The DTES Heart of the City Festival is back for the 18th year! From Wednesday October 27 to Sunday November 7, 2021 enjoy over 100 events throughout the Downtown Eastside and online.
Heart of the City Festival Photo by David Cooper
Heart of the City Festival
The 2021 Festival features twelve days of live and online events, including music, stories, poetry, theatre, ceremony, films, readings, forums, workshops, discussions, art talks, history talks, and visual art exhibitions; including the Art in the Streets program with surprise pop-up music and spoken word activities on sidewalks and small plazas throughout the historic district.
As the Downtown Eastside community starts to emerge from the pandemic, the Festival is excited to reconnect with our over sixty community partners, including UBC Learning Exchange, Firehall Arts Centre, City Opera, KW Studios, and many more.
This year’s festival theme, Stories We Need to Hear, resonates today as the community grapples with the dramatic impact of the pandemic, ongoing displacement, the fentanyl crisis, and the reality of bigotry and systemic racism.
In the words of late DTES poet Sandy Cameron, “When we tell our stories we draw our own maps, and question the maps of the powerful. Each of us has something to tell, something to teach.” We take strength from the compelling lived wisdom and creativity of Downtown Eastside-involved artists and residents who illuminate the community’s diverse and rich traditions, knowledge systems, ancestral languages, cultural roots and stories.
This October, experience Halloween at Playland with thrill rides, creepy décor, scary characters and live performances during Hallowed Eves. You’ll be awestruck by fire and swordplay, incredible stunts and circus arts, while the amusement park crawls with terrifying monsters, mutant carnivores and re-animated dolls who have breached their usual cages.
In the dead of night, a Caravan of Curiosities rolled into town… Alongside firebreathers, contortionists and other oddities, a resentful puppet longed to be the star of the show. Chippy is no dummy; he’s ready to cut the strings and become the Ringmaster of the Sideshow.
Scream your heart out on the Beast, Hellevator, and Atmosfear. Note: The indoor haunted houses will not be open and the Wooden Roller Coaster is currently undergoing a major refurbishment and will not be running.
Admission includes the following list of rides:
AtmosFear
Balloon Explorers
The Beast
Breakdance
Bug Whirled (except rainy nights)
Dizzy Drop
Enterprise
Flutterbye
Gladiator
Hellevator
Kettle Creek Mine Coaster
Merry-Go-Round
Music Express
Pirate Ship
Revelation (extra charge)
Rock’n’Cars
Sea-to-Sky Swinger
Tea Cups
Food options include candy floss, iced mini donuts, Triple O’s, and depending on the night: Buen Gusto Tacos & Totchos, Cheese Please, Coaster Dogs, Pizza Pizza may also be open. Sip a refreshing Aperol spritz or a spiked hot chocolate on the Ride Side Patio (19+) in addition to a selection of fan-favourite beer, wine, and ready-to-drink beverages. Playland uses cashless procedures on site for retail and food and beverage.
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by Jen MurtaghDisclosure: Review — Jen received media review tickets. Views and opinions are her own. Please review the Policy & Disclosure section for further information.
The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (“VSO”) is back! As an avid movie and symphony fan, I was thrilled to see the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra has relaunched their highly acclaimed TELUS movie nights and tickets are still available for this weekend!
From September 23-25 you can recharge your own flux capacitor and watch Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) in the 1985 box office chart ‘Back to the Future’ live with the VSO at the iconic Orpheum Theatre.
Jen Murtagh at VSO’s Back to the Future night
Going Back to the Future with the VSO
Watching a movie on the big screen while the VSO flawlessly plays Alan Silvestri’s musical score live in sync is a thrilling and captivating experience. Academy-Award winning Silvestri is known for his brilliant and beautiful musical scores from The Avengers, to the Polar Express, Forrest Gump and so many more. And audiences are in for an exclusive treat, with twenty minutes of brand new music added to the show.
This memorable and moving score will both fill your heart and soul as you are taken back in the DeLorean Time Machine to 1955. Tickets are available now and range from $32.25 to $108.00.
I think it’s important to share that the VSO are taking your comfort and safety seriously. Comfort spacing is implemented to create space between ticket holder groups. Extra sanitation protocols are in place and hand cleaning stations are available. And they have new BC vaccine protocol in place which requires proof of vaccination to enter concert facilities.
More This Season
There are two more nights (tonight and tomorrow) for Back to the Future then on October 3, the beloved children’s entertainer Fred Pennerwelcomes families back to the Orpheum with his message of love and positivity through music. Check out the full event calendar, with even more performances and guests in October, and follow the VSO on Facebook for updates. Sign up for the VSO newsletter so you can be alerted when ‘Home Alone in Concert’ with the VSO tickets go on sale for December.
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by Rebecca BollwittDisclosure: Sponsored Post — Sponsored by Burnaby Village Museum Please review the Policy & Disclosure section for further information.
This October, visitors will see Burnaby Village Museum transformed into a magical world bathed in breathtaking colour, with talking crows and photo-bombing ghouls as part of Eerie Illusions, a Halloween event unlike anything else in Metro Vancouver.
Halloween at Burnaby Village Museum
Where: Burnaby Village Museum (6501 Deer Lake Ave, Burnaby)
When: October 22-31, 2021
October 22-23, 5:00pm to 11:00pm; October 24-28, 6:00pm to 10:00pm; October 29-31, 5:00pm to 11:00pm
Admission: Adults $10; Children $5 (2-12 years); Free for children under 2 years
Online bookings will be available starting Monday, September 27, 2021 at 10:00am
Using state-of-the-art lighting, projections, soundscapes and special effects, Eerie Illusions will amaze and astound visitors of all ages, and showcase Burnaby Village Museum as it has never been seen before.
“We are so thrilled to bring people together to experience this one-of-a-kind Halloween celebration in Burnaby this year,” said Mayor Mike Hurley. “Halloween is a wonderful time to connect with the community and make memories with friends, family and loved ones, and Eerie Illusions will quickly become a beloved Burnaby tradition.”
The fun starts when two eager children discover a book of magical spells, unleashing a torrent of enchantments throughout the Village. As the children work to set things right, the Village is overrun with unruly spirits, chatty crows and portals to different dimensions and times. Visitors will encounter unique displays, activations and surprises as they explore the Village on a quest to return things to normal.
From scavenger hunts to holiday events and everything in between — there is always something to see and do at Burnaby Village Museum’s 10-acre site at Deer Lake Park. This family friendly Halloween experience is suitable for all ages. It will likely sell out so make sure you book your tickets as soon as possible.
