There’s a new festival in town! sound_therapy.wav is a multi-day music festival that highlights local queer, trans, Black, Indigenous, and/or racialized artists and allies.

The outdoor festival kicks off on Thursday, August 18th and runs until Sunday, August 21st in the private lot beside James Black Gallery (144 E 6th Ave) in Vancouver. The front and backyard of the gallery will also be open, with plenty of seating available. Additionally, a live stream only show is included in the festival on Wednesday, August 24th. Festival passes are $45, with sliding scale passes for 2SQTBIPOC and low-income folks. There’s also Angel Passes at $60 for those who can afford to offset the sliding scale system. Passes are available here and can also be purchased on-site.

In conjunction with sound_therapy.wav there will also be a free healing workshop led by festival curator and co-organizer Sunny Chen (AKA Sad China) and event industry professional Luna Hoyek. The workshop will take place on Sunday, August 14th, via Zoom. Register here.

“The workshop holds space for sexual assault and domestic violence survivors in our local arts and music scene, and provides an opportunity for survivors to learn trauma-informed wellness strategies, and connect with community,” says Sunny Chen. “We want to bring our community together in healing and connection, and make the music scene more inclusive for everyone.”

The festival features many local artists including: Adewolf, KERUB, Steph Tsunami and DJ Natü. Here’s the daily line-up schedule:

Thursday, August 18th
5:00pm   Welcome Ceremony
5:30pm   Nalule
6:30pm   ADAM
7:30pm   Shemedelyne
8:00pm   Steph Tsunami

Friday, August 19th
7:00pm   NI CO
8:00pm   IHA
9:00pm   KERUB

Saturday, August 20th
12:00pm   Lowkita
1:00pm     SoyJoy Music
2:00pm     Adewolf
3:00pm     Business Bacha
4:00pm     Glisha
5:00pm     INTERMISSION
6:00pm     Reid Zakos
7:00pm     Havi with a J
8:00pm     diarygrrrl
9:00pm     DJ Natü

Sunday, August 21st
5:00pm   DANI YOUR DARLING
6:00pm   Athina’s Moon
7:00pm   Lowercase Dream
8:00pm   Dedication to Olivia Quan

Wednesday, August 24
6:00pm   kc.bdb
7:00pm   Enereph
8:00pm   Haleluya Hailu

sound_therapy.wav is supported by Creative BC, Good Night Out, The Future Is You and Me, The Juice Truck, FORT, and the City of Vancouver and takes place on the unceded ancestral lands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ilwətaɁɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.

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About the Author

Bryen Dunn is a freelance journalist with a focus on travel, lifestyle, entertainment and hospitality. He has an extensive portfolio of celebrity interviews with musicians, actors and other public personalities. He enjoys discovering delicious eats, tasting spirited treats, and being mesmerized by musical beats.