CBC Musical Nooners are free outdoor concerts in July and August featuring local live music talent on weekdays at noon in Vancouver’s CBC Plaza.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic and provincial restrictions in the summer of 2021, it is unlikely that any in-person concerts took place. CBC Musical Nooners was cancelled in 2020 as well. It didn’t happen in 2021 and doesn’t appear to be happening in 2022 either. Hopefully the live music can return in 2023!
CBC Musical Nooners
In years when there isn’t a coronavirus pandemic, CBC Musical Nooners typically run on weekdays, Monday to Friday, from 12 to 1 pm. The concerts start up for the season around the second week in July and continue until about the third week in August.
In 2019 the series of concerts ran from July 5th until August 16th. The concert series was unable to take place in 2020 or 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Concert Times & Location
The CBC Nooners live music entertainment takes place in the CBC Plaza at 700 Hamilton Street which is between Georgia Street and Robson in downtown Vancouver.
Close by are Queen Elizabeth Theatre, the Vancouver Public Library and BC Place Stadium. Trendy Robson Street, Robson Square, the Vancouver Art Gallery and the Pacific Centre shopping centre also aren’t too far away.
Bands
As the next lineup has not been announced, here is the music lineup for 2019 for an idea of what to expect. July 5th was the first day of the season in 2019 and on that day the band was The Harpoons & the Axe Murderer with Dawn Pemberton.
Other bands and musicians scheduled to perform in 2019 included CBC children’s celebrity Wills Jams (on July 8th), the Hamiltones (a Soul and Roots band from North Carolina and here for the Vancouver Folk Music Festival), Jim Byrnes, Desirée Dawson, Cousin Harley and others. See below for the rest of 2019’s schedule.
Concert Schedule
Below is the 2019 schedule of events. The 2022 schedule is to be determined.
Friday, July 5th, 2019
- The Harpoonist & The Axe Murderer – with Dawn Pemberton (Winner of the 2015 Western Canadian Music Award for Urban Recording of The Year).
Monday, July 8th, 2019
- Will Stroet – from CBC Kids.
Tuesday, July 9th, 2019
- Tariq – a JUNO-nominated Folk music singer-songwriter from Quebec.
Wednesday, July 10th, 2019
- Mazacote – a Latin band with Salsa and Afro-Caribbean sounds.
Thursday, July 11th, 2019
- Rare Americans – a local Punk-Indie band.
Friday, July 12th, 2019
- TrailerHawk – a soulful Rock band.
Monday, July 15th, 2019
- Joe Trio – a Classical Fusion band.
Tuesday, July 16th, 2019
- Lonesome Town Painters – a Vancouver-based Folk and Bluegrass group.
Wednesday, July 17th, 2019
- One Human Race Afrika Collective – a group of independent World artists combining their international sounds.
Thursday, July 18th, 2019
- Hamiltones – a Grammy-nominated Soul trio.
Friday, July 19th, 2019
- Midnight Shine – an Indigenous Classic Rock four-man band.
Monday, July 22nd, 2019
- Chris Ronald – a multi-instrumental Vancouver Indie musician.
Tuesday, July 23rd, 2019
- Andrew Phelan – a Folk artist originating from Australia.
Wednesday, July 24th, 2019
- The Heels – a girl power Rock band from North Vancouver.
Thursday, July 25th, 2019
- Jim Byrnes – an experienced Blues artist.
Friday, July 26th, 2019
- The Fugitives – a Folk quartet from East Vancouver.
Monday, July 29th, 2019
- RupLoops – a unique Hip Hop Fusion band.
Tuesday, July 30th, 2019
- Jenny Banai and Bre McDaniel – a Folk music duo.
Wednesday, July 31st, 2019
- The Long War – the 2017 Searchlight Winner plays Indie Rock.
Thursday, August 1st, 2019
- Desirée Dawson – a singer-songwriter playing Indie Soul.
Friday, August 2nd, 2019
- Cousin Harley – a Rockabilly guitar master.
Tuesday, August 6th, 2019
- Luke Wallace – a guitar-playing Folk musician.
Wednesday, August 7th, 2019
- Petunia & the Vipers – an Indie, Folk and Country group.
Thursday, August 8th, 2019
- Cannery Row – an entertaining band that blends and mixes genres.
Friday, August 9th, 2019
- Mariachi Los Dorados – a traditional Mexican Mariachi band.
Monday, August 12th, 2019
- Qristina and Quinn Bachand – an Indie-Folk brother and sister duo.
Tuesday, August 13th, 2019
- Katherine Penfold – an award-winning Jazz artist.
Wednesday, August 14th, 2019
- Fionn – twins with a Pop-Folk sound.
Thursday, August 15th, 2019
- Roy Forbes – an award-winning Canadian Folk artist.
Friday, August 16th, 2019
- Sister Speak – an Alternative, World and Blues group.
About CBC Nooners
CBC Vancouver has been hosting the free CBC Musical Nooners concerts annually on weekdays in the summer since the Olympics in 2010.
The CBC Musical Nooners is a popular event that attracts up to a couple of hundred people on sunny days. The audience typically comprises downtown office workers on their lunch breaks as well as tourists and supporters of the bands.
Although participating bands are generally local and not hugely famous, the quality of the performances is high and many of the bands are exceptional. If you’re in the area around lunch time on a nice day, check it out! You won’t be disappointed.
Other Information
For more information about the free music series click CBC Musical Nooners.
TIP: Combine your trip to the CBC Plaza for a live music concert with a visit to other downtown attractions. The above listed places are all interesting. Yaletown is also fairly close, as is Gastown. And on Thursdays, the Downtown Farmers Market takes place in the Queen Elizabeth Plaza just across the street.
For a list of other free concerts in Metro Vancouver, click Free Outdoor Concerts.
