterfront Theatre
Saturday, September 23rd – La Otra Orilla at 8:00 pm at Waterfront Theatre
September 27th to 30th – Rocío Molina daily at 8:00 pm at SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts

Flamenco at Granville Island Picnic Shelter — Flamenco Performance at Granville Island

Free Shows

The free shows take place at Picnic Pavilion at 267 Old Bridge Walk on Granville Island. In 2023 the free outdoor performances ran on the weekend of September 23rd and 24th.

The schedule of free performances at Picnic Pavilion last year is below. (Note: Exact times and other details were subject to change.)

Saturday, September 23rd, 2023

2:00 pm – Bonnie Stewart & FR community dancers
3:00 pm – Liat Har Lev/Lili Flamenco & Tracy Samoil-Guajiras
4:00 pm – Peter Mole and friends (Claire Marchand, Justine Reinhard, Davide Sampaolo)
5:00 pm – Calle Verde “La Faena”

Sunday, September 24th, 2023

11:00 am – Welcome Kids! 20-minute class with Cyrena Huang
11:30 am – Welcome Adults! 20-minute class with Cyrena Huang
1:00 pm – Jhoely Triana
2:00 pm – Linda Hayes and dancers
3:00 pm – Al Mozaico Flamenco Dance Academy
4:00 pm – Kara Wiebe & Amber Rowell
5:00 pm – Flamenco Rosario

For full details about the performances, visit the Vancouver International Flamenco Festival website.

Flamenco Masterclasses in 2023

In addition to the above performances, last year’s festival also featured a couple of Masterclass sessions where professional flamenco dancers gave flamenco dancing lessons. The Masterclass events in 2023 included the following:

September 18th – beginner-level session with Rosario Ancer. This took place at the Waterfront Theatre and was free.
September 23rd – intermediate to advanced-level session with Myriam Allard. This took place at the Scotiabank Dance Centre and cost $70 to $80.

For full details about the performances, visit the Vancouver International Flamenco Festival website.

Flamenco Rosario Dance Performance — Flamenco Rosario in Vancouver

Other Information

To learn more about the festival, visit the Vancouver International Flamenco Festival website.

For information about another dance event, and to learn more about flamenco in general, see our article about Carnaval del Sol’s Flamenco, Tango and Wine Night. That event usually features performances by Flamenco Rosario as well as other dance companies including Mozaico Flamenco.

Other articles that might be of interest include the following: