Load the family up in the car for a magical holiday journey through Hastings Park as the PNE WinterLights drive-through holiday experience returns for 2021. You will be transported through nine enchanted lands filled with glowing lights, special characters and festive performers along the way.
PNE WinterLights
New this year: The Snowglobe Village, another festive tunnel, and even more sparkling lights.
When: Select nights December 3-31, 2021
Where: PNE Gate 9 – east of Playland, off Bridgeway Street
$37 per vehicle on Dec 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31;
$42 per vehicle on Dec 11, 12, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 26.
Save $5 by being one of the first 1,000 people* to purchase tickets for select nights: December 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 27-31. Starting at 10:00am, Monday, November 1, use promo code “WL21” to save. *Offer expires Wednesday, November 3 at 10:00am.
Buckle up for this safe, holiday experience that you can enjoy with your family from the warmth of your car along a two-kilometre route. Get a hot drink at the start of your journey; then stop at one of the participating food trucks at the end to get something yummy for the drive home.
The experience will vary from guest to guest depending on some of the optional portions; however, they estimate it will be approximately 30-45 minutes. For more information about PNE WinterLights, follow the event on Facebook.
No Car? No Problem!
Update: December 7, 2021 TransLink has just announced that they are operating the Reindeer Shuttle, available December 9-12, 16-23. Pick up near Hastings & Renfrew. Shuttle ticket prices are per person ($10-14 depending on date). Book tickets here.
Shuttle riders can either get off at the end of the route to access the food trucks, or be dropped off at the pick-up spot.
This weekend is your last chance to check out Eerie Illusions at Burnaby Village Museum, along with a bundle of other autumn-themed events and attractions. However, there’s so much coming up in November (that I’ll cover in the big event list in just a few days) so stay tuned – the fun is just getting started! For now, here’s your list of things to do in Vancouver Halloween weekend:
Coastal Jazz & Blues Society presents IronFest: A Fall Jazz Concert Series from November 18 to 20, 2021 at The Ironworks. The series features six performances over a period of three nights, continuing to celebrate the return to live performances that began with the TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival this past summer.
With relaxed capacity restrictions, all patrons must show proof of vaccination to enter, and Coastal Jazz & Blues Society is requiring all staff and volunteers to be fully vaccinated as well. As the situation adapts and changes, Coastal Jazz & Blues Society will ensure that all new and existing health regulations are followed.
Lineup
Bill Coon Quartet with Campbell Ryga Thursday, November 18 at 7:00pm
Bill Coon is an award-winning guitarist who has played with jazz luminaries like Peter Bernstein, Jimmy Heath, and Dr. Lonnie Smith. A prolific and adaptable composer, he has written everything from intimate solos to large-scale works for the VSO and the Norwegian Radio Orchestra. For this concert, Bill will showcase some original tunes and cook on some fine arrangements of Thelonious Monk and Bill Evans. With a passion for groove, beautiful melodiesand hard-swinging improvisation, Bill’s always engaging quartet features Campbell Ryga (saxophones), Miles Hill (bass), and Dave Robbins (drums).
Emad Armoush’s Rayhan Thursday, November 18 at 9:30pm
Led by Emad Armoush on oud, ney, guitar and vocals, Rayhan’s interpretations of traditional Arabic songs are filled with intensity, bold sonic colouring, and far-reaching improvisation. Aided and abetted by the extended techniques, electronic manipulations, and fire-stoking sonic excursions of François Houle (clarinet), Jesse Zubot (violin/effects), JP Carter (trumpet/electronics) and Kenton Loewen (drums), Armoush’s arrangements flourish wildly without losing the delicate beauty and originality of the time-honoured melodies.
Krystle Dos Santos Friday, November 19 at 7:00pm
Two-time Western Canadian Music Award-winning vocalist Krystle Dos Santos absorbs classic and neo-soul along with jazz and R&B into her inviting sound. Bold and elegant, Dos Santos is a balm for the soul for fans of legends like Sharon Jones, Erykah Badu, and Ms. Lauryn Hill.
Handmade Blade Friday, November 19 at 9:30pm
Handmade Blade is Peggy Lee (cello), Aram Bajakian (guitar), and JP Carter (trumpet). Each member of this trio contributes compositions that launch striking and explosive improvisations. This small group has a huge sonic palette and great energy. The trio has performed at numerous venues in Vancouver, and in May 2016, made their U.S. debut at Constellation in Chicago for the Chicago String Summit. The group has produced one recording: 3 interpretations of guitarist Aram Bajakian’s Dolphy Formations.
Jodi Proznick: New Horizons Saturday, November 20 at 7:00pm
Two-time JUNO-nominated bassist, composer, bandleader, and educator Jodi Proznick has earned a reputation as one of Canada’s finest jazz artists and collaborators. She has won numerous National Jazz Awards, including Bassist of the Year twice. Among her many honours, Jodi was awarded the Western Canadian Music Award for Jazz Artist of the Year for 2019. Jodi Proznick’s New Horizons project features three of Canada’s bright musical lights – Chris Davis on trumpet, Tilden Webb on keys, and Nick Bracewell on drums. They will be exploring jazz repertoire from albums such as Herbie Hancock’s Fat Albert Rotunda and Empyrean Isles; Woody Shaw’s United; Kenny Wheeler’s Gnu High; and Miles Davis’ E.S.P, as well as new originals.
James Meger’s How To Do Nothing Saturday, November 20 at 9:30pm
Led by bassist James Meger, the newly formed ensemble skillfully pulls listeners through trashed maximalist howls of feedback and noise to emerge in clearings of delicate acoustic improvisation. It’s a voyage through the supersaturated dirt of janky electronics to the purity of handmade sound, but even that isn’t always what it seems. At its core, this project explores the wild scope of human experience while teasing our confusion between the fake and the real; the most soulful cries come from broken machines. This ensemble features James Meger (bass, compositions), Lisa Cay Miller (piano), Sam King (guitar), Andromeda Monk (no-input mixer, saxophone), and Dan Gaucher (drums).
Win Tickets
I have a pair of tickets to give away to Krystle Dos Santos – LIVE – at The Ironworks on November 19th. Here’s how you can enter to win:
Copy/paste the text below to post on Twitter (1 entry)
[clickToTweet tweet=”RT to enter to win tickets to @coastaljazz’s IronFest: A Fall Jazz Concert Series featuring @krystle_music on Nov 19th http://ow.ly/ZAgA50GAxOb” quote=” Click to enter via Twitter” theme=”style6″]
I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Thursday, November 4, 2021. UPDATE the winner is Arshad!
The Stanley Park Ecology Society (“SPES”) has launched a year-long webinar series called Caring for Natural Spaces in Urban Places that will focus on the themes of: Forests, Wetland, Nearshore, and Climate.
Caring for Natural Spaces in Urban Places
Where: Online (updates on in person gatherings TBD)
Admission: Free!
The themes follow those in the ten-year SPES State of the Park report which was released in October 2020. Through the series, their vision is to connect diverse knowledge and practices to foster resilient urban ecosystems.
The Caring for Natural Spaces in Urban Places webinar series will convene a diversity of voices from scientists, urban planners, and knowledge holders in a year-long series of public online engagements, with subjects around supporting the ecological health of natural spaces in urban places, including Stanley Park and beyond. All audiences are welcome to attend.
Details: Join Candace Campo, ancestral name xets’emits’a (to always be there) and Richard Till, smanit stumish (mountain man), from Talaysay Tours for a presentation on Indigenous and more recent settler relationship to the land and to the forest. The talk will emphasize the Indigenous scientific, medicinal, technological and food uses of the forest and sea, while exploring Indigenous and non-Indigenous uses of the land, including trade and travel.
Details: Join Michel Desrochers, Manager of Capital Planning & Strategy, City of Vancouver.
Wetland Presentations (January to March, 2022)
Topic: Presentation: What’s Invading Local Wetlands?
When: January 19, 2022 at 5:00pm
Where: Online
Register:Book online for free, donations to SPES are accepted as well
Details: Presented by by Tasha Murray, Executive Director, Invasive Species Council of Metro Vancouver (ISCMV). Wetlands are widely recognized as special places and home to many different living things, but invasive species pose a significant threat to local wetlands. Learn how to recognize our worst wetland invaders, why they are so harmful and what can be done about them.
Topic: Presentation: Wetlands – Part of Surrey’s Green Infrastructure
When: February 16, 2022 at 1:00pm
Where: Online
Register:Book online for free, donations to SPES are accepted as well
Details: Presented by Pamela Zevit, RPBio, Biodiversity Conservation Planner, City of Surrey. What do we mean when we are talking about wetlands, and how well do we understand their role and function? How do wetland ecosystems fit into the City of Surrey’s biodiversity and green infrastructure goals and objectives? This presentation will focus these issues using examples and approaches from the City of Surrey, Metro Vancouver’s fastest growing city.
The series will continue with themed events each quarter: Nearshore Presentations (April to June 2022); Climate Presentations (July to September 2022). Follow the Stanley Park Ecology Society on Facebook and Instagram for the latest event updates and news.
Miss604’s Rebecca Bollwitt is an Executive on the SPES the Board of Directors.
Now in its 38th year, the annual Vancouver Sun Run will be returning to the streets of Downtown Vancouver with a fresh new Presenting Partner – Subway Canada.
What: Individual 10k, Virtual 10k, Mini Sun Run 2.5k
When: April 14, 2022 & virtually April 15-24
Where: Downtown Vancouver and False Creek; and virtually
Taking place throughout April, the Vancouver Sun Run is now offering three ways to participate in the iconic event: in-person, virtually, or both. Eager Sun Runners who participate virtually during race week and race again on Sun Run Sunday will receive an exclusive commemorative medal. Registration for all divisions will open Monday, November 1, 2021.
“We are so excited to be able to offer a variety of options for our running community this year,” said Tim Hopkins, Vancouver Sun Run Race Director, “Participants can once again enjoy our beautiful route, enjoy terrific music and join us for the after party at BC Place.”
Long-standing partner, Shaw Communications will once again return to sponsor The Shaw Team Division and Shaw Mini Sun Run which, along with the Youth Team Challenge and Walk with Pacific Blue Cross categories will all be available to participants this year.
“We are so excited to be able to offer a variety of options for our running community this year,” said Tim Hopkins, Vancouver Sun Run Race Director, “Participants can once again enjoy our beautiful route, enjoy terrific music and join us for the after party at BC Place. ”
Registrants are encouraged to raise funds for local charities through our pledging program which began in 2014. The Vancouver Sun Run’s charitable efforts have raised more than $3.23 Million to date. We are proud to announce that for 2022 our charitable partners will be Never Miss Lunch, BC Children’s Hospital Foundation, Ronald McDonald House BC & Yukon, the BC Cancer Foundation, Raise-a-Reader, the Greater Vancouver Food Bank, and Family Services of Greater Vancouver.
Registration for the Vancouver Sun Run opens November 1 with early bird pricing in effect until January 31 , 2022. Follow along on Facebook for more updates and news coming soon! Stay tuned for more announcements coming soon.
The Vancouver Sun Run is Canada’s largest 10K road race and the 3rd largest timed 10K in North America. The Vancouver Sun Run is open to international elite competitors, recreational runners, joggers and walkers, wheelchair competitors, teams, schools and children.
