There’s always a pop-up store opening up in Vancouver for a season but there’s never been one with as much rock and roll clout as this. Legendary rockers KISS are celebrating the release of their studio album Monster with a month-long Canadian tour and the opening of three KISS Army Depot pop-up shops across the country.
Vancouver, Edmonton, and Toronto (Calgary’s was unfortunately cancelled) all have KISS Army Depot stores this month, featuring KISS merchandise, music, and exclusive products. A portion of the proceeds from each of the Pop-Up stores will be donated to local charities. In Vancouver, the participating local charity is Sophie’s Place, at the Centre for Child Development in Surrey.
Sophie’s Place is a child advocacy centre focussed on providing specialized services to physically, mentally or sexually abused children up to age 18 in a child-friendly setting. It provides an opportunity to participate in the safeguarding of our children and in playing a key role in their healing process. Sophie’s Place is named for the centre’s patron Sophie Tweed-Simmons.
Autograph Signing
The downtown Vancouver shop opened last week at 929 Granville/Tom Lee Music and it will only be around for another few days. The official grand opening is tomorrow — Thursday, July 4, 2013 — and the first 200 fans to arrive (check-in is at 10:00am) will have the opportunity to get their Kiss Army Depot merchandise (or small item, no instruments) signed by the band following a press conference. All four members of KISS will be on site, in full makeup, for the event.
Tour
The Vancouver KISS Army Depot will be open until July 7th, Edmonton’s will open July 13th until the 21st at West Edmonton Mall, and Toronto’s will be open July 19th to July 28th at 842 Yonge Street. KISS will kick off their Monster Canadian Tour on July 5th in Victoria, followed by a July 6th performance in Vancouver before heading out to the Okanagan and over the Rockies.
The Best Airport in North America is once again hosting free weekly entertainment and activities as Take Off Fridays return to YVR.
Take Off Fridays at Vancouver International Airport (“YVR”) run every Friday from July 5th to August 30th, 2013 from 9:00am to 3:00pm both before and after the security areas. Travellers and locals alike can spend some time in this award-winning airport listening to live DJs and musicians, and checking out free entertainment from caricaturists, balloonists, artists, and more. Meet mascots, dance to music, and fold your best paper airplane.
The free Public Observation Area has interactive displays year-round with history and behind-the-scenes looks at Canada’s second busiest airport. Look out at the airfield through telescopes and learn more about Sea Island.
While you’re at Take Off Fridays, you can enter to win the weekly prize draw for the ultimate “YVR Staycation Package”. This includes a behind the scenes tour of the airport (for a family of 4), one night accommodation at the Fairmont Vancouver Airport, and $250 YVR Bucks to spend at the airport’s wide range of shops and services.
If you have about an hour to spare, you can joing YVR’s Explorer Tour for a free one hour before-security walking tour. These depart at 10:00am from the The Spirit of the Haida Gwaii: The Jade Canoe sculpture on Level 3 of the International Terminal (across from the food court).
Other deals on Take Off Fridays include $10 lunch specials from a variety of the airport’s 20 restaurants and $5 parking (in the parkade) for up to 4 hours (between 9:00am and 3:00pm on Take Off Fridays). Parking vouchers available at the Customer Information counters. Regular parking rates apply after four hours. You can also take the Canada Line in, making for a fun-filled day of transportation-themed education and entertainment with the family.
Surrey’s Canada Day celebrations at the Cloverdale Millenium Amphitheatre on July 1, 2013 were hot, hot, HOT! With temperatures cracking 30 degrees, the ice cream, smoothie, sno-cone, and water misting stations were definitely the busiest. The midway was rolling, faces were painted with patriotic colours, and the bands on stage were real troopers as they faced the sun and entertained thousands. Here are some of our Surrey Canada Day photos this year:
Opening Ceremony
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This week Latincouver presents the Latin American Carnaval Week featuring Carnaval del Sol, Vancouver’s Latin American celebration of arts and culture. It kicked off last night with a themed float in the Canada Day parade and we’re in store for much more in the coming days. Hundreds of volunteers will welcome an expected 100,000 people to this energetic festival downtown filled with dance, music, soccer, and more spanning several blocks.
Miss604 is a proud Official Media Partner of Carnaval del Sol and as such, I will be featuring various components of the festival over the next few days. For now, here’s an overall glance at what we can expect from this exciting celebration:
Inspirational Latin Awards
Connecting the Latin community in Vancouver, the Inspirational Latin Awards gala on Thursday, July 4, 2013 will recognize distinguished members of the Latin American community for their outstanding achievements and contributions in shaping BC’s economy and cultural developments. The event will run from 7:00pm to midnight at the Roundhouse Community Centre and include the awards ceremony, a cocktail reception, and a silent auction. Purchase your tickets for the Inspirational Latin Awards today.
5th Annual Carnaval del Sol
Over 80 musicians and performers will take to the streets for Carnaval del Sol on Saturday, July 6th from 11:00am to 8:00pm and Sunday, July 7th, 2013 from 11:00am to 6:00pm.
Festival stages and performance locations will be setup along Granville between Hastings and Smithe, over at the Tom Lee Musical Plaza. There will be food vendors, a craft market, children’s area, environmental education activities, dancing, music, and much more. Admission is entirely free.
Mini World Cup Street Soccer
There is still time to sign up and register your team for the Mini World Cup Street Soccer Tournament on Saturday and Sunday at Carnaval de Sol. The tournament is supported by Vancouver Whitecaps FC and will be attended by the Mayor of Vancouver who will award the championship trophy.
Whitecaps Noche Latina
Vancouver Whitecaps FC are supporters of Latincouver and they will have a presence at Carnaval del Sol. The team will also be hosting Noche Latina, a special theme for their match on July 14th.
Get Involved
There is still a call for volunteers for the Carnaval del Sol street festival as well as teams to play in the street soccer tournament. Connect with Carnaval del Sol (Facebook, Twitter) and Latincouver (Facebook, Twitter) on social media to follow news and updates. The official hashtag is #CarnavaldelSol and add Latincouver on Instagram for photos.
Carnaval Overtime Contest
The closing gala of Carnaval del Sol will take place on Sunday, July 7th at VENUE nightclub starting at 8:00pm. It will be open to the public (tickets are on sale now for $25) and the many volunteers who will make the event possible.
Update I have a pair of tickets to give away if you would like to attend the Carnaval Overtime closing party. 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 9:00am on Sunday, July 7, 2013. Must be 19+. Please enjoy responsibly.
Looking through the Vancouver Public Library and City of Vancouver Archives for Canada Day content I had to remember to modify my search terms to “Dominion Day”, as it was called until 1982. Vancouver has had some great-looking Dominion Day celebrations in the past with downtown parades being the main attraction:
Dominion Day decorations:
1917: VPL# 7822. Photographer: Philip Timms & 1927: Province Building with Dominion Day decorations. VPL# 22598A. Photographer: Dominion Photo Co.
The Georgia-Harris Viaduct in Vancouver opened on Dominion Day in 1915:
Archives# CVA 677-535. Photographer: W.J. Moore.
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