Surrey’s Party for the Planet is BC’s largest Earth Day celebration, happening April 27th to 28th, 2012 at the Central City Plaza. Combining earth-friendly activities, exhibits, and entertainment, the two-day festival is free for the whole family.
Entertainment
The Friday night lineup will aim to inspire youth with interactive and eco-conscious exhibits topped with musical performances from Down with Webster, Raghav, The Boom Booms, Good for Grapes, Shawn Hook and DJ Jay Swing.
On Saturday there will be a family focus with performances by Bobs & Lolo, SuperChefs, the Celebration Dance Team, Mike Battie, and more along with a meet n’ greet with the Backyardigans.
The main stage will once again be “off the gride” with bike and solar power.
Exhibitors
Green organizations returning this year include Nature Matters’ Salmon Life Cycle Obstacle Course, Surrey Nature Centre’s Forest Display, Orphaned Wildlife Rescue’s Birds of Prey Demonstration, Scavenger Hunt Straw Maze, BC Chicken Growers Poultry in Motion Educational Mini Barn, and the Safeway Country Farm.
Stop by this FREE event on Friday, April 27th from 4:00pm to 10:00pm and Saturday, April 28th from 10:00am to 5:00pm. There are many transit options to get there and the plaza is just steps away from Surrey Central SkyTrain station. Surrey’s Party for the Planet is a carbon neutral event.
Miss604.com is a proud Media Partner of Surrey’s Party for the Planet.
Stunning views, towering trees, and lush grassy hills make local parks the perfect place for a stroll, a bike ride, and even a picnic or a fine meal. There are over a dozen restaurants in Vancouver Parks and the latest addition is the new Cactus Club on English Bay.
Photos courtesy of Cactus Club Cafe
ENGLISH BAY: Cactus Club Cafe
A great place to stop along the sea wall, to and from Stanley Park, or to spend a whole in the sand by the water. This is Vancouver’s newest sea-side restaurant, located next to the bath house right along Beach Avenue. Stop by to try your favourite Cactus Club menu items and enjoy the sunset.
HARBOUR GREEN PARK: Mill Marine Bistro
This is one of our favourite watering holes paired with a view of Coal Harbour, float planes, Harbour Green Park, Stanley Park, and the North Shore mountains. Try one of their various Caesars on a Sunday morning after a sea wall stroll.
KITSILANO BEACH PARK: Boathouse Restaurant
A local seafood institution, The Boathouse is your best bet for brunch, bennies, and a lobster bisque. Enjoy great views of the city and explore Kitsilano’s waterfront or West 4th shopping district just up the hill.
QUEEN ELIZABETH PARK: Seasons in the Park
Atop Vancouver’s Little Mountain, Seasons caps off the lush and beautiful gardens in Queen Elizabeth Park. Another great sunset spot or brunch destination with panoramic views of the city.
STANLEY PARK: Fish House, Prospect Point Cafe, The Teahouse, Stanley’s Park Bar and Grill
Hike up to the Prospect Point Cafe and enjoy a pint while traffic rushes by on the Lions Gate and tour buses line the lot at this famous lookout. Walk over to the Fish House Restaurant from the West End or enjoy a romantic evening at The Teahouse.
VANDUSEN BOTANICAL GARDEN: Shaughnessy Restaurant
Cap off a tour of the 55-acre gardens and seasonal displays with lunch or dinner selections from the West Coast-inspired menu.
GOLF CLUBHOUSES: Fraserview Golf Course, Langara Golf Course, McCleery Golf Course
Vancouver’s golf courses are a great place to get outdoors, practice your swing, entertain clients, and enjoy time with friends. The clubhouses offer a selection of dining options as well as event hosting and catering for larger groups.
To promote dining in Vancouver parks, Cactus Club Cafe has generously offered up a $50 gift card for one of my readers so that they can enjoy the new English Bay location.
CONTEST CLOSED
- Leave a comment naming your favourite Vancouver park (1 entry)
- Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 11:00am next Thursday, March 15, 2012.
Update The winner is Christina! (Comment March 7, 2:27pm)
Ronnie Miranda from Active Computer Services has been at it again: He’s captured a 180-degree view of downtown Vancouver form the Fairview neighbourhood. The image is 1,026 megapixels and is made up of 100 photos taken February 27, 2012.
Check out city panoramas from the same vantage point during the day, at dusk, and at night. Be sure to zoom in as far as you can to see if you can spot night skiers on Grouse or Cypress and dog-walkers on the False Creek sea wall.
Ronnie told me that these three images could possibly be the largest photos/panoramas (in megapixels) that have ever been created of this particular view.
Related posts: Gigapixel Time-Lapse of Vancouver, Gigapixel Photography Exhibit, GigaPan Epic Giveaway (now closed), Vancouver Video Collection, Canucks Fan Time-Lapse, Vancouver Time-Lapse Videos.
Fan Expo is coming to Vancouver April 21st to 22nd, 2012 as the Comicon-style event hosts workshops, panels, gaming, Sci-Fi film and television celebrities, and more.
Where Vancouver Convention Centre
Date April 21 to April 22, 2012
Times Saturday 10:00am to 7:00pm
Sunday 10:00am to 5:00pm
Tickets Available online. Single day tickets $20, weekend pass $30, kids 12 and under are free.
Previously known at the Canadian National Comic Book Expo, Fan Expo (now in its 18th year in Toronto) is the 3rd largest event of its kind in North America and it will be taking Vancouver by storm.
Confirmed guests so far include: Adam West (Batman), Burt Ward (Robin), Nicholas Brendon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Kristen Bauer (True Blood), Colleen Clinkenbeard (Fullmetal Alchemist), Veronica Taylor (Pokemon), Richard Cox (Inu Yasha), Trevor Devall (Mobile Suit Gundam), Mike McFarland (Dragonball Z), Brian Froud (Bakugan & Jimmy Two Shoes), Mike Choi (DC/Marvel Artist), Pia Guerra (Y the Last Man), Ian Boothby (Simpsons), Kevin Sorbo (Hercules, Andromeda), and Marina Sirtis (Star Trek: The Next Generation).
Key attractions will be celebrity autographs & photo opportunities, sketching duels, costumes, workshops and seminars, retailer/exhibitor area, voice acting 101, the ultimate Fan Expo party, horror author panels, and more.
The 3rd annual Canadian Videogame Awards will also be hosted by Fan Expo on Saturday night, April 21st.
I had the chance to chat with Lou Ferrigno, The Hulk himself, who is currently on Celebrity Apprentice about coming to Vancouver for Fan Expo.
“I come to Vancouver maybe once every 10 years,” Lou told me over the phone. He previously filmed three Hulk movies around town including The Trial Of The Incredible Hulk, and Death of the Incredible Hulk in the 1980s.
“I’ve never done a comic convention in Vancouver and I’m looking forward to it because I’m sure there’s a lot of fans out there who want to get in contact and see me and the other celebrities at the show.” Having never hosted an event like this (of this scale) before, there will definitely be crowds of fans at the ready here in town. Lou sounded very prepared for the opportunity. “I come down there with my Hulk posters, pictures, memorabilia, and everything.”
At 61 years young, and after starring in over 40 films, Lou Ferrigno still holds the Guinness Book of World Records title for being the only person to ever win two consecutive Mr. Universe titles. He’s always stayed true to his bodybuilding roots so I had to ask him what his fitness schedule is like these days. He said that he trains five to six days a week for about an hour or an hour and fifteen minutes at a time doing cardio, free weights, and machine weights. “I still train with the same passion — like I have done for the last 50 years.”
For someone who has been such an icon in American action-hero film, Lou is also a big fan of the genre. He said that he’s read comic books his entire life (naming The Hulk, Fantastic Four) and loves being involved with science fiction. You’ll soon be able to hear him in the all-star blockbuster The Avengers as he lends his voice to The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo plays Bruce Banner). “I know how The Hulk thinks and feels,” Lou added. “That’s why they wanted me to do the voice and that’s something I’m pretty happy with.”
To kick off the excitement for Fan Expo Vancouver, I have the opportunity to give away a pair of weekend passes along with a meet and greet with Lou Ferrigno. Here’s how you can enter to win:
- Leave a comment naming your favourite graphic novel character or hero (1 entry)
- Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
I will draw 1 winner at random from all entries next Wednesday, March 14, 2012 at 12:00pm.
Update The winner is Gordon Johnson!
My Vancouver Icons series began as a way to showcase photos of buildings, statues, and everyday Vancouver scenes that have a history that most don’t know. However, there are some subjects are captured more than others when I browse the images that have been added to the Miss604 Flickr Pool. One that keeps popping up at least once a week is Douglas Coupland’s Digital Orca, which was installed at Jack Poole Plaza in 2010.
From BC Living: “Douglas Coupland’s first piece of public art in Vancouver, Harbour Spirit Digital Orca, is both beautiful and bizarre, appearing as digital art in the three-dimensional world. Made using a steel armature with aluminum cladding, black and white cubes comprise the orca’s body, “making a familiar symbol of the West Coast become something unexpected and new,” Coupland writes on a plaque near the sculpture. It also touches upon the importance of technology and nature in the province.”
From Vancouver Observer: “One of Vancouver’s most beloved and well known public art pieces is the Digital Orca at the new convention centre. The familiar symbol of the West Coast is represented by 3D cubes, giving the appearance of a 2D object. It’s kind of like looking at a photograph with really bad resolution.”
From Jaunted.com: “Most people call the Digital Orca either “Lego Orca” or “Pixel Whale,” a sure sign that, once again, a Douglas Coupland creation is drawing attention and sparking a reaction. There’s a clear “do not climb” plaque at the foot of the inviting square “steps” that form the whale’s tail, yet invariably people climb it to pose for pictures. It’s just too much like a fun, gigantic toy!”
If you’re not a fan of the whale itself, you can’t help but love the view. I noticed that the majority of Digital Orca photos that I came across are all shot facing north, capturing the mountains in the background. The piece is only two years old but it’s quickly turned into a true Vancouver Icon.
Previous Vancouver Icons posts include: 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 to the public every day.
