Culture, laughs, live music, and games: What Vancouver nightlife spots bring to the city

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Rish Das and Praj Chadha both met at the same University of British Columbia fraternity. While Chadha worked at a couple of Vancouver nightclubs, Das was throwing large-scale events for the Alma Mater Society, the school’s student union.

They eventually joined forces and hosted hip-hop and electronic music events together. But by early last year, the two started noticing there were no events in the city that appealed to those interested in Bollywood music, finding that what was marketed as the Hindi-language genre focused more on Punjabi songs. As immigrants from India, they wanted a place to fill their feelings of nostalgia and sing their favourite songs from when growing up to today.

Using their close relationships with the management team at Fortune Sound Club in Vancouver’s Chinatown, Das and Chadha hosted their first Bollywood event on Jan. 26, 2023 at the nightclub to celebrate India’s Republic Day. 

About 150 people turned out and more than 100 were still singing and dancing by the 2:00 am curfew. This marked the first event under their North American Bollywood nightlife company, TAMASHA Canada, which is named after the Hindi word for a spectacle or big show.

“Vancouver, [and] Canada in general, has a very significant [and] big South Asian population,” Chadha says. 

“What’s unique about Canada is most of the immigrants are first generation …. A lot of people that are coming to North America are, right now, Gen Z. It’s very important to have something like TAMASHA in Vancouver because we’re providing that experience for people to connect with the culture [and] not lose touch with their culture.”

TAMASHA is just one business working in Vancouver’s night-time economy (NTE). 

NTE, which is economic activity that takes place after 5:00 pm, contributes to creating a city’s distinct identity and vibrancy, and is often associated with cultural experiences including nightlife and the performing arts, according to the non-profit Downtown Van’s “State of Downtown 2024” report.

In the City of Vancouver, this sector generates an estimated $750 million in yearly economic benefit and directly supports about 10,000 jobs in a variety of industries, the report noted.

NTEs support cultural diversity and the invisible economy — a concept entailing activities that cannot be quantified by formal markets or traditional market indicators such as volunteering and altruism — and thriving ones have a proven competitive advantage in inspiring, attracting, and keeping young, creative, and engaged people, according to Downtown Van’s report.

Vancouver’s NTE also faces barriers, such as bylaws that prohibit or restrict liquor, noise, and event activities, and the need to extend daytime economy services, like transportation and family-care options, to night economy workers and visitors, the report added. Other reasons such as a lack of art and music venues, the high cost of living, and limited night-time transit have also led Vancouver to be nicknamed “no-fun city.”

Bringing Indian culture to Vancouver’s nightlife

Das and Chadha’s mission with TAMASHA is in its tagline — “Reconnecting you with your roots.” Their company’s events focus on providing a Bollywood experience reminiscent of attending a party in major Indian cities like Mumbai and New Delhi. The music played at these events ranges from early 2000s hits, new mixes, trending songs, and the occasional Punjabi track.

What first was the plan to run events every quarter then grew to six, but TAMASHA ended up closing last year with a dozen. As the population of those interested in Bollywood music grows,  Das says it feels like a duty to make events not as rare that people end up missing out. 

“[With] most of our events, we’re selling out, which shows there’s a demand for this,” Das says. “We are creating an impact on these people that are coming [and] becoming regulars. They’re coming to each of our events, and we’re seeing them again and again.”

Between September and New Year’s, TAMASHA will host around four or five events, which includes celebrating Diwali on Nov. 2 at Kitsilano’s Hollywood Theatre, Das says.

But before then, TAMASHA will host a “Strictly Bollywood” night featuring DJs Shalv, Raytrix, and Apogee on Saturday at the Hollywood Theatre. The company will co-present British Indian musician Panjabi MC’s Vancouver stop of his “Beware Tour” with Love of Live Entertainment. It will take place on Aug. 30 at the Enso Event Centre.

At Fortune Sound Club, DJ and producer ZEEMUFFIN will make her Vancouver debut on Aug. 31 alongside DJs Kokaheena and Nemo.

TAMASHA is not just limited to Vancouver. The company has done events in Toronto, Calgary, and Victoria, as well as two sold-out shows in New York last fall. The team will host debut shows in Montreal and Edmonton this year, Chadha says, adding TAMASHA has received messages from people across North America about bringing the Bollywood nights to their cities.

“To me, TAMASHA is the avenue where I’m around my people,” Chadha says. “I’m listening to music from my origins …. I’m able to dance and laugh. Our DJs are able to curate that experience where I’m able to be my true self. I think TAMASHA provides that platform and ability for our people.”

Das also says TAMASHA means more than a typical Friday or Saturday night out clubbing — it is about creating a memorable experience people can hold on to for a long time.

Working in the industry, Das finds that because Vancouver has lots to offer with nature and outdoor activities, nightlife is not distinct in the city.

“I’m definitely optimistic about how it’s going to transform in the future,” Chadha adds. “It definitely does need that little bit of love from our politicians [and] people in the government.”

Engaging comedy in the West End

Just a three-minute walk from English Bay Beach is The Show Cellar, which is where the arts and entertainment company, The Comedy Department, houses its weekly “Saturday Night Laughs” improv events.

Vancouver comedians and collaborators Denise Jones and David Milchard founded The Comedy Department during the COVID-19 pandemic as a way to foster their own space.

“It became clear that … this desire to have connection and make people laugh and be in a space, which was completely interrupted by the horrible pandemic, really reinforced how satisfying and fulfilling that was,” Milchard says.

Something interesting that came out of the pandemic was a large resurgence and desire for comedy, Jones says.

“People were really done with anti-hero stories, dark things, things about the end of the world because it felt like we were experiencing it,” she says. 

“It became this renaissance for people. All they want to do is laugh, which was really good for companies like The Company Department because people were really ready for it, and we were ready to have something positive out there.”

The two host their Saturday shows at 7:30 and 9:30 pm. It features improv-based comedy in different formats and a rotating cast of about a dozen performers. The shows are big on audience participation and feel intimate, from the moment Jones takes a guest’s ticket and Milchard guides them to their seat to when the duo takes the stage, Jones says.

With the nature of improv, the audience ends up creating a show together that can never be seen again.

“Certain members of the audience participate in certain ways that feed the show and move the show forward,” Milchard says. “Whether that’s making fun of me because I did something silly at the beginning and they kindly heckle me, which is totally fine, or they bring back jokes that we forgot in the show and they shout them out for us.”

Jones and Milchard also do touring shows across the Lower Mainland. “Pants on Fire,” which is similar to game shows Whose Line Is It Anyway? and Liar’s Club, takes place on Aug. 23 at Coquitlam’s Evergreen Cultural Centre, and “Improv Comedy Rumble,” which is a competitive show with audience judges, will stop in Abbotsford’s Matsqui Centennial Auditorium on Sept. 27 and Chief Sepass Theatre in Langley Township on Oct. 19.

The company’s new music parody and comedy show “Middle Aged Boy Band” will feature song and dance and take place at Port Moody’s Inlet Theatre on Oct. 18 and the Chilliwack Cultural Centre on Nov. 9.

The Comedy Department also received a “Travellers’ Choice Award” from Tripadvisor, putting it in the top 10 per cent of companies on the trip-planning platform, Jones says.

In terms of working in the nightlife scene in Vancouver, Milchard says there is already lots of comedy being offered in the city, but it can be a challenge letting people know about it as marketing intangible services can be difficult.

Jones adds there is a shortage of venues in Vancouver, with many ending up shuttered or unused, and the two were lucky to find a place to perform.

“I support any local comedy group who’s out there trying to make it,” she says. “The more the better as far as I’m concerned because a rising tide floats all boats. I want comedy to be doing well. When other comedy companies are doing well and selling out, that’s great news for me. That means there is a passion and an appetite for live comedy in town.”

Live music in the heart of Vancouver

Formally operating as the Venue, The Pearl in the Granville Entertainment District started up last May under the entertainment company, Modo Live.

The Pearl hosts a variety of shows, most of which are live music-based, and gives up-and-coming bands and artists the opportunity to hone their craft, says assistant general manager Will Savage. 

The live shows range from offering jazz and indie or grunge rock to raunchy comedy. The location, which has a balcony and can fit more than 300 people, also features DJs playing genres such as reggaeton and Arabic music.

Savage finds The Pearl brings a happy middle ground to the city by being a location between a cheap, dive-like place and an expensive venue.

“What we try to do over at The Pearl is give a place where you can feel welcome,” he says. “The staff are very welcoming. The bartenders are trying as much as they can to service people, give good quality service. I hate going to a place where unless you throw a $20 bill into the bartender’s tip jar, they won’t pay attention to you.”

From September to October, The Pearl will be open almost every day with band performances, Savage says, adding that the best way to keep up with events is through the venue’s online schedule. What is consistently offered this month are weekly “Fusion Fridays” events, where there are two dance rooms — reggaeton and top 40s tracks on the main floor and techno on the floor above.

Starting out in the industry as a barback on the weekends, Savage says he has seen a shift since inflation, with more people wanting to see live music versus a typical song-and-dance night to get more for their money.

“Unless it’s free cover and you’re getting at least one or two free drinks when you get in the door, it’s really hard to get people out these days, which is why I’m so lucky to be working the place that I am now because the shows are really what is pulling people out — [it’s] seeing a live performance,” he says.

Activities to do while at the bar

As a big traveller, Trevor Poirier noticed video game bars were big in U.S. cities like New York, Portland, and Nashville, but were not really present in Vancouver. So when the opportunity came about to take over as the management team for a bar in Vancouver’s Barclay Hotel, he and his business partners took it and opened The Den Arcade and Drinkery in 2017.

Following The Den’s success, he then opened GLITCH Vancouver, a bar and games room that is three times larger, in January 2020. As the owner of GLITCH, there was more room to expand the concept and spend money on the space, which included fixing the place with retro 1990s and 2000s decor and music.

Poirier, who has been working in the bar and restaurant industry since age 13, says video game bars give people an activity to do while having their drink, as opposed to just sitting around a table.

“It’s a little competition among buddies, especially with things like Skee-Ball, basketball, and any of the shooting games, [you] want to get the higher score and all that,” he says. “We just give people a fun factor to bring to a Friday [and] Saturday night out.”

What sets The Den and GLITCH apart from other video game bars is that both places offer retro gaming consoles, such as PlayStation 2 and Wii, allowing people to play on a big screen if they are not using any of the arcade games, Poirier says. GLITCH also hosts events, such as trivia on Tuesdays and DJ nights on Fridays and Saturdays.

In the future, Poirier hopes to continue building regular customers at The Den, which has been at the hotel for about 40 years, while also aiming to expand GLITCH outside of Vancouver and make it more family oriented.

Working in this economy, Poirier has also seen the effects of inflation in the industry, noticing people are spending less per person.

“We saw it a bit in 2009 after the market crashed as well,” he says. “It’s just a matter of getting out there when you can and grabbing a beer and enjoying yourself. Don’t hold up at home, but we understand when you can’t also spend a couple $100 every Friday, Saturday night.”