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Vancouver Nightlife

Vancouver offers nightlife to suit all tastes, including nightclubs, pubs, lounges and karaoke bars. Popular areas for going out include Gastown, Yaletown and around Granville Street, which has become increasingly popular of late. The largest cluster of Vancouver's gay establishments can be found in the Davie Village, on Davie Street west of Granville Street.

Entertainment listings can be found in the free weekly alternative paper, The Georgia Straight (www.straight.com), as well as in the Thursday edition of the Vancouver Sun (www.vancouversun.com). Information on the city's gay and lesbian scene is available in the free weekly Xtra West (www.xtra.ca).

Information on performing arts can be found in The Georgia Straight (www.straight.com) and the Thursday editions of The Vancouver Sun and The Province.

Tickets can be bought directly from the venues or from Ticketmaster (tel: (604) 280 4444; www.ticketmaster.ca) and Show Time Tickets (tel: (604) 688 5000; www.showtimetickets.com). Half-price tickets are available on the day of the performance from Tickets Tonight, at the booth in the Tourism Vancouver Visitor Centre, 200 Burrard Street (tel: (604) 684 2787; www.ticketstonight.ca).

Bars in Vancouver

Brickhouse

Brickhouse in Chinatown is a popular writers' hang-out.

730 Main Street
Tel: (604) 689 8645.

Ginger Sixty Two

Granville Street and its surrounds has steadily become more of a night-time destination in Vancouver: try Ginger Sixty Two, a sexy, hip lounge at number 1219, with a chic 1960s décor, great cocktails and tasty Pacific-Asian-fused dishes. Thursday is a special ladies night with erotic films screened on the ceilings.

1219 Granville Street
Tel: (604) 688 5494.
www.ginger62.com

Yaletown Brewing Company

The lively Yaletown Brewing Company is Vancouver's original and best brewpub, complete with TVs, pool tables and a fireplace.

1111 Mainland Street
Tel: (604) 681 2739.
www.markjamesgroup.com

Clubs in Vancouver

Celebrities Nightclub

For gay visitors, Celebrities Nightclub is a favourite with Vancouver's gay population, with good DJs.

1022 Davie Street
Tel: (604) 681 6180.
www.celebritiesnightclub.com

Shine

For nights of house, hip-hop and the like, one of the hottest spots in Vancouver is Shine.

364 Water Street, Gastown
Tel: (604) 408 4321.
www.shinenightclub.com

The Roxy

Granville Street is home to The Roxy, which draws weekend clubbers for chart dance hits.

932 Granville Street
Tel: (604) 331 7999.
www.roxyvan.com

Live Music in Vancouver

Commodore Ballroom

The renovated Commodore Ballroom, a classic Vancouver venue complete with bouncy dance floor, is a great place to catch established acts and well-known artists, who also play at the Queen Elizabeth, 649 Cambie Street, and Orpheum, 601 Smithe Street, theatres (www.vancouver.ca/theatres).

868 Granville Street
Tel: (604) 739 4550.
www.livenation.com

The Biltmore Cabaret

The Biltmore brings a New Orleans/gothic bordello/1940s Shanghai show lounge together in a modern fusion of Cabaret. With an eclectic range of live acts performing every night of the week (from hip hop to instrumental indie rock) and special 'Kitty Nights' on Sundays (a burlesque show hosted by the 'Purrfessor', who is as charming as he is hilarious), it's no wonder The Biltmore is becoming so popular.

2755 Prince Edward
Tel: (604) 676 0541.
www.biltmorecabaret.com

The Cellar

The top spot for jazz in the city is The Cellar. Check out the Vancouver Jazz Society (www.vancouverjazz.com) for information on the local jazz scene.

3611 West Broadway
Tel: (604) 738 1959.
www.cellarjazz.com

Classical Music in Vancouver

Chan Centre for the Performing Arts

The cylindrical, zinc-panelled exterior of the Chan Centre is striking, but it's the stellar acoustics of the 1,400-seat Chan Shun Concert Hall that has thrilled Vancouver audiences since it opened in 1997. The Chan is probably the best place in town to listen to classical music.

University of British Columbia campus
Tel: (604) 822 9197.
www.chancentre.com

Dance in Vancouver

Scotiabank Dance Centre

Vancouver is one of Canada's most important dance centres, with around two dozen professional dance companies operating in the area, performing both classical and modern dance, as well as traditional Japanese and Chinese dance. The Scotiabank Dance Centre is a useful resource and also hosts performances; it's worth checking out for the architecture alone - seven storeys of glass wrapped round a former bank building.

677 Davie Street
Tel: (604) 606 6400.
www.thedancecentre.ca

Theatre in Vancouver

Arts Club Theatre

The Arts Club is Vancouver's unrivalled theatre machine. It runs three theatre venues, programming its own productions at the popular Granville Island Stage, the Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage (2750 Granville Street) and the Revue Stage (1601 Johnston Street), which is also home to the famous comedy improvisation troupe Vancouver TheatreSports League.

1585 Johnston Street, Granville Island
www.artsclub.com

Centre in Vancouver for Performing Arts

The Centre in Vancouver for Performing Arts is one of the premiere entertainment facilities in the city. Designed by acclaimed architect Moshe Safdie, The Centre hosts large-scale theatrical productions, for touring productions such as Stomp, and other events like musical acts.

777 Homer Street
Tel: (604) 602 0616.
www.centreinvancouver.com

Orpheum Theatre

Built in 1927 and recently refurbished in 2009, The Orpheum Theatre hosts choral concerts and is a great place for live rock shows thanks to its acoustics. It is also the residence of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.

601 Smithe Street
Tel: (604) 665 3050.
http://vancouver.ca/commsvcs/cultural/theatres

Music and Dance in Vancouver

Queen Elizabeth Theatre

Queen Elizabeth Theatre
The Queen Elizabeth Theatre stages a variety of performances from classical to contemporary. It is also the home of Ballet BC and the Vancouver Opera, the third largest opera company in Canada.

649 Cambie Street
Tel: (604) 665 3050.
http://vancouver.ca/commsvcs/cultural/theatres

The Cultch

No venue in the city has the committed audience that The Cultch has cultivated. Located in a former church, The Cultch showcases contemporary dance in addition to theatre and live music.

1895 Venables Street
Tel: (604) 251 1363.
www.thecultch.com

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