The Vancouver International Burlesque Festival is an annual four-day festival that takes place every spring in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, Canada. The festival features burlesque performers, comedians and musicians. The 2017 festival showcases will be held at the

Vancouver Playhouse (theatre venue) The Vancouver Playhouse is a civic theatre venue in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Along with the Orpheum, the Queen Elizabeth Theatre and thAnnex it is one of four facilities operated by the Vancouver Civic Theatres Department (the Playh ...

on March 31 & April 1, with Tit Talks at The Post at 750 on March 30, and The Diamonds in the Buff Industry awards on March 29. The 2018 festival dates will be April 4 - 7.

History

The first festival took place in February 2006 and was founded by two local troupes; The Screaming Chicken Theatrical Society and Sweet Soul Burlesque. Performances were held at the Red Room, the Chinese Cultural Center and the Burr Theatre. Festival production was returned to the community, leading to the founding of the Vancouver International Burlesque Festival Association (VIBFA). Success of the first festival led to an expanded second year featuring two stages and workshops. The new event platform included cross-collaboration opportunities and workshops, and produced events such as movie nights, discussion panels and fashion shows focusing on the art of

neo-burlesque Neo-Burlesque, or New Burlesque, is the revival and updating of the traditional American burlesque performance. Though based on the traditional burlesque art, the new form encompasses a wider range of performance styles; neo-burlesque acts can ra ...

. The 2008 Festival ran for ten days, and attracted over 100 singers, dancers, comedians, musicians, filmmakers, and costume designers from around the world.

Vancouver International Burlesque Festival Association (VIBFA)

The VIBFA is a not-for-profit elected board whose primary goal is to produce a festival that focuses on the Vancouver burlesque scene and the world of burlesque on an international level.

2017 VIBFA Board

* Norm Elmore - President * Ava Lure - Vice-President * Dee Lushious - Secretary * Diamond Minx - Treasurer * Just Call Her Heather - Production Member, Director of Marketing * David Kerr - Production Member, Production Manager * Faye Havoc - Production Member, Spokesperson

Venues

Past venues include the

Rio Theatre The Rio Theatre is an independent, multidisciplinary art house in Vancouver, BC, Canada. Built in 1938, the Rio served East Vancouver primarily as a movie theatre until 2008, when new owner, Corinne Lea, began to add live music and multimedia a ...

and the Vogue Theatre. The 2016 festival will take place at the Vancouver Playhouse.

Performers

Past notable performers include Jo Boobs (New York City, New York) and Burlesque Hall of Fame inductee Judith Stein.

References

External links

{{Commons category, Vancouver International Burlesque festival
Vancouver International Burlesque Festival Association

Screaming Chicken Theatrical Society

Pink Flamingo Burlesque
Festivals in Vancouver Sex festivals Burlesque