Canada Place is hosting one of the nation’s biggest birthday bashes this Sunday, spanning from the iconic sails of Convention Centre East to the grassy fields of Harbour Green Park.
There will be dozens of free activities and entertainment to enjoy but here are some of new additions and special features this year:
Penny Party
Bring your pennies to the Canada Place Penny Party and retire them for a great cause. Pennies will be out of circulation this fall so bring them in to donate to either the Strathcona Community Centre, Canuck Place or Free The Children. Look for the Penny Party tent on site July 1st and drop off your coins. There will be prizes for the individual or group that brings in the most pennies that day.
Northwest Territories Zone
Inside Canada Place (where it will be nice and dry if the rain continues) you’ll find a new exhibition celebrating the Northwest Territories. This immersive and interactive experience will have visual projections, sights, sounds, interpretive panels, and a 45-foot geodesic dome.
You will also find Adam Beach (from CBC’s Arctic Air) and Mike McBryan (from Ice Pilots NWT) signing autographs in the Northwest Territories Zone.
Canuck Road
All along Canada Place Way you’ll find the best Canadiana around. From the West Coast Lumberjack Show to the giant inflatable beavers from the Vancouver 2010 Olympic closing ceremonies. Food vendors will have maple-themed treats ready to go and you can join in on one of the road hockey matches.
Stop by the free War of 1812 exhibition that also opened this week and check out the rest of the day’s performance and activity schedule.
The Waterfront Party will run from 10:00am to 6:00pm with activities and entertainment, and will followed up by a Canada Day Parade at 7:00pm and fireworks starting at 10:30pm.
Download the free Canada Place app for your iPhone or Android to have all the information you need for Canada Day in the palm of your hand. You can also follow Canada Place on Twitter and Facebook for more information.
Part craft beer tasting, part fundraiser, Surrey Beer Club comes to life this August.
What A free beer tasting and fundraising event for the Surrey Memorial Hospital Foundation. Tariq Kahn, the Brewmaster at Big Ridge Brewing and Tony Dewald, the Brewmaster at Dead Frog, will have casks at the ready.
Where Big Ridge Brewing at 5580 152nd Street, Surrey
When Thursday, August 16, 2012 starting at 6:00pm.
RSVP You can sign up for free and RSVP here. Raffle tickets will be on sale at the event to support the cause.
The brainchild of Surrey Beer Club, where people can get together for a BC brew, is Scott Graham of Whats For Lunch BC and Surrey is the Bomb. “We chose the SMH Foundation because my daughter spent a lot of time in the NICU there,” Graham told me. “We wanted to do something to thank them for saving her life.”
It’s a fantastic opportunity for those from Surrey, Langley, and the valley to experience a craft beer event since we get spoiled with so many in Vancouver. It’s also the perfect time for those in Vancouver to cross the Fraser and discover what Surrey has to offer.
A shuttle bus will be running to and from King George SkyTrain station. It’s the regular Big Ridge shuttle that runs Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights from 8:00pm to close but it will have a special pick-up route for this event.
Important! There will be one main pickup at King George Station at 6:00pm and they will do more pick-ups if needed but you do need to call (778) 938-7433 to book your spot on the shuttle.
Participants can sample the cask and will be able to purchase additional beverages or food items from Big Ridge‘s menu throughout the evening.
Please consider joining us for this unique event — for a cause — that is hopefully just the first of many more to come.
On a warm summer night out downtown, amidst blaming sirens, buskers’ beats, and the chatter of crowds on Robson, you will hear music in the distance. It will emanate from the domes that cover Robson Square and curious, you will follow your ears to the source. Aromas of hot dog carts and tantalizing food trucks will distract your nose but you’ll continue on. You’ll stop at the top of the Vancouver Art Gallery steps only to remember that it’s that time of year again — free ballroom dancing on the rink at Robson Square!
Since 1991, residents and visitors have been invited to dance on Friday night at Robson Square. From June 29th to August 31st, 2012 you can join in the fun one more, starting a free lesson at 8:00pm. Dances will then run from 9:00pm until 10:00pm and all skills levels and ages are welcome to tango, waltz, cha cha, and more.
You can follow Robson Square Dance on Facebook and Twitter for more information throughout the summer, and track the tag #R2Dance on Twitter. Bag check, washrooms, and parking are all available.
VISA and Tim Hortons have recently announced that you can now pay for your coffee, baked goods, Iced Capps and more using your VISA or pre-paid VISA card in Canada. To celebrate this union, they’re running a contest for the ultimate cottage getaway. You’re automatically entered anytime you use your VISA at Tim Hortons between now and August 15, 2012.
There are 26 locations in Vancouver including 1753 Davie Street (on your way to English Bay), and 3250 Arbutus (on your way to Spanish Banks, Jericho or Locarno beaches).
Supplied by VISA & Tim Hortons
They have also reached out and offered up a prize package exclusively to one lucky Miss604 reader, which will come in handy for picnic days, outings to Cultus Lake, road trips, camping getaways, and any other adventures you might get up to this summer.
The prize pack (valued at $200) includes:
A $35 VISA pre-paid card; a large canister of Tim Hortons coffee; 2 Tim Hortons mugs; towel, lanterns, citronella candles and flower pots; a small shovel and pail, Frisbee, beach ball, and velcro glove catcher with ball; sun screen and bug spray; and portable speakers.
Here’s how you can enter to win:
- Leave a comment naming your favourite day trip or local camping destination (1 entry)
- Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
I will draw one winner at random from all entries next Thursday, July 5, 2012 at 12:00pm. Prize cannot be redeemed for cash value.
Update July 5, 2012: On a side note, Tim Hortons and Bell Mobility announced today that they’re bringing free WIFI to 90% of Tim Hortons locations across Canada by September.
Update The winner is Rajvir Boparai!
The 2nd Annual Indian Summer Festival starts next week and will showcase top talent from South Asia (music, dance, literature, film, arts, cuisine, wellness) in conversation with Canadian counterparts.
Running from July 5th to July 15th, 2012 at the festival begins with the opening gala: A Culinary Tour of India with Vikram Vij & Friends at W2 Media Cafe. Other events include Life in the Limelight: Sharmila Tagore & Five Decades of Indian Cinema at SFU Theatre Surrey, The Other Side of Silence, With Urvashi Butalia at SFU on West Hastings, the Lit and Sound Cabaret, and more.
Throughout Indian Summer there will be free Bollywood groove sessions and Bhangra moves for all ages in the Woodward’s Complex Atrium.
There is also an art installation at the Audain Gallery from Raqs Media Collective called The Primary Education of the Autodidact with a window installation that will be viewable from the street at 111 W Hastings Street (between Cambie & Abbott) through September 4, 2012.
Tickets for these events and more are currently available, ranging from $10 to $60, and the free events in the Woodward’s atrium do not require tickets — just drop in. Follow Indian Summer on Twitter and Facebook for more information and event updates.
