It’s only March but everyone’s been talking about summer in Vancouver, since we’ve been having such spectacular weather lately, and summer in Vancouver means fireworks nights. The Honda Celebration of Light announced its dates this morning along with a renewed partnership with Honda and even more entertainment options this season.
Celebrating its 25th anniversary, the Honda Celebration of Light will take place July 25th, July 29th, and August 1st in 2015. In this morning’s press release, it was announced that on top of one of the greatest fireworks displays on earth, fans will also be able to enjoy three days of cultural programming, sponsor activities and Canadian music at English Bay and Sunset Beach.
In addition to The Keg Lounge and licensed seating at the YVR Observation deck, another VIP Lounge is being offered on the Inukshuk Peninsula and families are invited to enjoy food trucks and a licensed area in Sunset Beach this year.
Competing countries for the 2015 event will be announced at the end of March and tickets will go on sale for all VIP viewing areas on April 1st. Follow the Honda Celebration of Light on Twitter and Facebook for more information.
Update on March 31, 2015
The participating countries are:
Saturday, July 25 – China; Team Lidu
Wednesday, July 29 – Brazil; Group Vision Show
Saturday, August 1 – Canada; Archangel Fireworks
Formed on CelticFest’s stage in 2006, Delhi 2 Dublin is one of Canada’s most buzzed-about bands and they’ll be returning to CelticFest Vancouver on March 15th.
Who: Delhi 2 Dublin with special guest Troy MacGillivray and Mairi Rankin When: Sunday, March 15, 2015 at 8:00pm Where: Imperial, 319 Main Street, Vancouver Tickets: $25 in advance online, $30 at the door, must be 19+
I first heard the Bhangra / Celtic sound of Delhi 2 Dublin when strolling down Granville during Juno Fest 2009. The distinct pulsating melodies mixed with Dub Reggae and Electronica caught everyone’s attention as the tent hosting the group had the crowd spilling out from the street and onto the sidewalk.
I saw them again at the Commodore in 2010, where the audience threw up their hands and pogo’ed up and down while chanting for D2D. Sitar music blended with wicked violin as kilts and saris twirled on stage. Beats made the crowd bounce as the energy was contagious — everyone was having a blast.
Win Tickets to Delhi 2 Dublin at CelticFest Vancouver
Over the last few years they have topped world music charts in Canada, toured extensively in Canada, the UK and the USA, and made their way around the Pacific Rim and Europe. Catch them at home in Vancouver by entering to win two tickets from Miss604 and CelticFest:
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RT to enter to win tickets to see @Delhi2Dublin at @CelticFestVan from @Miss604 http://ow.ly/JQqPh
I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Tuesday, March 10, 2015. Follow CelticFest Vancouver on Facebook and Twitter for more information.
The peaks of the North Shore mountains are mirrored in the towering glass of Downtown Vancouver, and the whitecaps on the water recreate the snow-capped Lions a thousand times over. We’re so lucky to see our city skyline twice on a clear day, once above us and once below in the calm waters of False Creek or Coal Harbour. Here are a few of my favourite reflection photos of Vancouver:
Starting at 11:00am, the St Patrick’s Day Parade will follow its 2014 route, which begins on Howe and Davie, heads north on Howe to Georgia, and ends at Georgia at Granville Street.
Throughout the weekend, Granville Street between Robson and Nelson will be closed to vehicle traffic. On the day of the parade, Howe from Davie to the Granville Bridge will be closed from 8:00am to 2:00pm, all southbound traffic on the Granville Bridge and Granville Street (except buses) from Davie to West 4th will be closed, and Drake Street, one block east and one block west of Howe and Davie will be closed. From 10:00am to 2:00pm, Howe will be closed from Davie to Georgia; Georgia will be closed from Hornby to Seymour, and Granville will be closed from Georgia to Pender.
Organizers anticipate that crowds of 200,000 will come out to cheer on over 2,000 parade participants including award-winning pipe and drum bands, Celtic musicians, Scottish and Irish dancers, acrobats, stilt walkers, vintage cars, the Vancouver police motorcycle drill team and pipe band, fire and police dogs, mounted horse drill teams, multi-cultural organizations and performers, local businesses, distinguished guests and many more.
Throughout the weekend of March 14th and March 15th, you can stop by the Celtic Village and Street Market on Granville Street and at Robson Square for free entertainment. Follow CelticFest Vancouver on Facebook and Twitter for more information.
The Vancouver International Dance Festival (“VIDF”) is set to present a dynamic showcase from local, Canadian, and international artists from March 8th to March 28th at venues across Vancouver. Curated by long-standing producers Barbara Bourget and Jay Hirabayashi, this year’s festival will engage, intrigue, and inspire audiences through diverse, thought-provoking works.
Vancouver International Dance Festival
Festival highlights include legendary Japanese butoh performance group Dairakudakan, Montréal’s experimental and in-demand contemporary dance company Par B.L.eux, and Hungarian dancer-choreographer Ferenc Fehér, among many others.
VIDF 2015 will also include a series of free-for-member performances (membership fee: $3) at the Roundhouse Exhibition Hall, in addition to free site-specific works from Kokoro Dance at the Woodwards Atrium. Information on these performances and all festival events can be found online. Tickets range from free to $50 for VIDF shows, and a festival pass is $98.
Win Tickets
I have the exclusive opportunity to give away a three-pack of tickets to three highly-anticipated VIDF shows:
Dairakudakan: Mushi no Hoshi – Space Insect
Vancouver Playhouse: March 20th and March 21st at 8:00pm
With 22 surreal, shape-shifting dancers, other-worldly costumes and body-paint, and a spectacular set, Dairakudakan exemplifies the transformative power of butoh through its imaginative blend of theatre and dance.
The Response (Vancouver): Orbits: a movement study
Roundhouse Exhibition Hall: March 26th to March 28th at 7:00pm
This instalment, a duet, finds two atomic beings moving through space in relentless unison with moments of irregularity and reaction, the bodies of the dancers striving to portray the sense of chemical reactions we find internally and externally in our universe.
Par B.L.eux: Snakeskins
Roundhouse Performance Centre: March 12th to March 14th at 8:00pm
This solo (actually a ‘fake’ solo, because he is accompanied on stage by dancer Daniele Albanese and musician / multi-instrumentalist Hahn Rowe), offers the choreographer the opportunity to point sharpen the strong lines of his work and reposition his approach in the present.
The winner will receive a pair of tickets to Par B.L.eux Snakeskins (March 12th at 8:00pm); Dairakudakan (March 20th at 8:00pm); and The Response (March 26th at 7:00pm). Here’s how you can enter to win:
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Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
RT to enter to win tickets to 3 @VIDF shows from @Miss604 http://ow.ly/JPyrM
Follow the VIDF on Facebook and Twitter for more performance, artist and schedule information. I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Friday, March 6, 2015.
