Book Your Tickets for This Indigenous Cultural Experience in Tofino

Add a Comment by Rebecca Bollwitt
Disclosure: Sponsored Post — Sponsored by ZenSeekers Please review the Policy & Disclosure section for further information.

naaʔuu is a Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation cultural experience that invites you to come together and feast in Tofino this spring. Tickets are available now for select dates in March.

Patrick Amos Carving. Photo by Photo by J Giesbrecht
Carving by Nuu-chah-nulth Artist Patrick Amos of the Mowachaht Band. Photo by J Giesbrecht

Indigenous Cultural Experience in Tofino

  • When: March 9 (sold out!) Available: March 15, 16, 18, 23, and 24
    • 6:00pm to 9:00pm each night
  • Where: Best Western Plus Tin Wis Resort in Tofino
  • Tickets: A limited number of tickets are on sale starting today.
    • Get $30 off your ticket (until Mar 1) when you use code: 30Miss604 at checkout

Visitors can experience Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation culture, art, and food through this new limited event series which will support Tla-o-qui-aht Tribal Parks‘ work in restoring and furthering the nation’s lands, language and culture.

Held at the Tla-o-qui-aht-owned Best Western Plus Tin Wis Resort in Tofino, you are invited to gather inside the resort’s conference centre which has been transformed to look and feel like a traditional longhouse.

Throughout this three-hour event, experience cultural presentations depicting the Nation’s history through song, dance, and traditional carvings coming to life over a delicious dinner.

Nuu-chah-nulth Artist Patrick Amos of the Mowachaht Band working on a cedar carving
Amos working on a cedar carving. Photo by J Giesbrecht

“I want folks to come in and have an experience that they’re proud of, that we’re proud of sharing, that they’re proud of hearing, and send them off knowing a little bit more,” says Hjalmer Wenstob, naaʔuu co-producer.

“With Truth and Reconciliation, we’re at the truth point still and this is an opportunity for us to share some truth, and for folks to ask questions and learn a little bit and just know where they are.”

Purchase your tickets today and plan your stay in Tofino for this very special and unique cultural experience.

Proceeds from naaʔuu ticket sales will go towards keeping Tla-o-qui-aht homelands protected and restored via the Tla-o-qui-aht Tribal Parks program (which you can read more about here).

“Tla-o-qui-aht Tribal Parks established a no-go zone for much of their homelands against logging and mining which has kept this area as many know it,” explains Wenstob. “Through naaʔuu, the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation invite you into their long house, to join in the experience and live through naaʔuu’s definition ‘come together and feast‘.” 

Read more via ZenSeekers »

Things to do in Vancouver This Weekend February 3-5, 2023

Add a Comment by Rebecca Bollwitt

A new month is here along with a lineup of engaging, fun, and entertaining events. Over the next few days there’s a hockey tournament, a performing arts festival, theatre, concerts and more. Find these and many more things to do in Vancouver this weekend listed below:

Things to do in Vancouver This Weekend

Things to do in Vancouver This Weekend
February 3-5, 2023

Friday, February 3, 2023

Continue reading this post ⟩⟩

Carousel Theatre Presents Oz, a Reimagined Yellow Brick Road

Add a Comment by Rebecca Bollwitt

Carousel Theatre for Young People, in partnership with Kaleidoscope Theatre for Young People, presents the Canadian premiere of Oz, at Granville Island’s Waterfront Theatre from March 1-26, 2023. Set in 1899 Chicago, the play is a whimsically imagined backstory for how L. Frank Baum’s best selling children’s book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, might have been written.

Oz Illustration by Julie McLaughlin
Oz Illustration by Julie McLaughlin

Carousel Theatre Presents Oz

Oz invites audiences to witness the unfolding of the classic children’s story, as Baum – with the help of his housekeeper, a playful young girl, and a collection of everyday objects – develops the characters and story we all know and love.

  • When: March 1-26, 2023
  • Where: Waterfront Theatre (1412 Cartwright St, Vancouver)
  • Tickets: Available online now from $18 ($14 for School Groups of 10+)

In Oz, Baum is struggling to complete the manuscript for The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Like the cyclone in the story, his housekeeper, Bridgey, and Dot, a mischievous runaway, get swept up in the frenetic creation of his tale. They’re quickly transported to a magical land, where the author’s footstool becomes Toto and a birdcage, an overcoat and a fire grate become the Scarecrow, the Tinman and the Cowardly Lion. As the trio work to resolve Baum’s writer’s block, they ultimately craft a happy ending not only for the characters in the story, but for themselves as well. 

Written by production and costume designer and playwright Patrick Shanahan, Oz premiered in Kansas City in 1994, and has since debuted on stages across the U.S., as well as at the London-based children’s theatre, Unicorn Theatre. 

Directed by Jennica Grienke, the cast includes Stephen Thakkar as L. Frank Baum, Melanie Yeats as Bridgey, and Megan Zong as Dot.  Set Designer is Ryan Cormack, Lighting Designer is Rebekkah Johnson, Costume Designer is Donnie Tejani, and Props Designer is Monica Emme.

Oz will feature several special events throughout its month-long run, including a mandatory masked performance on March 4 (11:00am), a relaxed performance on March 5 (2:00pm), a Vocal Eye performance on March 18 (2:00pm), and ASL Interpretation on March 26 (2:00pm).

In partnership with Victoria’s Kaleidoscope Theatre for Young People, Oz will also appear in Victoria following its Vancouver run, from March 30-April 9, 2023.

Find Hundreds of BC Farms With This Map

Add a Comment by Rebecca Bollwitt

Discover BC’s agricultural bounty with the Farm Explorer BC map, featuring more than 400 farms across the province.

Farm Explorer BC

Find Hundreds of BC Farms With This Map

Farm gate shopping isn’t just limited to strawberry, apple, or pumpkin season. In BC, you can visit and support our local farmers using this handy guide to shape your next road trip or weekly shopping excursion.

The educational GIS site (powered by Esri Canada) features:

  • Map: Search the interactive map, pick a region, and discover the diverse array of farms in your area. Find farms selling products, offering visits, tours, recreation, educational activities, and other agriculture-related experiences.
  • Farm Listings: Click on each listing for instant information on what farms offer and how you can easily connect with them.
  • Farm Stories: Discover farms’ unique offerings! Get the inside scoop on a cranberry farm, apiary, nursery, dairy, and other farm experiences and how they contribute to our agriculture systems.

Farm Explorer BC builds upon the success of Grow BC, BC Agriculture in the Classroom (“BCAITC”)’s GIS commodity site launched four years ago. Grow BC features 60+ commodities – everything from apples to asparagus, beef to beans, carrots to chickens, floriculture to forage, and beyond. The site is one of BCAITC’s most popular resources across all grade levels and its stories dig deep into the who, what, when, where, and why of BC’s agriculture industry.

Abbotsford's Sun & Soil Summer Concert Series - Tuscan Farm Gardens
Tuscan Farm Gardens

Use Farm Explorer BC to plan a fun road trip through your favourite part of our province and enjoy an interactive experience, or take a fun virtual journey through BC’s farms.

Related: Free Cook-Along BC Events for Canada Ag Day

Black Space Jam at the Biltmore

Comments 1 by Rebecca Bollwitt

Pi Theatre, as part of its Provocateurs Series, presents Black Space Jam – an evening of multidisciplinary art – on Friday, March 3, 2023 at the Biltmore Cabaret. This showcase intentionally amplifies, celebrates, and centres Black creatives and the Black Experience.

Black Space Jam at the Biltmore

Black Space Jam at the Biltmore

  • When: March 3, 2023 at 8:00pm (doors at 7:00pm)
  • Where:  The Biltmore Cabaret (2755 Prince Edward Ave, Vancouver)
  • Tickets: Available via the Biltmore $15-$20, plus applicable venue fees.

Produced by Black Space Media/Afro Van Connect, Black Space Jam (“BSJ”) is a live performance showcase that provides local and international artists of African descent a platform to share and promote their artwork.

BSJ was created to enhance the visibility of youth of African descent within the local arts and culture community. This platform was made by artists for artists to create opportunities for skill cultivation and brand promotion.

Lineup

The theme of the event is cultural renaissance, and the night will include dance, spoken word, stand-up comedy, music and a live DJ. Each artist will perform 20 minute sets from 8:00pm to 11:00pm with time between sets for artists, vendors, and audience members to mingle with one another.

Enjoy performances from: Shayna Jones (spoken word/poetry), DJ Bazenga (music), Brotha Jason (dance), Mufaro Mbudzi (stand-up comedy), ebonEmpress (music), KOR (music).

Various culturally relevant vendors will also be on site, selling their locally made goods, including: Reward Your Skin-Soap Co., Kula Kitchen, Sleepless Mindz Apparel, Mark “The Real MG Caricature Artist”, Nyarai Tawengwa.

Update – Contest!

I have a pair of tickets to give away for the event! Here’s how you can enter to win:

Win Tickets to the Black Space Jam

Related: February events in Metro Vancouver