Indian Summer Festival

Vancouver’s Indian Summer Festival is a festival featuring music, art, and public speaking events by Canadian, South Asian and Indigenous artists in July.

It’s a multi-day arts festival that brings artists, writers and thinkers from across Canada and abroad. Some of its events are free, while others require tickets that you have to pay for.

Indian Summer Festival

The 2023 Indian Summer Festival (ISF) ran from Thursday, July 6th, until Sunday, July 16th. The theme of this past year’s festival was Inter/Dependence. There were about 10 different in-person events, including talks, dance and live music performances. You’ll find details about some of the events below.

As of early April, exact dates and details for the festival in 2024 are to be confirmed.

Opening Party

The Indian Summer Festival’s Opening Party is a major culinary event with live performances on the first day of the festival. Last year the Opening Party took place on Thursday, July 6th. It featured food by chef Tushar Tondvalkar.

The Opening Party was held at Performance Works, located at 1218 Cartwright Street. Tickets cost about $100 each before taxes and online fees.

Indian Summer Festival at Vanier Park — Pause in the Park at Vanier Park

ISF Sound System

In previous years, Pause in the Park was a day with free programming in Vanier Park. In 2022 the series of free programming was named ISF Sound System. It ran over two days. In 2023 the free ISF Sound System was a one-day event on Sunday, July 9th.

ISF Sound System happened from 11:00 am until 5:00 pm in the Public Market courtyard on Granville Island. The event is typically free and open to the public.

Rhythm Infinitum

In 2023 there was a concert by Shabazz Palaces and Sarathy Korwar. The show ran from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm at the UBC Chan Centre for the Performing Arts, located at 6265 Crescent Road in Vancouver. General admission cost between $30 and $60 per person.