It's back, it's live and it promises to be titillating.
No, it's not council meetings (those never went away); the Vancouver International Burlesque Festival (VIBF) has events, stages and workshops booked for this April, from the 6th to the 9th.
"Get ready to see each other in real life again because...it's gonna get weird," the festival organizers ay online.
This year will include two nights of stage shows at the Vancouver Playhouse. While a line-up has yet to be shared, headliners and feature performers will include Lola Frost (who's headlined from Stockholm to Calgary to the Burlesque Hall of Fame) and Judith Stein (who's been a burlesque artist since the 70s). In total there'll be more than 40 performers.
"The return to in-person events for the 2022 Festival gives audiences a much-needed opportunity to celebrate glamour, decadence, and comedy, as only the Vancouver International Burlesque Festival can — no ifs, ands, but plenty of butts," say organizers in a press release.
Offstage there'll also be workshops and T.I.T. Talks, the festivals take on TED Talks focusing on burlesque. The Buffies, a members-only awards gala will also take place over the weekend.
The VIBF has been an annual event since 2006, though the pandemic did mean the 2020 festival was cancelled and the 2021 event was online only.