The 11th annual Vancouver Chinatown Festival is this coming weekend with cultural dance, music, food, and activities all day Saturday and Sunday.
This event will also celebrate the 125th anniversary of Vancouver’s Chinatown, and will be a historic photograph exhibition in honor of this milestone.
Special event: StreetFest
August 14, 6:00pm to 10:00pm
Dancing, music, games, and entertainment in the streets of Chinatown
Special event: Youth Talent Showdown
August 15, 3:30pm to 6:00pm
Dance competition for youth with big prizes up for grabs
Both days will also feature folk art demonstrations, the Multicultural Stage with martial arts demos, hip hop, singing, and anything from Irish dancing to samba. There will also be a special activity zone for kids and Chinatown Heritage and Food Tasting Tours between 1:00pm and 4:00pm. You can register at one of the walking tour booths on-site.
The festival is free to the public who can also vote on a name for the new Chinatown Mascot, “Muse”. Head down to Chinatown from 12:00pm Saturday to check out all of the activities and events.
The Stanley Park Ecology Society promotes and educates visitors and locals alike when it comes to the natural elements that make the park what it is. Within the borders of the paved roads and past the parking spaces there is a delicate ecosystem that the SPES can help you explore.
Here are just a few of their upcoming events:
Insects: Our Friends & Foes!
Sunday August 15th from 1:30pm to 3:30pm
Insect expert Andrew Scott will lead a talk on how insects have acted to limit the human population and why the mosquito is the most dangerous animal in Africa.
Twenty Million Years of Rock Discovery Walk
Sunday August 22nd from 1:30pm to 3:30pm
Geologist David Cook will lead a walk along the seawall and explore how 50 to 70 million year old rivers laid the foundation for the Stanley Park we know today. This walks meets and leaves from the Third Beach Concession Kiosk.
State of the Park: Ecological Integrity Discovery Walk
Sunday August 29th from 1:30pm to 3:30pm
Join Sonya, the SPES Environmental Educator, for a tour of areas and concerns highlighted in the SPES Conservation Programs report on the condition of various habitats of Stanley Park.
Birds of a Feather
The last Sunday of every month at 9:00am
Naturalist and expert bird watcher Cathy Aitchison hosts a two-hour walk exploring Stanley Park’s varied and beautiful bird life. Admission by donation.
You can also stop by the Stanley Park Nature House from 9:30am on Saturdays to learn about some of the wildlife and history of the park. It’s adjacent to Lost Lagoon in the old boat house.
Follow @StanleyPkEcoSoc on Twitter for park updates and events. They can also be booked to host Coyote Walks in neighbourhoods around Vancouver to educate your community about co-existing with the animals.
With the PNE’s 100 anniversary kicking off later this month I thought it would be fitting to feature the fair in today’s Archives Photo of the Day.
“Win this panel prefab home!”
Year: 1950s
Photographer: Province Newspaper
VPL Accession Number: 41011
Here’s another:
Year: 1960
Photographer: Province Newspaper
VPL Accession Number: 68819
And a third to round out the set. I don’t know the year on this one but the men riding the coaster in suits is just classic.
Photographer: Province Newspaper
VPL Accession Number: 43219
The 10th annual Latin Summer Festival is coming up this weekend at Trout Lake (John Hendry Park).
When August 15, 2010 11:00am – 7:00pm
Where Victoria Drive & East 15th Ave
This is one of Vancouver’s longest running Hispanic cultural festivals as it promotes Hispanic heritage through art, dance, food and music.
Argentina, Chile, Colombia, El Salvador, Peru, and more will all have food pavilions while there will also be an artisan market, dance zone, and children’s play area.
The event is free to the public and you can view a full schedule of entertainment and events online.
The 6th annual Gastown Motorcycle Show n’ Shine happens this coming Sunday, August 15th 2010 on the streets of Gastown. The historic neighbourhood will be closed to traffic between Carrall and Richards as it hosts Vancouver’s largest motorcycle show.
Confirmed manufacturers on-site include BMW, Ducati, Harley-Davidson, Honda, Yamaha, Hit-Air, Big Bear Choppers, Johnny Pag, Drag Specialties, and Parts Canada. There will also be a National Best in Show competition, demonstrations and activities.
It looks like the weather will brighten up by then so if motorcycles are your thing, take a stroll on down to Water street for this event. The Show n’ Shine will run from 11:00am until 5:00pm.
