The USA kicked off the first night of the Honda Celebration of Light fireworks in Vancouver on Saturday as 250,000 people packed English Bay and the surrounding shores to watch. Thanks to those who shared their photos with the Miss604 Flickr Pool and #Photos604 on Instagram, I have a wonderful collection of images to share that give you just a sample of what summer fireworks nights are like in Vancouver:
USA Vancouver Fireworks Photos
As always, please click through on these images to view more work from the photographers and feel free to share your own photos with the Miss604 Flickr Pool or with the tag #Photos604 on Instagram. View all photo collections here.
Win a Trip to France!
The Honda Celebration of Light is also hosting a photo contest with KLM, here are the details: Upload your best picture of the fireworks at the 2014 Honda Celebration of Light in the Entries section of this website. When voting opens, get your friends (and friends of friends) to vote for your picture. They can vote once a day for one week. Once voting has closed, a panel of industry experts will decide who gets to go on the trip.
It’s Pride Week in Vancouver and that means there will be no shortage of events for the LGBTQ community and beyond. From Pride Trans Youth Night to the Davie Street Block Party and the Vancouver Dyke March, these diverse and inclusive events showcase not only Vancouver Pride but they invite the world to our fair town to celebrate as well. The biggest of all events is the world famous Vancouver Pride Parade, which draws over half a million spectators downtown each year.
Vancouver Pride Parade 2014
Ever since we have lived in the West End (going on 9 years now) John and I have enjoyed watching the pride parade because it is so cheerful, inclusive, fun-filled, and vibrant. It has great music, exciting floats, happy faces, giveaways, and everyone from church groups and bands to community organizations and businesses take part. In fact a few years ago I was on the London Drugs float, which was such a fun experience. Here’s all you need to know about this year’s Vancouver Pride Parade:
When Sunday, August 3, 2014 from 12:00pm to 3:00pm
Where The parade begins at Robson Street and Thurlow Street, heads west to Denman Street, follows Denman to Pacific Street and Beach Avenue and finishes at Sunset Beach Pride Festival and Market.
Click to View PDF
2014 Pride Parade Grand Marshals
The Pride Parade Grand Marshals are: “remarkable individuals who represent an inter-generational perspective on PRIDE, celebrating the people who have shaped its spirit with their passion for equality.” This year they are Dean Nelson, Gwen Haworth, and ted northe (Posthumous Grand Marshal).
Vancouver Pride Parade Viewing Areas
You can find a spot on the curb along most of the route although it does get very packed, going about 8-10 people deep on some sidewalks. The starting points on Robson are frequently less densely packed as Denman, as the parade turns and heads towards the beach. You may also want to head toward one of the hosted locations: The Unstoppable Conni Smudge at Safeway on Robson; Caryl Dolinko at Denman Place Mall; and Joan E! at the Boathouse.
Vancouver Pride Parade Road Closures
Road closures will run anywhere between 8:00am and 4:00pm on Sunday, August 3, 2014.
- Alberni Burrard to Thurlow 1000 block: 7:00am to 3:00pm
- Alberni Bute to Thurlow 1100 block: 7:00am to 3:00pm Local Traffic Only
- Robson Burrard to Bute 1000 to 1100 blocks: 7:00am to 3:00pm
- Thurlow Georgia to Nelson 700 to 900 blocks: 7:00am to 3:00pm
- Robson Bute to Denman 1100 to 1600 blocks: 10:00am to 3:30pm
- Denman Robson to Beach 800 to 1200 blocks: 10:00am to 4:00pm
- Beach Denman to Jervis 1300 to 1700 blocks: 10:00am to 4:00pm
- Pacific Jervis to Burrard 1000 to 1200 blocks: 11:00am to 5:00pm
Vancouver Pride Parade Etiquette
Tips on being a good spectator from parade organizers:
- Please stay off road – let marchers come to you to get free swag.
- No spraying water or throwing object at entries. Their costumes and sound equipment is very expensive.
- Use recycling and garbage bins provided around the venue. Help our event become zero impact.
- Parking along the Parade route is extremely limited so leave your car at home and take transit to the Parade.
- Open alcohol is prohibited on streets and parks so leave it at home. Come to the beer garden at Sunset Beach after the Parade and have a toast with us.
- Remember to practice sun safety by wearing a hat, applying sunscreen, and staying hydrated.
- Stay off the Parade route to give floats and marchers lots of room to move. Take all pictures from the side of the road.
Sunset Beach Festival
Following the parade there is the Sunset Beach Festival at the very end of the route: “This is a pedestrian event for the general public to come and enjoy the day, watch live performances on the main stage, sample great food at the food zone and dance to DJ’s in the 19+ beer garden area.”
The Vancouver Pride Society has all of the information you need to have a safe and happy Pride in Vancouver. Follow along on Facebook and Twitter along with the tags #VanPride + #PrideParade2014.
If your summer has been anything like mine, it’s been filled fun at weddings, festivals, barbecues, and dinner parties. Oakridge Centre has just unveiled a new online resource for these happenings called The Occasion, which is the good guest’s guide to attending any event in style.
The Occasion provides ideas for different events including themed and cultural weddings, parties, and dinners. What to bring, what to do or expect, gift giving tips, what to wear, and more.
To celebrate the launch of this online, magazine-style guide, Oakridge Style is hosting a contest where you can enter to win a brilliant Birks freshwater pearl necklace valued at $750. To top that off, they are also offering a $100 Oakridge gift card to one lucky Miss604 reader. Here’s how you can enter to win:
- Leave a comment naming a tip you have for being a good guest at a summer event (1 entry)
- Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
I will draw one winner at random from all entries on Friday, August 1, 2014 at 12:00pm. Follow Oakridge on Twitter and Facebook for more information. Oakridge is located on the south west corner of the intersection at Cambie Street and 41st Avenue, 15 minutes from downtown Vancouver or Richmond. Get there by car or via the Oakridge Canada Line stop.
Update The winner is @goolsofjewels!
Back in 2009 I crossed something off my Truly Canadian Bucket List — I participated in a screech-in at Doolin’s for their first-ever East Coast Good Times dinner. This includes kissing a cod on the lips, a recitation, and a shot of screech. It’s as close to Newfoundland as I’ll ever get without leaving the 604 area code and Doolin’s is once again presenting their famous East Coast Good Times at Doolin’s dinner at the end of this month.
It’s a bib-tying, finger-licking, codfish-kissing good time and tickets include a full lobster dinner, a pint of beer, and of course, a screech-in! The evening will also be hosted by the hilarious comedian Byron Bertram “Fan Page of Validaton“.
East Coast Good Times at Doolin’s
When: Thursday, July 31, 2014 at 7:00pm
Where: Doolin’s, 654 Nelson St at Granville in downtown Vancouver
Tickets: Available online for $30. For more information email ‘info [at] doolins.ca’ or call (604) 605-4328.
I have a pair of tickets to give away for this event thanks to Doolin’s. Here’s how you can enter to win:
- Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
- Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Monday, July 28, 2014. Must be 19+ to enter, win, and attend the event. Please enjoy responsibly and plan a safe trip home. Follow Doolin’s on Twitter and Facebook for more information.
Update The winner is Stephen!
The 100 mile diet is a popular lifestyle choice for those who like to shop and eat local. Here in Vancouver, it’s actually fairly easy to adhere to a 25 mile diet as we have so many great producers right in our own backyard as you head up the Fraser River, starting with Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows. Earlier this summer I was a guest on a media tour of this region, where agriculture meets adventure, and in one day we had some good eats and good fun at the following stops:
Golden Ears Cheesecrafters
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22270 128th Avenue, Maple Ridge
This is truly a family operation as Golden Ears Cheesecrafters is owned and operated by Kerry and Lynn Davison, their daughter Jenna makes the cheese and their other daughter Emma works on the business and marketing side. On top of that, the milk comes from Davison Family Jersey cows on a farm about 300 meters away from the cheese shop and bistro. Their artisan cheese is available at local retailers and fine dining establishments around Vancouver, including several Fairmont properties, and at farmers markets around the region.
Our group enjoyed breakfast in the bistro and were assured by Kerry that “cheese is the epicentre of all activity” at Golden Ears. We sampled aged cheddar scones, local strawberries, and fresh-made butter – a byproduct of their cheese making – that is so pure and creamy that some patrons even put it in their coffee.
Hopcott Premium Meats
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18385 Old Dewdney Trunk Road, Pitt Meadows
The Hopcott farms are owned and operated by the third generation of a proud farming family with 165 acres of fields and their convenient farm-gate meat and produce shop. They also manage cranberry bogs and run the very popular Meadows Maze. We got a tour behind the scenes of their meat shop where they use pretty much every part of every animal to make everything from pepperoni, bacon, and jerky to premium BC beef cut that have been dry-aged for 28 days. They serve up beef, poultry, pork, lamb, groceries, dog food, and deli counter treats. Stop by August 9th for the Meet the Ranchers event to celebrate Hopcott’s 8th anniversary.
After the tour, we took a tractor ride through the cranberry bogs and over to the Meadows Maze location (13672 Reichenbach Road, Pitt Meadows) for a cookout at lunchtime where we roasted Hopcott weiners on an open fire. The corn was barely knee-high but by the time the maze opens, August 9th to October 19th, it will be tall enough to challenge your navigational skills. Activities include the corn maze with a smaller maze just for kids, a fun farm, and private event rentals with your own tent and fire pit for groups. There’s so much to do at the Meadows Maze that I will dedicate an entire post to it closer to its opening date.
Wild Play Element Park
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23485 Fern Crescent, Maple Ridge
When you get a chance to really play outdoors you realize how much you miss the concept of ‘play’ as an adult. Sure, our tastes in what constitutes ‘fun’ changes as we grow but it’s so important to reconnect with your sense of play and a great place to do that is at Wild Play Element Park. I really had no idea what to expect from a series of cables, ropes, ladders, and ziplines but after clipping myself in to the Monkido Aerial Adventure circuit I knew I was in for some real (challenging) fun.
Once you have your harness and a safety demonstration, you can go through the circuit at your own pace, taking on however many legs and stages as you like. The level of difficulty increases as you go but you can always opt-out at the end of a leg and take a zipline back down to the ground.
Features of Wild Play include a barbecue zone, free parking, picnic tables, event space, walking trails, and lockers as you probably don’t want to take your phone with you on the course. My sunglasses also fell off my head but were rescued by Wendy Mein of Wild Play who was watching us as a guide the whole time for safety. As a bonus while we were at Wild Play, Cowboy from Leghorn Ranch gave us quick trail rides with two horses he brought with him. Leghorn (20254 Old Dewdney Trunk Road) offers horseback tours and trail rides for all skill levels.
Big Feast Bistro
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Our final stop of the day was at Big Feast Bistro in Downtown Maple Ridge where we were greeted by owner Mike Mulcahy. Mike’s bistro, featuring locally sourced and sustainable food, was recently featured on Food Network’s “You Gotta Eat Here!” and he’s one of many passionate business owners in the community. Big Feast is known for their bison burger, chicken chow mein, banana split, their sandwiches, and gluten free options. During our visit they were also canning their cherry chutney to be used on next year’s pork loin. It was encouraging to hear Mike talk about picking up some of his ingredients at places we’d visited earlier that day, like Golden Ears Cheeseworks and Hopcott.
While we sipped lemonade and sampled fresh-baked cookies, Ineke Boekhurst from Downtown Maple Ridge BIA told us about some of the local shops and events that we could look forward to during a visit including the Lunchtime Concert Series, Music on the Wharf, the True North Bluegrass Festival, and more.
The tour I was on was not a Circle Farm Tour but many of the stops are included if you would like to use the Maple Ridge Circle Farm Tour as a guide for your next visit.
