China Cloud

Great venue for a small show.

wow

I can’t say enough good things about this place!!!
I was in Vancouver from Seattle and while drinking some absinthe at Guilt and Co. (another place I’d highly recommend) the bar tender informed me of a comedy show at the China Cloud.
The speakeasy like atmosphere was soothing and the vibe was very friendly, I was a fan instantly. I caught the Hero Show, which I would suggest you catch (its a once a month event).

China Cloud. So appropriately named, so secretive.
An auspicious black doorway, with no signage but only an image of a cloud. Open the door and you will find yourself heading up a long narrow staircase, one of those where you don’t know where you will end up, but that’s the best part of the adventure.
The space is very cool. Artwork all around the lobby space, and then the main room is almost like a cool garage hangout. Low ceilings, a bar, artwork, and bits and pieces of interesting memorabilia.
I came here for a 10 Speed Improv event. Improv sets in under 10 minutes each. The bar served beer, wine, and simple well drinks for $ 4. I can’t complain.
Cozy, intimate, very fun times!

China Cloud feels like the secret clubhouse you wanted in college. Hidden behind a nondescript door, up a few plain flights of stairs and filled with funky art, a handmade wooden bar and cozy furniture. The room is small and intimate… perfect for a little indie show. The crowd is hipster but the friendly type – and it seems like they all know each other there. I can dig it.
I highly recommend it for small (50 – 150 people) artsy events!

Great venue for cheap, local comedy. Bronx Cheer does comedy on Tuesdays for $ 5 (most of the time — check their Facebook page) and it’s always great. Definitely check out the Hero Show, it’s a night of solo sketch comedy, usually with more than 10 performers. Really funny, and there’s nothing else like it in Vancouver.
My one suggestion for the venue: don’t give the obnoxious bartender a microphone just because he works there. His awful sketches (think an unfunny teenager trying to gross out a crowd with shock humour) and repetitive banter have been the worst part of every show I’ve attended. Aside from that, this place and the comedy shows here are solid gold.

China Cloud is a small venue up two flights of stairs behind a discreet door off Main (near Hastings). There is a small foyer, the main room, and two more flights of stairs back down to a smoking lounge that very closely resembles an enclosed loading bay.
On a warm Friday night in August, I ascended the stairs for the first time, approaching the hum of activity and a several-​degree temperature bump. As I passed the first landing and neared the main floor, I was awash with air so thick with braised hipster that the Pabst Blue Ribbon was condensing on the walls. It was about this time that I wished that I too had worn my short-​sleeved button-​up and cutoff denim shorts. With every shuffle and squeeze deeper into the Cloud, the heat and humidity of too many bodies intensified to a nearly-​unbearable mélange-​a-​sweat that guaranteed a Gulf-​Stream-​like current to the busted table fans and back.
After too much waiting, Analog Bell Service played an amazing set. After too long an intermission, Brasstronaught played a fantastic set (or rather was still playing it, when I left).
It’s Main and Hastings, undergroundish, cramped, poorly-​ventilated, and hot. Would I go back? Most definitely.