Watching Shakespeare performed while the sun sets over the mountains beyond the tented main stage is a Vancouver summertime highlight. There are usually three Shakespeare plays, plus one Bard-related work (Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, for example), to choose from during the season. Q&A talks are staged after some Tuesday performances; also opera, fireworks and wine-tasting special nights are held throughout the season.
Expect Christopher Gaze – the festival's effervescent public figurehead – to hop on stage to introduce the show. He's the kind of old-school actor-manager Shakespeare himself would have appreciated. And make sure you save time to hit the on-site gift shop; it's the perfect place to pick up that Shakespearean insult T-shirt you've always wanted, you poisonous bunch-backed toad.