IGNITE! Youth Arts Festival 2025 at The Cultch

📍 Location: Historic Theatre, The Cultch, Vancouver, BC
📅 Dates: May 14–18, 2025
🎟 Tickets: Sliding scale $15–$21 | Festival Pass: $40
🔗 Visit Festival Website

A Celebration of Youth-Led Creativity in Vancouver

The IGNITE! Youth Arts Festival, produced entirely by The Cultch Youth Panel, returns to the Historic Theatre in Vancouver from May 14 to 18, 2025. Now in its 24th year, IGNITE! continues to amplify emerging voices through theatre, dance, poetry, drag, film, and music by youth aged 13 to 30.

This five-day celebration includes bold original works, short films, experimental performances, and an art exhibition (May 14–June 1). Every night of the festival offers a unique theme, and attendees can enjoy programming from both The Cultch’s mentorship programs and a dynamic collective of young artists.

Whether you're a long-time supporter or a first-time guest, this inclusive event offers sliding-scale tickets and complimentary admissions for individuals facing barriers. Come early to request entry at the Historic Theatre’s Will Call window!

📅 Festival Line-Up

🎭 IGNITE! Appetite – Opening Party
🗓 May 14 | 8:00 PM
Celebrate the intersection of visual art and performance with commissioned works from Jasper Berehulke, nicolás serrano de la paz, and Czarina Augustines, followed by performances from Frank Theatre’s Telling It Bent cohort and musician PRNCSS Shulamite.

🎨 Free Visual Arts Exhibition Opening: 6:00–8:00 PM (Cultch Lobby)
📌 Note: Performance ticket required to attend 8:00 PM show.

🎭 IGNITE! Synapse
🗓 May 15 | 8:00 PM
An evening of theatre exploring connection and fate. Featuring:

• Thanks for Understanding by Lauren Alberico (silent clowning)
• Mourn Me Ghosting by Ciel Lenz (autistic teen meets ghost)
• The Hands of Fate by Kayla McIntyre (D&D meets murder mystery)

⚠️ Content Advisory: Mature themes, death, child abuse, ableism, swearing.

🎭 IGNITE! Pulse
🗓 May 16 | 8:00 PM
A night of bold expression through:

• Hair Hair Everywhere: Comedic theatre about Persian femme identity
• Live music by Silent St. J (folk) and Cœurtis (R&B/soul)

⚠️ Content Advisory: Mentions of anxiety, depression, self-harm.

🎬 IGNITE! Resonance
🗓 May 17 | 8:00 PM
Short films exploring memory, identity, and activism:

• Desync, Toxic, Peggy in My Dreams, Velvet Secrets, Female & Furious Followed by a high-energy music set with Noctis and Kaya Ko & Thelonious Freestyle Jam.

⚠️ Content Advisory: Cartoonish violence, grief.

🎭 IGNITE! Puncture – Festival Finale
🗓 May 18 | 8:00 PM
Experience intimate and experimental work with:

• Paper Bag Blues (Tamlin Vetter)
• Mouf (Sara van Gaalen)
• Drag sets by Mx Bukuru and Floozie Severe
• Voguing showcase by BlackOut Collective

⚠️ Content Advisory: Partial nudity, mature language, skin biting.

🎟 Ticket Info:

• Single Shows: Sliding scale $15 / $18 / $21
• Festival Pass: $40 for access to all five shows
  🎨 Visual arts exhibition: May 14 – June 1 (Lobby)
  🎫 Complimentary tickets available at Will Call 15 min before showtime (first come, first served).

🔗 Buy Tickets or Festival Pass

🔗 Discover all upcoming events in Vancouver at Vancouver Page – Discover Local Events