The Khatsahlano! Festival hits West 4th this Saturday between Burrard and MacDonald streets. The street-wide festival will have concert performances from Yukon Blonde, The Evaporators, Aidan Knight and many more on five stages (two big ones at Vine and Cypress and three smaller stages at Maple, Arbutus and Yew).
Grant McDonagh of Zulu Records spoke with The Vancouver Sun about the event. “McDonagh said the idea of making the music component an integral part of Khatsahlano! came about following the demise of Hippie Days in 2009, when Zulu hosted small performances in a tent in front of its shop.”
All festivities and activities are free of charge and suitable for the whole family. Stop by the Khatsahlano! Festival between 11:00am and 6:00pm Saturday, July 23, 2011. Find out more on the Facebook Event page or on the “Everything you need to know about Khatsahlano!” post by Kitsilano.ca.
Throughout the Summer, Vancouver International Airport (“YVR”) will again be hosting Take Off Fridays, which began last summer to engage travelers and locals alike. This free event takes place every Friday from July 9th until August 27th between 8:00am- 4:00pm and features giveaways, food specials, face painting, music and more.
Having enjoyed this event a few times with the kids last year, we decided to hop on the Canada Line and check it out again over at the domestic terminal. We were pleasantly surprised to learn that due to its popularity, Take Off Friday events and activities have expanded into the international terminal as well.
We were greeted by music from a live DJ and some lovely young people passing out ice cold cans mini-cans of Sprite. Before we knew it the boys were getting their faces painted along with lots of other kids and adults.
This year, when you spend $10 or more at YVR you can be entered for a chance at 15 seconds in the YVR Money Machine, located in the international terminal. I was given the chance to try it out and it was a lot of fun — but harder than it looks! You can win “YVR Bucks” that can then be spent within the airport.
For those lucky enough to be actually catching a flight somewhere you will be treated to more delights after security, including free Tai Chi lessons which is something not offered by any other airport in the world.
We are fortunate here in BC to be home to one of the world’s best airports. It’s worth taking a few hours to go explore, shop, dine or just hang out and enjoy the observation deck, whether you are flying away or staying home this summer.
This post was written exclusively for Miss604.com by Jennifer Miles who contributes seasonal & family-friendly pieces such as where to get the best Christmas trees, tips for the pumpkin patch, and back to school essentials.
Today is the first day of the Neanderthal Arts Festival at the Vancouver Eastside Cultural Centre (July 21 to 30), a developmental festival featuring new and experimental work by local theatre companies, and one from Montreal.
This year’s line-up includes a play about a pregnant man (My Pregnant Brother/Freestanding Productions), a musical about a bigamist (Homecoming King/Thirty Below Theatre), a Dadaist take on contemporary life (The Gas Heart/Gas Heart Theatre), a Beckett-like parable about a man building a chair (Chairs: A Parable/ITSAZOO Productions), and a verbatim-based theatre story about family communication (Other Side Through You/exit.left productions).
The line-up also includes Walking Fish: Science & Transformation, three new theatre shorts commissioned by the Neanderthal Arts Festival.
Though I’m going to try to catch as many plays as I can in next 10 days, I’m for sure going to see what ITSAZOO Productions has in store, as I’ve been a fan of their work for years. The company started in 2004 in Victoria and primarily does site-specific productions and “black box” shows (which is a theatre term that means they can bring their shows anywhere, like in a black box).
Written by one of the company’s co-artistic producers, Sebastien Archibald, Chairs: A Parable is a comedy that tells the story of three men as they attempt to build a civilized existence for themselves in a barren wasteland. But when one of the men builds a giant chair, everything in their new world changes.
“It’s an exploration of hierarchy in our society and looks at what it occurs and how it’s constructed,” says Chelsea Haberlin, co-artistic producer of ITSAZOO and director of Chairs: A Parable.
Though the play is absurdist and draws inspiration from existential playwright and Director Samuel Beckett, it’s been made accessible for this generation. In addition, there will also a backdrop featuring flash animation as well as found-sound musicscape playing throughout the show.
“It’s a simple story about a chair but it definitely explores big ideas.”
Presented as part of the Neanderthal Arts Festival, Chairs runs until July 30. For ticket information please contact The Vancouver East Cultural Center (“The Cultch”) box office. For more information, you can follow the festival on Twitter and Facebook.
This feature was written exclusively for Miss604 by actor, writer, and producer, Michelle Kim. Read all posts contributed by Michelle for Miss604.com and follow her on Twitter @miju.
The Harmony Arts Festival is West Vancouver’s annual 10-day summer celebration of all things food, performing arts, and visual arts happening July 29th to August 7th, 2011.
Concerts
Jeremy Fisher, The Dustin Bentall Outfit, Jim Byrnes, and more will have late evening performances on the Garden Stage at dusk (8:45 pm). We Are the City, Headwater, and more will take to the Sunset Stage at 7:30 pm.
Visual Arts
Visit the Art Market July 29th to August 1st, drop in on the ArtSpeak tent for daily programs, or do the Re/Max Studio Tour as artist studios and galleries host open houses throughout the festival.
Cinema in the Park
The free outdoor movie series comes to John Lawson Park presenting Pollock July 29th and Slumdog Millionaire on August 5th.
For Kids
KinderTunes and Creative Kids Day will host family-friendly concerts and activities including appearances by Bobs & Lolo, and Music with Marnie.
The Harmony Arts Festival will be located on the waterfront between 14th Street and 16th Street (and you’ll find a Wine Garden at the foot of 15th Street in Millenium Park). While the concert series and outdoor movies are free to attend, there are a few select ticketed events such as Best of the West.
Happening Thursday, August 4th from 7:30pm to 10:30pm at The Pier (foot of 14th Street) Best of the West is a food tasting and wine pairing event with 10 restaurants and 10 wineries.
Beachside Forno, Carmelo’s Ristorante, Fraîche Restaurant, La Régalade French Bistro, Louis Gervais Fine Foods & Catering, Mangia E Bevi, Restaurant Chez Michel, The Beach House Restaurant, The Observatory Restaurant, and Zen Japanese Restaurant will be represented. Participating wineries include Black Hills Estate Winery, Blue Mountain Vineyard & Cellars, CedarCreek Estate Winery, haywire, JoieFarm, Laughing Stock Vineyard, Mission Hill Family Estate, Poplar Grove Winery, Quail’s Gate, and Tantalus Vineyards.
Tickets for Best of the West are $75 and I also have a pair to give away. If you would like to attend the Best of the West, here’s how you can win your way in.
Leave a comment on this post naming your favourite West Vancouver attraction or restaurant (1 entry)
Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
I will draw one winner next Wednesday, July 27, 2011 at 10:00am. Must be 19 years of age or older to enter and win. Please enjoy responsibly and plan a safe ride home.
Pick up the free Harmony Arts Festival iPhone app and follow them on Twitter or Facebook for more information.
Update The winner is Marlis!
Vancouver Pride Week kicks off Saturday July 23 and will finish off with the Pride Parade (one of North America’s largest). Drawing over half a million people to events, festivities, and the parade downtown each year, it’s one of the region’s most-anticipated celebrations.
Vancouver Pride Week
There’s much more to Pride Week than the Pride Parade and this year the calendar is packed. Here’s a quick rundown of some of the main events:
Saturday July 23 at 11:00 am
Picnic in the Park (at Stanley Park Brockton Oval). This event is youth-friendly, family-friendly.
Tuesday July 26 & Wednesday July 27 at 7:00 pm
Queer Arts Festival (at Roundhouse Community Centre & Theatre)
Thursday July 28 at 7:00 pm
Pride Movie Night (at Granville 7 Theatre)
Friday July 29 at 7:00 pm
Caya Davie Street Dance Party (in the Davie Village)
Saturday July 30 at 9:00 am
Terry Wallace Memorial Breakfast (at Bute & Davie). This event is youth-friendly, family-friendly.
Sunday July 31 at 11:00am
Sunset Beach Pride Festival. This event is youth-friendly, family-friendly.
Sunday July 31 at 12:00pm
Pride Parade This event is youth-friendly, family-friendly.
Vancouver Pride Parade 2011
Hundreds of thousands of people will line the streets of Vancouver’s West End for the colourful, celebratory, and lively Pride Parade. Starting off at Robson at Bute, the parade will head down to Denman and go all the way through English Bay to Sunset Beach. Stake out your spot on the curb early and be prepared to get up and dance, sing along, and get tons of swag thrown out by participants on floats.
Pride Week and the Pride Parade are presented by the Vancouver Pride Society, which offers programs and community support throughout the year. In 2010, their Legacy Fund benefitted AIDS Vancouver, Four Feathers Society, 411 Seniors Centre Society, Qmunity, and more.
Update During the Pride Festival and Parade post your photos to Twitter and tag them with @g_fad & @miss604 for your chance to win a g-fad pride wear kit. The winner will be drawn on Sunday at 2:00pm and will be able to visit the g-fad tent at the Pride Festival at Sunset Beach to pick up their kit.
North America Outgames
Vancouver is the second city to ever host the North America Out Games and they’ll be a large part of Pride Week this year running July 25th to July 31st. Instead of a torch relay, there are flag runners and a flag ceremony that will be held at the Vancouver Art Gallery July 25th. Flags will be run in several legs: From UBC, to Jericho Park, via paddle boat to Denman and Davie. Then from the base of Whistler Mountain to Grouse Mountain, to the Opening Ceremony at the art gallery (5:00pm to 7:30pm).
Sports competitions throughout the week at the Outgames are badminton, dance sport, eco challenge, golf, poker, soccer, softball, tennis, track & field, volleyball, a 10km run/4km walk, and the 6k vertical challenge.
The Opening Reception will then be at Club Five-Sixty and the Closing Ceremony (with Ace of Base, Dragonette, and more) will be at the Plaza of Nations July 30th.
I’d like to thank Aeden Saint, Clement C.Blaze, and Samantha Mack for having me on QueerFM this morning at the CiTR studios at UBC. They will have special coverage and 50 hours of live on-site broadcasts at various locations surrounding the OutGames.
