The STAND Festival is an arts festival showcasing the works of immigrant and refugee artists with performances in both Vancouver and on the North Shore.
The festival runs from November 1st to 10th in 2025. Visit standfestival.com for tickets and full details.
The STAND Festival
STAND is an acronym for Strength Through Art Network Diversity. The festival has been running since 2021. It celebrates the stories, passion and artistic talents of newcomers to Canada. The festival is a wonderful series of events that gives immigrant and refugee artists a platform to share their talents. Performances include music, dance and live theatre. There are knowledge-sharing workshops and art exhibitions as well.
When & Where
In 2025 the festival runs from Saturday, November 1st, until Monday, November 10th.
Performances take place at both The Annex and Scotiabank Dance Centre in downtown Vancouver. Shows also happen at Presentation House Theatre in North Vancouver.
The Annex’s address is 823 Seymour Street. It’s a cabaret-style venue with two levels owned and operated by Vancouver Civic Theatres.
The Scotiabank Dance Centre, meanwhile, is at 677 Davie Street. It’s home to several dance studios and the Faris Family Studio black box theatre.
Presentation House Theatre is at 333 Chesterfield Avenue in North Vancouver. It’s about a 10-minute walk from the Lonsdale Quay SeaBus Terminal and a block west of Lonsdale Avenue.
STAND Festival Ticket Costs
Tickets for all STAND Festival performances are available online. Prices for most events last year were $18 for students and seniors, and $30 for everyone else. There was one work-in-progress event that cost about $15 per person, which was also the price to attend each workshop.
Prices in 2025 will likely be comparable. Exact details are to be confirmed.
Visit standfestival.com for tickets and full details.
STAND Festival Shows
The festival lineup for 2024 is below for an idea of what you can expect at this year’s event. (Note: Exact show times and other details were subject to change.)
Unity Rhythms
(Friday, November 1st, 2024)
Unity Rhythms was a powerful dance performance by a group of nine dancers. Choreographed and directed by Isaac Gasangwa, the dancers celebrated Pan-Africanism on stage with fast paced movements and rhythms. The show started at 7:30 pm at the Scotiabank Dance Centre.
Lussilia
(Saturday, November 2nd, 2024)
Lussilia is a singer and songwriter who performed at the Scotiabank Dance Centre. The concert began at 5:30 pm and featured a live band. Tropical rhythms and Venezuelan folklore, along with some Spanish flamenco entertained the audience.
Strings of Unity & Home Is a River
(Saturday, November 2nd, 2024)
Home Is a River was a one-hour show by Taraneh Mousavi and a live band. The Iranian Canadian artist combined poetry with folk and alternative jazz. The opening act was Strings of Unity which is the duo of Pico Masaki and Chihiro Homma. They play ancient Japanese sounds with a modern influence on the harp, piano and guzheng. This event took place at the Scotiabank Dance Centre and started at 7:30 pm.
Camino y Despedida (Walking Farewells)
(Sunday, November 3rd, 2024)
Back at the Scotiabank Dance Centre, Camino y Despedida was a tribute to migrants. The production featured dance, live music and a couple of original songs. It covered various emotions associated with migration, including both hope and sorrow. This event began at 7:30 pm.
The Immigrant’s Heartbeat & Katha – Keertana Chronicles
(Thursday, November 5th, 2024)
The first STAND Festival show at The Annex started at 7:30 pm. The Immigrant’s Heartbeat by Babak Borna was the show’s opening performance with percussion instruments. The event continued with Katha – Keertana Chronicles which combined Hindu mythology with rhythmic music. Performers were Sharvari Somayaji, Shriram Rajagopalan and Keerthy Raghavan.
Bekhand: An Evening With 50 Inspiring Iranian Women
(Saturday, November 9th, 2024)
Bekhand: An Evening With 50 Inspiring Iranian Women took place at 7:30 pm at Presentation House Theatre in North Vancouver. It was an interactive comedy performed mostly in English, but also with a little Farsi (i.e. Persian). Audience members selected stories from the book 50 Inspiring Iranian Women by Roushi Rouzbehani. Performers used the chosen stories to shape their improvised comedy on stage.
The Toad Canes/Metamorphosis
(Sunday, November 10th, 2024)
The Toad Canes/Metamorphosis was a show at Presentation House Theatre that started at 7:30 pm. It was a dramatic thriller inspired by the work of Frantz Fanon. The dance explored family relationships, power dynamics and ethics. Performers and people behind the production were Ehsan Fouladifard, Ricardo Hardy, Rene Khazaee and Negin Khazaee.
From Grave to Grace & Songs from the East
(Monday, November 11th, 2024)
This event was held at The Annex and started at 7:30 pm. From Grave to Grace was the opening performance by singer, songwriter and musician Grace Zakko. Songs from the East then featured a concert with Ibrahim Saker, Nazeer Salameh and Curtis Andrews. It was a diverse showcase of Turkish, Arabic and Spanish pieces.
Gay Ancestors & We All Become An Eye
(Friday, November 15th, 2024)
There were two shows that happened at Presentation House Theatre from 7:30 pm to 8:30 pm. Tickets cost about $15 per person and included work-in-progress performances. One was Gay Ancestors, which was a play celebrating the queer community. The other play was We All Become An Eye which was about adversity and resilience in Iran.
APÄTRIDA (Stateless)
(Saturday, November 16th, 2024)
APÄTRIDA was a performance by Pablo Zacarías. He’s a Mexican Lebanese artist who sings, shares stories and tells jokes. A number of other musicians and artists were also featured at the show. This event started at 7:30 pm. It took place at Presentation House Theatre.
I Am 108
(Sunday, November 17th, 2024)
The final show of the STAND Festival in 2024 started at 7:30 pm at Presentation House Theatre. I Am 108 was a Drag Queen storytelling show about Paraguay’s 108 (which involved the murder of a radio host and subsequent torture of 108 homosexuals in the South American country in 1959). The show featured Juanita Bang Bang and was directed by Luciana Silvestre.
Stand Festival Workshops
Last year’s STAND Festival featured five different workshops. They all took place at 6:00 pm on different days at North Vancouver’s Presentation House Theatre. Below were the workshops presented.
- Speaking Body: a dance workshop led by Wen Wei where participants developed their own language of body movement. It took place on November 4th.
- Curation and Artist – Presenter Relations: on November 6th, Gabrielle Martin taught STAND artists how to promote their work within performing arts markets.
- Moving Bodies – Migrant Stories: Alvin Erasga Tolentino taught expressive movement on November 7th.
- Between The Lines – Building Theatrical Action: a workshop for script writers with Heidi Taylor on November 12th and 14th.
- Regenerative Meditation Walk: Sarvin Esmaeili and a group of artists taught the art of full-bodied plays on November 13th.
The above knowledge-sharing workshops were not only for immigrant artists but also for immigrants, refugees and members of the public who enjoy art and wanted to build connections.
Art Exhibition
There was one art exhibition to check out at the STAND Festival last year. It was at Presentation House Theatre on the North Shore.
Last year’s exhibition was First Generation, curated by Annie Hung. It was a showcase of artwork by both young and old immigrants. Differences in themes between the two generations were explored.
The exhibition was only open from 7:00 pm to 9:30 pm on days when STAND Festival shows took place at the venue.
Other Information
Visit standfestival.com for more information about the festival.
See our articles about Presentation House Theatre or the Scotiabank Dance Centre to learn about the venues where the festival takes place. See the Vancouver Civic Theatres website for information about the ANNEX.
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