Vancouver Civic Theatres’ Summer Sounds free open-air concert series is back for its second season, lighting up downtown’s Queen Elizabeth Theatre plaza with six weeks of dynamic, community-driven programming.
VCT Summer Sounds Pride Celebration 2024 featuring Parlour Panther.Running every Thursday from July 10 to August 14, this after-work concert series showcases local, national and international talent in partnership with some of the city’s most exciting cultural organizations, including Indian Summer Festival, Vancouver Folk Music Festival, Caravan World Rhythms and Sarah McLachlan School of Music.
Performance highlights include:
July 10 – Indian Summer Festival Spotlight: A genre-blending night featuring Sejal Lal, Jody Okabe, kraKIN (featuring Ruby Singh) and Surya Brass Band. This evening leads directly into Indian Summer Festival’s ticketed Horizons event at the Vancouver Playhouse.
Summer Sounds is especially excited to feature local artist Ruby Singh, an award-winning and JUNO-nominated multimedia creator. Known for blending sound, nature and social commentary, Singh’s work has been widely praised: “A visionary artist … blending the technological world with art, social and environmental causes … Singh’s work reveals a new, malleable reality that is long overdue.” – CBC Radio Canada
“Mesmerizing, vibrant … Singh isn’t just crossing genres, he’s straddling astral planes.” – The Globe and Mail
“Singh spins the sounds of plants and animals into a symphony.” – Vancouver Sun
His project kraKIN is described as “a more-than-human collaboration that brings together a boom-bap menagerie of banging Westcoast flora, fauna, and fungi.”
July 17 – Vancouver Folk Music Festival Spotlight: Preview world-class talent ahead of the festival with performances by South African guitar duo Derek Gripper & Guy Buttery and Indigenous Australian singer-songwriter Emily Wurramara.
Emily Wurramara – July 17 (Vancouver Folk Music Festival Spotlight): For the first time, Summer Sounds welcomes international artists to the stage. Emily Wurramara, an Indigenous Australian singer-songwriter and activist, will perform as part of our Vancouver Folk Fest spotlight. In 2024, she made history as the first Indigenous woman to win Best Adult Contemporary Album at the ARIA Awards.
Pictured, Emily Wurramara.July 24 – Caravan World Rhythms 25th Anniversary Celebration: A double-bill of global rhythms featuring Al Qahwa performing Arabic classics and original compositions, and Flávia Nascimento with Tio Chorinho blending Brazilian roots with danceable flair.
July 31 – Pride Celebration: A bold, energetic night with all-trans rock band houseguest and queer femme favourites Hot Dyke Party, bringing punk, pop, dance and country sounds to the plaza.
VCT Summer Sounds Pride Celebration 2024 featuring Devours 2.August 7 – Sarah McLachlan School of Music Student Spotlight: A showcase of emerging talent from the next generation of Canadian musicians, curated by the renowned Vancouver music school.
August 14 – Summer Sounds Closing Party: Celebrate the end of the season with two powerhouse local DJs: DJ Softieshan, founder of Vancouver’s QTBIPOC-centred hip hop party LEVEL UP, and community leader DJ O Show.
All shows are free, family-friendly and feature genre-spanning music from around the world. It’s a weekly destination for community, celebration, and exceptional live performance right in the heart of the city.
We’ve also created a Spotify playlist featuring this year’s performers. You can listen here: Summer Sounds 2025 Playlist.
