Eastside Arts Festival 2025

PRESS RELEASE

5th Annual Eastside Arts Festival Invites Vancouverites to
Explore District’s Thriving Multidisciplinary Arts Scene

Summer festival offers a free, all-ages party at MacLean Park, guided neighbourhood walking tours, and an expanded list of art-making workshops throughout Vancouver’s Eastside

Vancouver, BC — Eastside Arts Society (EAS) returns with an expanded 5th edition of its summer arts event, Eastside Arts Festival (formerly CREATE! Eastside Arts Festival), at various Eastside Arts District (EAD) studios, breweries, and performance venues, plus an all-day outdoor musical event at MacLean Park, from July 18-27, 2025. A celebration of the vast and varied multidisciplinary arts offerings available across Vancouver’s Eastside, the Eastside Arts Festival will host the largest number of art-making workshops in festival history, as well as both ticketed and free live performances, guided walking tours, and free, interactive art activities for art lovers of all ages and abilities.

“We are thrilled to mark our 5th anniversary of the Eastside Arts Festival with our most dynamic and culturally rich exploration of the EAD’s vibrant arts and culture scene yet,” says Esther Rausenberg, Artistic Director of EAS. “We welcome arts lovers and community members, especially those familiar with our annual Eastside Culture Crawl, to dig deeper – learn about our district’s rich cultural heritage, enjoy a behind-the-scenes art-making experience, and soak in a live performance from musicians and dancers who call this incredible community home.”

The festival features an expanded list of unique and affordable art-making workshops, including a series of never-before-offered workshops, such as eco-printing, a natural textile dyeing technique using plant materials, from indigo artist Naomi Yamamoto; goldwork embroidery from textile artist Candice Weber, incorporating metallic threads in intricate designs; and felted mason jar cozy covers from felt expert Chantal Cardinal. These workshops, and many more, will run at artist studios and breweries daily throughout the festival.

In partnership with Vancouver music institution, The Rickshaw Theatre, the festival will include a show by up-and-coming artists Young Friend, Babe Corner, worrywart, and Kylie V on July 25 at 8pm. Drew Tarves, aka Young Friend, captures the nostalgia of post-adolescence through his genre-bending indie rock sound, while Babe Corner brings a nostalgic rock vibe with catchy riffs and melodic four-part harmony. They’ll be joined by five-piece band worrywart and lyrical indie-pop innovator Kylie V. 

This year’s Eastside Arts Festival will also introduce more opportunities to explore the district, including guided neighbourhood walking tours from Hogan’s Alley Society, Heritage Vancouver Society, and the 360 Riot Walk – offered through Powell Street Festival Society and created by artist Henry Tsang – on July 19, 20 and 24; The Dance Deck with Belle Spirale Dance Projects on July 19, 20, 26 and 27; and Creative Cultural Collaborations (C3) Big Print Powell Street/Paueru Gai Carving demonstration on July 24.

On July 26, the festival brings back its popular, FREE all-day outdoor event, this year at MacLean Park, sponsored by Strathcona BIA. The event features live music presented in partnership with the Rickshaw, a Festival Shop with handmade artworks and goods from local Eastside artists, free art activities for all ages and abilities, food trucks (Midnight Joe’s and Planted Love), and a beer garden hosted by Strange Fellows Brewing. The music lineup includes good timin’ outlaw tunes by Janky Bungag, the rough-edged indie sounds of Twin River, instrumental surf-rock from the ReViberators, and folky Canadiana from singer/songwriter Madelyn Read.

Free afternoon live music returns to MacLean Park on July 27, presented by the long-running MacLean Park Music series and supported by Strathcona BIA and Eastside Arts Festival.

New this year is the Eastside Arts Society Beer Passport. Running from July 18 to August 4, passport holders enjoy a beer at four different participating Eastside breweries. Patrons who purchase both passport variations can enjoy drinks at all eight local brewery partners: East Van Brewing Company, Luppolo Brewing Company, Off the Rail Brewing, Parallel 49 Brewing Company, Storm Brewing, Strathcona Beer Company, Strange Fellows Brewing, and Superflux Beer Company. All proceeds from the $35 Beer Passport go to supporting artist programs in the EAD. 

Art workshops are $35, walking tours are $20, and ticketed performances range from $20-$60. For a full festival schedule and to purchase workshop, guided walking tours, and live performance event tickets, as well as the Beer Passport, visit eastsideartsfest.ca.

The Eastside Arts Festival is made possible through the generous support of Onni Group, Opus Art Supplies, Beedie, East Village BIA, La Casa Gelato, PCI Developments, Strathcona Business Improvement Association, Strange Fellows Brewing, Stir, The Georgia Straight, Jon Benjamin Photography, City of Vancouver, Creative BC, BC Gaming/Province of British Columbia, Canadian Heritage/Government of Canada.

Event Partners: Alternative Creations Studio, Belle Spirale Dance Projects, Creative Cultural Collaborations (C3), East Van Brewing, Heritage Vancouver Society, Hogan’s Alley Society, Luppolo Brewing, MacLean Park Music, Off the Rail Brewing, Parallel 49 Brewing, Powell Street Festival Society, Rickshaw Theatre, Strange Fellows Brewing, Strathcona Brewing, Storm Brewing, Superflux Brewing.

About the Eastside Arts Society (eastsideartssociety.ca)

The Eastside Arts Society (EAS) is a visual and performing arts organization dedicated to connecting the public with the arts. EAS produces the annual Culture Crawl Visual Arts, Design and Craft Festival held in November that involves artists on Vancouver’s Eastside opening their studio to the public. The event involves painters, jewelers, sculptors, furniture makers, weavers, potters, printmakers, photographers, and glassblowers; from emerging artists to those internationally established. EAS produces additional programming including the Talking Art artist panel series and Moving Art film and video art series, juried exhibits, and Studio 101 free art workshops for Eastside students in Culture Crawl artist studios

In 2021, EAS began a pioneering new initiative: developing an Eastside Arts District (EAD). The EAD will transform the arts and cultural assets in the Eastside from an informal and grassroots network of stakeholders, into a formalized organization with stable funding and secure, long-term facilities for artists and cultural venues.

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Esther Rausenberg

Angela Poon
apoon@mpmgarts.com
604.569.5343

Website: eastsideartssociety.ca
Twitter: @eastsideartssoc
Facebook: @eastsideartsociety
Instagram: @eastsideartssociety