Vancouver Arts & Music Festival named “Event of the Year” for Southwest Washington
November 10, 2025
The 2025 Vancouver Arts & Music Festival USA has been named Southwest Washington Event of the Year by the Washington Festivals and Events Association (WFEA). The festival also took home the award for Best PR/Media Campaign at WFEA’s annual Grand Summit awards ceremony on Oct. 30 in Bellevue, Washington.
Held July 31–Aug. 3 in downtown Vancouver, the free, four-day multi-disciplinary arts festival brought more than 50,000 attendees together to celebrate music, dance and visual arts. Produced through a partnership between the City of Vancouver and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra USA, the event showcased more than 60 performances across multiple stages, hundreds of local and regional artists, and generated an estimated $1.6 million in business sales or the community.
“This award recognizes what’s possible when our community comes together around the arts,” said Vancouver Cultural Services Manager, Stacey Donovan. “The festival’s success reflects the creativity, dedication and teamwork of hundreds of staff, artists, and volunteers who made it happen. It’s truly a shared accomplishment for our community.”
After just three years, the Vancouver Arts & Music Festival USA has quickly become one of the region’s largest free arts celebrations, offering an engaging mix of symphonic concerts, contemporary performances, cultural exchange and interactive art experiences.
“At its heart, the Vancouver Arts & Music Festival builds community through the shared joy of the arts,” said Igor Shakhman, CEO of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra USA. “Thousands of people of all ages gathered in Esther Short Park for our Vancouver Symphony Orchestra concerts with Renée Fleming, Mark and Maggie O’Connor, and Sharon Isbin. It was an inspiring demonstration of how civic and artistic partnerships enrich our quality of life and transform our community into a cultural destination.”
The 2025 festival was supported by more than 100 community volunteers, programming collaborator Clark College Foundation, Keller Foundation, M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, Oliva Family Fund, Waterfront Vancouver USA, and over a dozen other sponsors. Planning is already underway for the 2026 Vancouver Arts & Music Festival, which will continue to build on this year’s momentum to bring people together through creativity and connection.
For more information about the Vancouver Arts & Music Festival, visit www.vancouverartsandmusicfestival.com.
Media contact: Melody Burton, Senior Communications Specialist
melody.burton@cityofvancouver.us, 360-869-8746