This weekend is the launch of several festivals in Vancouver, whether you love hot chocolate, gluten free foods, or dinning out in Vancouver.
Photo credit:
Jamjam on Flickr
Things to do in Vancouver This Weekend
Events that run for longer than three days in a row are highlighted in green below.
Friday, January 16, 2015
Sponsored by Miss604: Friday Late Night Movies at the Rio Theatre
Raincity Chronicles
Vancouver Sketch Comedy Festival
Dine Out Vancouver: Festival Events and Dining Specials
Pacific Theatre Presents: Underneath the Lintel
The Vancouver KnowShow
Free Skating at Robson Square Ice Rink
Saturday, January 17, 2015
Winter Farmers Market at Nat Bailey
SpongeBob Squarepants at the Vancouver Maritime Museum
The Core of Yoga: Essential Plank Training. Supporting Variety: The Children’s Charity
ROAM Dinner Party Series
VSO New Music Festival
Vancouver Gluten Free Expo
Dine Out: Vancouver Foodster Presents Gastown Brunch Crawl
Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival: Various Locations
Pacific Theatre Presents: Underneath the Lintel
Vancouver Sketch Comedy Festival
Dine Out Vancouver: Festival Events and Dining Specials
Free Skating at Robson Square Ice Rink
Sunday, January 18, 2015
Cannery Farmers Market, Steveston
The Ovation Awards
The Cinematheque: Canada’s Top Ten Film Festival: Conversation with Sandra Oh
ZHOOSH Sunday Series – Fitness & Health Seminars
Dine Out: Vancouver Foodster Presents Kitsilano Brunch Crawl
Shakespeare’s Globe on Screen: The Tempest
Painting pARTy at NY Grill and Bistro in Langley
Vancouver Gluten Free Expo
Vancouver Sketch Comedy Festival
Dine Out Vancouver: Festival Events and Dining Specials
Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival: Various Locations
Free Skating at Robson Square Ice Rink
View the full monthly event list to plan ahead at any time. Follow me on Twitter and Facebook for frequent updates about local events and community happenings.
The 2015 PuSh International Performing Arts Festival runs January 20th to February 8th, presenting groundbreaking work in the live performing arts. Last year, the festival had over 150 performances and events in 15 performance venues over 20 days. Attendance was almost 24,000 with 37 sellouts! PuSH has become a signature Vancouver event since it began in 2003, showcasing adventurous contemporary works in a spirit of innovation and dialogue.
Win Tickets to PuSh Festival Shows
I have tickets to give away to two PuSh Festival shows:
So Blue
So Blue by Louise Lecavalier (Canada). Presented by PuSh International Performing Arts Festival, DanceHouse & 149 Arts Society. Running January 20th and January 21st at SFU’s Goldcorp Centre for the Arts.
Louise Lecavalier is a force to be reckoned with. She pushes against the limits of human movement. With the daring of an acrobat, the discipline of an ascetic and the ferocity of a wild animal, she gives a performance that explodes in energy. Along with partner Frédéric Tavernini, she leaps, spins and shakes onstage; as time goes on you may find yourself wondering how much further she can go. It’s a liberated expression of the body, and with her shape-shifting, androgynous stage persona she comes close to representing a wholeness that our gendered world divides. So Blue has a certain strangeness to it, like that of a ritual with its own secret rules, but Lecavalier never loses rapport with the audience. She’s an athlete, an artist and a spectacular entertainer, and her work is a triumph.
Enter to win a pair of tickets to the 8:00pm performance of So Blue on January 20, 2015.
- Leave a comment on this post with the name of this show (1 entry)
- Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Sunday, January 18, 2015.
The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik
The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik by Tim Watts (Australia). Presented by PuSh International Performing Arts Festival & Vancouver International Children’s Festival. Running January 21st to January 24th at The Waterfront Theatre
The oceans have risen, the land has been swamped, and the survivors look down at the water from the tops of skyscrapers and mountains. In this dazzling multimedia show, we follow the adventures of a man who braves the oceans. As human life lies on the brink of extinction, Alvin Sputnik will embark on a mission into the deep, to save the world and find the soul of his dead wife. Tim Watts is a puppeteer and animator at the top of his powers. Through this work, as performed by St John Cowcher, Watts evokes the enchantment of childhood wonder and the power of age-old storytelling, creating a world of beauty and wonder. Children and adults alike will be transfixed; this is an award-winning work of art that crosses boundaries of age. It’s a revelation, and a delight.
Enter to win a pair of tickets to the 8:00pm performance of The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik on January 23, 2015.
- Leave a comment on this post with the name of this show (1 entry)
- Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Tuesday, January 20, 2015.
Purchase PuSh Passes and PuSh Tickets to attend the 2015 PuSh Festival. View the full lineup online and follow along on Twitter and Facebook for more information.
Update The winner is Annie!
The Vancouver Maritime Museum was built around the RCMP vessel the St. Roch, a National Historic Site in Canada, in 1959. The building’s shape, reflecting the boats that surround it in the nearby marina and waters of the Salish Sea, tell of what treasures can be found within and make it a fitting subject for today’s Vancouver Icons photo feature:
Along with the the St. Roch, an historic arctic exploration vessel used by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the museum also has extensive galleries of model ships, including a particularly fine bone model of the French warship Vengeur du Peuple which was built around 1800 by French prisoners of war, a Children’s Maritime Discovery Centre, a recreation of the fo’c’sle (forecastle) of Vancouver’s ship Discovery, an extensive collection of maritime art, and a large library and archives.
Outdoor displays include the NASA undersea research vessel Ben Franklin and the boiler of the SS Beaver – the first steamship in the Pacific Northwest; the museum also has a small heritage harbour.
A great little “tourist in your hometown” trip is taking a False Creek Ferry to the Vancouver Maritime Museum stop, exploring the attraction, then hopping back on the ferry and heading over to Granville Island or one of its other False Creek stops for more adventures.
Follow the Vancouver Maritime Museum on Twitter and Facebook for more information.
Previous Vancouver Icons posts: Flack Block, The Drop, Prospect Point Lighthouse, Engagement, Ovaltine Cafe, The English Bay Slide, Freezing Water #7, Cleveland Dam, Heritage Hall, School of Theology Building at UBC, Gate to the Northwest Passage, St Paul’s Hospital, Capilano Lake, Stawamus Chief, Nine O’Clock Gun, Malkin Bowl, Search, Vancouver Rowing Club, Echoes, Point Atkinson Lighthouse, English Bay Inukshuk, Hollow Tree, Hotel Europe, Lions Gate Bridge Lions, LightShed, Granville Bridge, 217.5 Arc x 13′, Canoe Bridge, Vancouver Block, Bloedel Conservatory, Centennial Rocket, Canada Place, Old Courthouse/Vancouver Art Gallery, Dominion Building, Science World, Gastown Steam Clock, SFU Burnaby, Commodore Lanes, Siwash Rock, Kitsilano Pool, White Rock Pier, Main Post Office, Planetarium Building, Lord Stanley Statue, Vancouver Library Central Branch, Victory Square, Digital Orca, The Crab Sculpture, Girl in Wetsuit, The Sun Tower, The Hotel Vancouver, The Gassy Jack Statue, The Marine Building, and The Angel of Victory. Should you have a suggestion for the Vancouver Icons series please feel free to leave a note in the comments. It should be a thing, statue, or place that is very visible and recognizable to the public.
The City of Vancouver Archives has digitized over 8,000 images from the Pacific National Exhibition (“PNE”) thanks to funding from the British Columbia History Digitization Program. These images are easy to view, re-use, and share. Additionally, they have digitized another 874 images under copyright which can be viewed via the Archives.
1971: Women on the Sky Glider chair lift. Archives# AM281-S8-: CVA 180-6891.
The Best Old PNE Photos 1914-1980
PNE photos are very popular as they capture summers of years past in Vancouver, family time, and childhood memories. The sights, the rides, the smells (either good from the concession or less than savoury from the barns), the shopping, the shows and many good times.
Here is just a sampling of the City of Vancouver Archives‘ efforts and hard work they put into sharing these images with us:
1940: Loopo plane ride in midway carnival. Archives# AM281-S8-: CVA 180-0798.
1952: Children on the coaster. Archives# AM281-S8-: CVA 180-1794.
1936: Salt and Pepper ride. Archives# AM640-S1-: CVA 260-506.
1948: Amusement rides. Archives #AM281-S8-: CVA 180-1517.
1955: Ferris wheels. Archives# CVA 180-3880.
1927: Women in bathing suits posing with a prize bull. Archives# AM281-S8-: CVA 180-0296.
1940: B.C. Telephone Co. exhibit on how to use the dial telephone. Archives #AM281-S8-: CVA 180-0876.
(Left) 1940: Acrobatic performance in midway carnival sideshow. Archives# AM281-S8-: CVA 180-0794. (Right) 1952: Clown with ducks. Archives# AM281-S8-: CVA 180-1776.
1959: Miss PNE and a clown. Archives# AM281-S8-: CVA 180-2026.
1960s: Archives# AM1435-: CVA 1435-217.
1961: PNE rides at night. Archives# AM281-S8-: CVA 180-3874.
![Oddball oasis : [camel with lion-shaped fiberglass water fountain on P.N.E. grounds]](https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8578/15814925169_c4984319c8_z.jpg)
1965: Oddball oasis : Camel with lion-shaped fiberglass water fountain on P.N.E. grounds. Archives# AM281-S8-: CVA 180-6041.
1963: PNE crowds near the BC Building. Archives# AM281-S8-: CVA 180-6629.
1964: PNE Prize Home. Archives# AM281-S8-: CVA 180-3945.
1969: Phyllis Diller with Buzz Aldrin mannequin. Archives# AM281-S8-: CVA 180-4190.
1965. Married on the Happyland ferris wheel. Archives# AM281-S8-: CVA 180-3876.2.
1969: Archives# AM1551-S2-: 2010-006.180.
1969: Archives# AM1551-S2-: 2010-006.189.
1972: Main entrance gates. Archives# AM281-S8-: CVA 180-6902.
1971: Billingsgate Seafood Bar concession. Archives# AM281-S8-: CVA 180-6808
1970: Opening day parade. Archives# AM281-S8-: CVA 180-4294.12.
1970: Sky Glider chair lift on PNE grounds. Archives# CVA 180-4292.06.
1970s: View of the PNE. Archives# 2010-006.235.
1974: Archives# AM1551-S2-: 2010-006.237.
1977: Archives# AM1551-S2-: 2010-006.145.
1977 View from SkyRide. Archives# 2010-006.149.
1975: PNE crowds, East Vancouver houses in the background. Archives# AM281-S8-: CVA 180-7106.
1977: The Dog’s Ear souvenirs. Archives# CVA 180-7417.
(Left) 1979: Archives# AM1551-S2-: 2010-006.125. (Right) Archives# AM1551-S2-: 2010-006.126.
1980: Archives# AM1551-S2-: 2010-006.133.
1971: Crowd watching All-Terrain Vehicles Show, with Sky Glider chair lift overhead. Archives# CVA 180-6879.
Follow the City of Vancouver Archives on Twitter and Facebook for more vintage photos and collections, news and events.
Related: History of the Wooden Coaster at the PNE, Challenger Relief Map of BC, Archive Photos of Amusement Park Rides.
Dine Out Vancouver returns January 16 to February 1, 2015 with more than 70 food-themed events, 25 hotels offering special room rates and packages, a record-setting 277 restaurants dishing up prix fixe menus at $18, $28 and $38 price points. A big part of Dine Out Vancouver over the years has been its events and nothing gets Vancouverites quite as excited as food trucks and unique street eats. Richard Wolak of Vancouver Foodster is famous for his neighbourhood dining events and he’s stepped up to present a multi-date series celebrating everyone’s favourite meal, brunch.
Dine Out Vancouver Brunch Crawls
“Brunch is popular in our city because it gives people a chance to catchup with friends over food, which is a widely popular activity for most foodies,” Richard told me over email. “People lead busy working lives during the week, since most of the foodie oriented restaurants are often busy during the weeknights, the weekend has become the time people can make it an outing and be casual.”
Gastown Brunch Crawl
Saturday, January 17, 2015 from 10:00am to 2:00pm
Kitsilano Brunch Crawl
Sunday, January 18, 2015 from 10:00am to 2:00pm
Main Street Brunch Crawl
Saturday, January 24, 2015 from 10:00am to 2:00pm
Downtown Vancouver Brunch Crawl
Sunday, January 25, 2015 from 10:00am to 2:00pm
West End Brunch Crawl
Saturday, January 31, 2015 from 10:00am to 2:00pm
Commercial Drive Brunch Crawl
Sunday, February 1, 2015 from 10:00am to 2:00pm
Richard says each neighbourhood crawl will be different due to the makeup of each area. “For example in the Gastown Brunch Crawl on January 17th you’ll find a French and Spanish focus with menu items such as Croquetta de Bacalao (salt cod), burnt orange, sherry sauce, fennel salad at Salida 7 and Cassoulet at Jules Bistro.
On the Kitsilano Brunch Crawl January 18th you will find a Vietnamese and Italian focus with Novo Breakfast pizza – Fontina, fior di latte, Aleppo pepper, red onions, smoked pancetta, sous vide quail egg, Iberian salumi, chives at Novo Pizzeria and Peanut Macarons with Peanut butter cream, almond, toasted peanut at Linh Cafe — just to name a few.”
Tickets are available online through Dine Out Vancouver for $40* (general admission) and $60** (for Club Amuse-Bouche).
For the latest information follow Dine Out Vancouver on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, along with the tag #dovf.
* Tax, gratuities and ticketing fees not included. ** Club Amuse-bouche tickets include priority check-in at 9:45am and a VIP Gift Bag. Tax, gratuities and ticketing fees not included.
