Vancouver’s first run at a free music-and-arts festival in summer 2023 was a big success. It drew an estimated 30,000 people to downtown across three days to sample talents from our own region and beyond.
The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra created the event as a post-pandemic way to raise its own profile and put Vancouver on the national arts map.
“This was the first time that such a festival happened on such a scale in Vancouver, for free,” said Igor Shakhman, executive director of the orchestra. “The entire arts community was united, and it put what Vancouver has to offer front and center.”
If the city’s estimate of 30,000 attendees is correct — and Shakhman believes it’s quite conservative — visitors likely spent at least $1 million on food, drink and more in downtown Vancouver, he said.
IF YOU GO
What: Vancouver USA Arts & Music Festival
When: Aug. 2-4
Where: Downtown Vancouver in Esther Short Park, Phil Arnold Way, Hilton Vancouver Washington
Complete information, schedules: www.vancouverartsandmusicfestival.com
Admission: Free
Now, the festival is returning on the first weekend of August with another smorgasbord of artistic offerings. Daytime will feature dance troupes from many cultures, a little drama from local thespians, and music in many styles all on small stages in the southwest corner of Esther Short Park (near the Slocum House) and nearby on Phil Arnold Way (near the railroad berm).
Participating dance groups include the Vietnamese Community of Clark County’s Lion Dance, Ballet Folklorico of Southwest Washington, Hip Hip Soulsation Academy and the Yeats Academy of Irish Dance. Drama will come from the Metropolitan Performing Arts Ambassadors and by local startup company Starbird Theater. Music groups will run the gamut, from old-time jazz to authentic Americana to pop and party rock.
Juried art will be on display throughout the day inside and alongside the Hilton Vancouver Washington, just south of the park.
Shakhman said this year “the visual art element will be more robust and expanded.”
Friend of Leonard
As before, each day of the festival will culminate in a free classical concert on the main stage in Esther Short Park. Here are concert highlights.
- Aug. 2 at 7 p.m.: Maestro Salvador Brotons conducts the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra with Grammy-award winning cellist Zuill Bailey leading an all-Tchaikovsky program, including the always-popular 1812 Overture. After the concert, the classic film “West Side Story” (the 1961 original, not the 2021 remake) screens at 9 p.m.
- Aug. 3 at 7 p.m.: Maestro Gerard Schwarz conducts the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in an all-Beethoven program featuring Van Cliburn gold medalist Olga Kern on piano. The concert concludes with Beethoven’s famous Symphony no. 5.
- Aug. 4 at 3 p.m.: Schwarz conducts the orchestra in a tribute to the recent Leonard Bernstein biopic “Maestro.” Music will include Bernstein’s “Suite from West Side Story” and Mahler’s Symphony No. 2. During the intermission, Suzanne Nance of Portland’s All Classical Radio will interview Schwarz about “Maestro” and about his own personal relationship with Leonard Bernstein, Shakhman said.
Shakhman said the free festival wouldn’t be possible without significant support from the city of Vancouver, the Murdock Charitable Trust and Steve and Jan Oliva, among many others.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct the time of the Aug. 4 concert.
