Watch Live Art at the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival
Vancouver’s signature mid-winter cultural event, the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival, returns to deliver more audacious and innovative works of live art from acclaimed local, national, and international artists. Prepare for some radical, genre-bending performances of dance, theatre, multimedia, and music at venues across the city from January 23 to February 9.
PuSh’s 20th anniversary features over twenty-five presentations, including twenty original performance-based productions, five animated parties and cabaret-style events, two film events, and two artists residencies.
International Programming
The festival's lineup is dedicated to inspired risk-taking and dynamic interdisciplinary collaboration with visionary works from thirteen countries featuring three world premieres and eight Canadian debuts.
Alongside an always strong Canadian presence with thirteen presentations, PuSh's 2025 international projects include works by artists from Belgium, South Korea, Brazil, the UK, Uruguay, France, Denmark, Italy, Taiwan, the US, Sweden, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
PuSh's commitment to diversity continues with sixteen shows created by people of colour, thirteen by female or gender non-binary artists, and eight by 2SLGBTQIA+ artists.
Standout Performances
The History of Korean Western Theatre @ Roundhouse – Jan. 23-24
Jaha Koo, a visionary documentary theatre artist, examines how the suppression of culture under Western assimilation has shaped Korean theatre and by extension the national identity of South Korea.
Géométrie de vies (Geometry of Lives) @ Performance Works – Jan. 25-26
Don’t miss this vibrant narrative poem linking two young lives on the long road of the displaced through theatre, song and dance.
L’addition @ Alliance Française – Jan. 25-26
Follow an unpredictable descent into chaos, where a seemingly commonplace interaction between a waiter and customer fractures into an absurdist kaleidoscope of shifting angles.
Habitat @ Dance Centre – Jan. 28-29
Bettina Szabo's choreography of intuitive contortions transforms an entrancing interaction with a seemingly sentient structure into a visual symphony of deep-sea bioluminescence.
Bijuriya @ Annex – Jan. 28-29
A quirky yet poignant examination of the intersections between queerness and brownness, composer and vocalist Gabriel Dharmoo engages in a self-reflexive musical conversation with his drag persona.
Events & Gatherings
Opening Party @ Fox Cabaret – Jan. 23
Raise the curtain with DJ Dovecake's magnetic rhythms for a night of bold performances, vibrant rhythms, and celebration. Come dance, connect, and kick off the festival!
Industry Series – Jan. 28–Feb. 2
Enjoy the conference-style gathering of arts leaders (producers, presenters, curators, and directors) to collectively dialogue industry issues, spark ideas, make connections, and be transformed by live performance.
Club PuSh @ Fox Cabaret – Jan. 29
The frank theatre's annual QT Cabaret returns for a night celebrating queer, trans, and QTBIPOC artists. It’s part dance party, part variety show, and all queer joy!
Dune Wars Kiki Ball @ The Birdhouse @ Feb. 2
Van Vogue Jam’s astro-glam extravaganza celebrates the creativity and resilience of the QTBIPOC community through ballroom dance.
Renata Carvalho Film Marathon @ SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts – Feb. 9
Get immersed in Brazilian queer cinema with a six-film marathon exploring themes of forbidden desire, sexual health, transphobia and the struggle for equality amidst the rise of far-right politics.
PuSh Festival is one of Vancouver’s premiere artistic gatherings taking place across the Lower Mainland every new year. It aims to present groundbreaking works of contemporary live performing arts from a diverse group of artists and storytellers annually.
To browse the full program and purchase tickets, visit PuSh’s website.