For more than two decades, the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival has been BC’s signature, mid-winter cultural event delivering audacious, innovative, contemporary works of live arts by acclaimed local, national, and international artists.

Curated, multidisciplinary, international in scope—the Festival animates culture and accelerates social change with performance and multimedia projects that embrace creative risk and share a sense of cultural urgency.

Our artistic vision is to create new possibilities for artistic expression and how we relate to one another, expanding our sense of the world while challenging assumptions. As such, we seek to amplify our position as a connector, cultivating opportunities for artistic kinship and intercultural exchange through both live arts experiences, as well as community engagement and professional development initiatives. We think about accessibility as equity design, from the integration of tools that make our performances more inclusive for people with a range of lived experiences, to programming artistic work that rigorously centres audience experience through thoughtful dramaturgy.

Professional development opportunities at the Festival take many forms and forums. A highlight is the PuSh Industry Series: a performing arts industry initiative that brings together 200+ visionary local, national and international artists and arts workers to engage in professional development and curatorial research activities alongside the artistic Festival program. It’s an opportunity to collectively dialogue industry issues, to spark ideas, to make new connections, and to be transformed by live performance.