The Surrey Tree Lighting Festival is set for Saturday, November 24, 2012 and it will be filled with activities and entertainment to ring in the holiday season.

This free family festival will run from 12:00pm to 8:00pm at the Central City Plaza where the tree be lit at 6:15pm. Come throughout the day to catch some of the fantastic local and internationally-acclaimed talent on six stages.

Main Stage in the Christmas Plaza

Dragonette at Surrey Canada Day 2010

12:15pm Circus West
1:00pm Santa’s Arrival
1:15pm Carnival Band
2:00pm Ronnie “Elvis” Scott
3:00pm Revolver “The World’s Best Beatles Show”
4:10pm Surrey Celebration Dance Team
4:30pm Langley Ukulele Ensemble
5:30pm Dear Rouge
6:15pm Tree Lighting Ceremony
7:00pm Dragonette

The Tree Stage in the Christmas Plaza will have choir performances and the BC Hydro Kids Stage will be in Santa’s Workshop with Circus West, choir performances, and story-time.

Inside at the SFU Theatre there will be holiday movie screenings and near Winners ‘Winterland at Central City’ will be setup with choir performances as well — with a quick visit from Elvis.

Photos with Santa will be at the North Pole (near Tim Hortons in the shopping centre) starting at 2:00pm.

Follow @Surrey_Events and the tag #SurreyTree on Twitter for more information and check out the full schedule for the Surrey Tree Lighting Festival online.

The City of Surrey always does an amazing job at not only including everyone in their festivals, entertainment, and activities but also making sure that events are free and accessible for all (thanks to Coast Capital Savings and other generous sponsors).

Miss604.com is proud to once again be a media partner of the Surrey Tree Lighting Festival.

Christmas at Canada Place is right around the corner as the city’s iconic attraction hosts a series of family-friendly events, getting everyone into the holiday spirit. Their most popular event, which sells out almost every year, is Breakfast with Santa presented by Real Canadian Superstore.

Breakfast with Santa 2011 – Photo credit: John Bollwitt on Flickr

What 6th Annual Breakfast with Santa at Canada Place presented by Real Canadian Superstore
When Saturday December 15th & Sunday December 16th, 2012 from 9:00am to 11:30am
Where Canada Place, Vancouver Convention Centre East Facility, Exhibit Hall A
Tickets are on sale now for $33 (adults/seniors); $21 (kids 3-12); free for children 2 and under.

Not only is it a lovely catered breakfast in a Canada Place ballroom, there’s live entertainment, a chance to meet Santa, and the best part is that it all supports a great cause. Proceeds from Christmas at Canada Place benefit the Strathcona Community Centre’s Food Security for Children.

Breakfast with Santa 2011 – Photo credit: John Bollwitt on Flickr

Follow Canada Place on Twitter and Facebook to learn more about their activities, events, and community initiatives throughout the year.

Vancouver has always been a hot tourism destination. From being marketed as the “City of Destiny” to visitors sending postcards around the globe to say: “wish you were here”. I searched the Vancouver Archives and Vancouver Public Library Archives this week to find some old postcards that tourists and locals alike could purchase and send home throughout the years.

Vintage Vancouver Postcards

1907 – Touring care near Brockton Point. VPL Number: 138. Photographer: Philip Timms.

1927 – Kitsilano Beach. VPL Number: 86724. Photographer: Leonard Frank.

Unknown – Entrance to Stanley Park. VPL Number: 86821.

1950’s – White Rock. VPL Number: 71570. Photographer: JC Walker.

1917 – VPL Number: 71516 & 71517 & 71518.

Unknown – Joe Fortes at English Bay Beach. Vancouver’s Citizen of the Century. VPL Number: 50133.

1919. Photo postcard by Leonard Frank. Archives# CVA 1477-1429.

1910s: Broadbridge Bullen photo postcard. Archives# CVA 677-393.

1920’s – Crescent Beach. Archives Item# CVA 99-3102. Photographer: Stuart Thomson.

A few months ago I was invited to speak at the Mount Pleasant Business Area’s AGM and it’s there that I became more familiar with the variety of restaurants, shops, and services that this neighbourhood has to offer. Mount Pleasant BIA’s catchment area spans from 16th Ave to 6th Ave, and Prince Edward to Quebec with Main Street running right down the middle. This week I was invited back to the neighbourhood to judge a Halloween decorating contest in which 30 businesses took part. Along with Jessica Shmigelsky, Kara Mintzberg (MPBIA), and Greg Edgelow (MPBIA) I took a walking tour that left me hungry for more of what Mount Pleasant has to offer — even with all of the ghoulish decorations.

Halloween inside and out at Joe’s Grill.

Very creative displays at Aucmamas.

Brewery Creek got in the spirit turning a security cam into a spider.

JJ Bean used old milk cartons as Jack O’Lanterns.

Banana Tans went all out with animated ghosts, a smoke machine, and plenty of cobwebbed decorations.

Broadway’s On the Rivot had a gruesome decapitated (yet helmeted) display in the window.

Indochine had some nice displays in the window and inside the restaurant.

Cobs Bread had lanterns and a more “upbeat” Halloween feel.

Brownie’s Florist smelled devine but had deadly decor.

Lucy’s Eastside Diner had a Halloween menu and the Mount Pleasant Community Centre youth group had a fantastic interactive haunted house.

Wallflower was closed for a private event but they let us in to check out their lantern and pumpkin displays.

Our unanimous decisions awarded Banana Tans the “Best Overall” trophy and the Mount Pleasant Community Centre‘s youth group won “Most Creative” with their haunted house. Each was presented with a certificate and $500 from the MPBIA for their efforts.

Visit the Mount Pleasant Business Improvement Area on Facebook and Twitter to learn more about the area and take your own walking tour up and down Main to check out some of these great shops and eateries for yourself.

The 4th annual Safe Harbour Champions Breakfast is taking place on Tuesday, November 6, 2012. Presented by the Affiliation of Multicultural Societies and Services Agencies of BC (“AMSSA”) the breakfast will recognize businesses, offices, and institutions that celebrate contributions to diversity and inclusion. A “Community Organizer Champions Award” will also be handed out for the first time.

Running from 7:30am until 9:30am the event will take place at the Holiday Inn Vancouver on West Broadway. TV personality, jazz vocalist, and actress Dawn Chubai will be the keynote speaker. Tickets for the breakfast are $25 per person or $200 for a table of 8 and that of course includes a buffet breakfast.

Safe Harbour-certified locations display a window decal, a certificate, and other signage to proudly announce that management and staff welcome and support newcomers, visible minorities, people with disabilities, youth, seniors, the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and two-spirited community, and other diverse groups.

You can learn more about AMSSA by attending the breakfast and by following them on Facebook.

A province-wide association, AMSSA fosters a culture of support by providing networking opportunities where members exchange knowledge, build connections and strengthen each other. AMSSA believes in the power of collective thought and actively seek the contributions of our members. AMSSA’s collective BC-wide perspective on the challenges and opportunities facing our sector allows them to play an important role in addressing emerging issues and impacting policy.