Place des Arts is an education centre in Coquitlam. It has programs and events featuring dance, drama and other forms of visual and performing arts.
Events happening at Place des Arts in early 2025 include the following:
- February 9th – Family Day Activities
- February 23rd – The Art of Sarod curated by Nina Buddhdev
- February 28th – February Day of the Arts Pro-D Day Camp
- March 7th – pARTy@PdA: Mixed Media Self-Portrait
- April 4th – April Exhibition Opening Reception
- April 13th – Family Day
- April 26th – Joysticks and Jazz: Gaming with a Musical Twist
- May 9th – pARTy@PdA: Paint Night – Spring Bouquet
- May 30th – May Exhibition Opening Reception
For details about Place des Arts and its programs, visit placedesarts.ca.
Coquitlam’s Place des Arts Centre
Place des Arts is a not-for-profit arts organization. Located in the City of Coquitlam, the centre aims to bring out the inner artist in everyone. The organization offers all sorts of visual and performing arts programs, events and exhibitions. Whether you’re an experienced dancer or a total beginner, or perhaps someone interested in learning the basics of theatre, the centre has something for you.
Programs at Place des Arts are divided into five main categories. There are classes about Visual Arts, Music, Theatre Arts, Literary Arts, and Dance & Movement. Popular annual events hosted by the venue include the Summer Theatre Troupe and Classic Concert Series.
If you go inside the Place des Arts building you’ll find rooms where classes and workshops take place. There are also various displays of art to admire.
Continue reading for more information about the organization, including details about programs and events.
Where is Place des Arts?
Place des Arts’ address is 1120 Brunette Avenue in Coquitlam. It’s in the Maillardville neighbourhood of the city, just up the street from Mackin Park, which is where the annual Festival du Bois event takes place in the spring. Coming from Vancouver along the Trans-Canada Highway, take Exit #40 and turn right onto Brunette. From there, it’s just a three-minute drive away.
The education centre is next door to the Mackin House Museum. It’s also a five-minute drive from the Poirier Street Farmers Market which runs on Sundays from May to October.
Trivia Note: Maillardville has a history of French-Canadian settlement which began with millworkers coming to the area from Quebec in the early 1900s. For this reason, a number of streets and organizations in the neighbourhood have French names (including Place des Arts).
Programs and Camps
Place des Arts offers a variety of programs for children, youth and adults. We list some of the things you can learn at the centre below. For more information, or to learn about all the many classes offered, visit the Place des Arts website.
Visual Arts programs at Place des Arts include classes about drawing, cartooning, painting, sculpting and more. Some of the classes require special supplies to be purchased in advance.
There are also music programs for beginners, as well as for advanced students wanting to take on new instruments or improve their skills. The classes for children introduce participants to ukuleles, xylophones, recorders and other instruments. Place des Arts also has studios and performance spaces for more experienced musicians.
The Theatre Arts programs include stage and screen acting lessons as well as confidence-building classes. There are also performance-based classes with the Coquitlam Youth Theatre. Literary Arts programs at Place des Arts cover topics like poetry, creative writing and different writing techniques. Dance and Movement classes are all about developing coordination and learning multiple styles of dance. There are classes with Hip Hop, Jazz, Ballet and Tap as well as various other genres.
Place des Arts also hosts camps for children and youth at different times of the year. Kids in kindergarten to Grade 9 can enjoy creatively engaging camps over Spring Break every year. There are also very popular visual and performing arts Summer Camps for ages 5 to 14.
For details about the centre and its programs, visit the Place des Arts website.
Place des Arts Events
There are many events hosted by Place des Arts. Some happen at the education centre, at 1120 Brunette Avenue, while others take place at nearby facilities. In a typical year, events include Fun with the Family, Reflections Festival, Opening Receptions and Student Showcases. Over the Christmas season there is the Positively Petite Christmas Boutique which runs from mid-November until mid-December.
There are also Summer Theatre Troupe productions and Classic Concert Series shows. Details about some events are below.
Classic Concert Series and pARTY@PdA Events
Place des Arts hosts its Classic Concert Series on-site. Each year features a few different performances by talented and locally-based musicians. Most of the concerts are family-friendly, but recommended primarily for adults and older youth ages 14 and older. However, there are also some combined with pARTY@PdA events which are for ages 19 and older. The pARTY@PdA events are for adults only because they include a cash bar serving alcoholic beverages.
For full details about the organization and its programs, visit the official Place des Arts website.
Summer Theatre Troupe
The Summer Theatre Troupe is a set of theatre performances put on by Place des Arts each summer. The theatre shows are produced and directed by professionals. Auditions determine the on-stage cast and most of the actors are students. The performances are free for everyone to attend.
In 2025 the production is an adaptation of Munsch at Play by Irene N. Watts. The play follows a collection of short stories. Performances run between July 25th and August 4th this year.
Shows used to happen at Coquitlam Town Centre Park’s Community Plaza located at 1299 Pinetree Way. In 2023, however, they happened at Place des Arts. That was the case again in 2024. 2025 location details are to be confirmed.
Opening Reception Video
Place des Arts often hosts events to celebrate the opening of a new exhibition. This was the case in June of 2023. The video below showcases the Opening Reception event for the venue’s 50th Anniversary Exhibition.
Other Information
To learn more about the education arts centre, visit the official Place des Arts website.
Other articles that might be of interest include the following:
- City of Coquitlam
- Mackin House Museum
- Festival du Bois in Coquitlam
- Shows and Entertainment in Vancouver
- Vancouver Festivals and Events