Tap the city’s art pulse at Pecha Kucha Night

Credit: Pecha Kucha, Cause+Affect

PechaKucha Night gives Vancouver innovators, storytellers and creative types 20 seconds in the spotlight

Sustainable cities need a vibrant creative class. So how do Vancouver’s creatives stack up? Find out for a measly $10 at PechaKucha Night, a wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am tour of Vancouver’s funkiest fomenting minds.

Billed as a rousing mix of “show-and-tell, open-mike night and happy hour,” PechaKucha Night offers creative types of all stripes a chance to screen 20 PowerPoint slides of their work. The catch? They only get 20 seconds to discuss each slide—which keeps the show whipping along.

Web guru and photographer Kris Krüg, interior design star Kelly Deck, Public Dreams founder Dolly Hopkins and journalist Rex Weyler are among the well-known locals who have taken the stage to speedily strut their stuff, along with folks like Vancouver city hall’s Cultural Services manager, plus eager up-and-comers. (The show is capably organized and curated by branding mavens Steven and Jane Cox.)

Pronounced “peh-chak-cha,” PechaKucha means “the sound of conversation” in Japanese. It started in Tokyo in 2003, but has now spread to close to 200 cities, from Kuwait City to Bogotá. Vancouver’s PechaKucha Night happen several times a year (usually at the Park Theatre) and are drawing packed houses; for more info and upcoming show details see pecha-kucha.org/cities/vancouver.