Under the Volcano Festival

Under The Volcano Festival Of Art & Social Change was an activist, grassroots cultural gathering held at Whey-Ah-Wichen Cates Park on the traditional lands of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation in North Vancouver, BC in August. Under the Volcano was Canada's largest annual political arts festival and was 100% volunteer produced. The festival took its name from the well-known book of the same name by Malcolm Lowry, who squatted adjacent to the festival site during the 1940s-50s.

The festival was founded in 1990 by social activist and artist Irwin Oostindie, and was collaboratively produced by a dedicated crew of volunteers reflecting social movements in the region. Production Coordinator was Jeremy Galpin and Programmer and Fundraiser Meegan Maulstaid until its 20th anniversary, in 2010. UTV featured a number of high-profile activists and entertainers in its 20 years of existence, including: Ward Churchill, Faith Nolan, Kinnie Starr, Paint, Kathleen Yearwood, Tegan & Sara, Naomi Klein and Lourdes Perez. More than 100 political projects and organisations setup tables at the festival making it the largest gathering of progressives each year. An annual Festival Guide featured an Activist Directory which was distributed throughout the region connecting the festival to political movements and work year-round. The festival provided a platform for Indigenous sovereignty issues including unceded land issues in the province, well ahead of these issues becoming more recognized by dominant society. The festival project expanded in the mid-1990s including additionbal events such as Under the Volcano Festival Kootenays, plus producing the annual Kootenay Moving Pictures Film Festival in Nelson, B.C.

Under the Volcano celebrated its last festival on August 8, 2010[1][2]