Have a scare-free but exceptionally entertaining Halloween with Gateway Theatre this month! For two weekends only, Gateway Theatre is bringing a life-size version of its Hallows’ Eve miniature paper theatre, that was created last year, to two locations in Richmond.
Hallow’s Eve Pop-Up with Gateway Theatre
Halloween with Gateway Theatre
With the goal of welcoming more of the community to enjoy the performing arts, Gateway Theatre has been planning exciting, innovative, and participatory artistic offerings.
When: October 23 & 24, 2021
Where: Gulf of Georgia Cannery in Steveston (12138 Fourth Ave, Richmond)
Tickets: Part of the Cannery’s Haunted Sea exhibit. There is no additional fee to enter the Hallows’ Eve Pop-Up Theatre but admission to the Gulf of Georgia may be required.
When: October 30 & October 31, 2021
Where: Aberdeen Centre (4151 Hazelbridge Way, Richmond)
Tickets: Free and no advance registration is required.
“It’s an opportunity to create lifelong memories with family,” states Jasmine Chen, Gateway Theatre’s Artistic and Community Producer, “and we’re thrilled to bring the magic of performing arts into the community.”
Beautifully illustrated by Keely O’Brien, a Richmond-based interdisciplinary artist, this travelling theatre literally expands on Gateway’s last Halloween delight, a build-your-own miniature theatre also featuring O’Brien’s enchanting puppetry and illustrative works.
As they step into this enchanting set, families will have a chance to play with a cast of magical creatures and autumnal animals friends: Jacky the Pumpkin Kid, Gregory the Ghost, Cackles the Crow, and Squeaks the Skunk. Kids can act out the story using a script created by Jasmine Chen, or simply let their imagination run free to create their own adventure.
For families who would like to continue the fun at home beyond their time inside the pop-up theatre, a limited number of the miniature paper-theatre kits will be available for purchase onsite. There will also be exciting gifts and prizes to be won! Follow Gateway Theatre on Facebook for more info.
About Artist Keely O’Brien
An interdisciplinary artist based in Richmond, BC, Keely is devoted to a thoroughly handmade, DIY process. Her work includes puppetry in miniature and enormous scales, immersive installations, imaginative ephemera, and interactive experiences. As a community engaged arts educator Keely creates and facilitates participatory and collaborative artwork with community members and organizations. Deeply site responsive and engaged with questions of place, home, and belonging, Keely’s work aims to celebrate the potential for creativity and community in the place and people around her. Keely is Co-Artistic Director of experimental theatre company Popcorn Galaxies.
The Circle Craft Christmas Market will return for its 2021 edition, November 10-14 at the Vancouver Convention Centre West. Following its 2020 hiatus, this beloved Vancouver tradition will feature 200 artisans (over 40 new this year) including clothing designers, potters, jewellers, wood and metal workers, glass blowers, candle and soap makers, and more!
Circle Craft Christmas by Tim Matheson (pre-pandemic)
Circle Craft Christmas Market 2021
A Vancouver tradition for nearly five decades, the market kicks off the holiday shopping season in the city.
When: November 10-14, 2021
Wednesday to Friday 10:00am to 9:00pm; Saturday 10:00am to 7:00pm; Sunday 10:00am to 5:00pm
Where: Vancouver Convention Centre West
Tickets: Available online now. $15 adults; $12 seniors and youth (13-17); children 12 and under are free
Save 50% off admission after 5:00pm
By order of the Provincial Health Officer (PHO), proof of full COVID-19 vaccination will be required to attend the Circle Craft Christmas Market. Attendees will need to abide by any and all rules implemented by the PHO and/or the Vancouver Convention Centre. Masks are mandatory at all times while attending the event (except children under 2 years of age).
Since 1972, the show has been a Vancouver tradition for locals and visitors alike, and is Western Canada’s largest craft market, featuring craftspeople and artisans from coast to coast, to coast.
Photo submitted – Circle Craft on Granville Island
The 2021 Market will feature BC craftspeople from communities such as Salt Spring Island, Osoyoos, Fort St. John, Denman Island, North Vancouver, Revelstoke, Victoria, Penticton, and Vancouver will showcase the very best of this province. Artisans will also come from as far as Montréal, Toronto, Calgary, Winnipeg, Halifax, Milo (AB), Moose Jaw (SK), Cowansville (QC), and more.
There is an incredible assortment of quality handmade goods to choose from, including fashion pieces, stunning jewellery, home décor, fine art, sculptures, natural body care, delicious gourmet treats, and more. Shoppers of all ages are sure to be delighted as they discover truly one-of-a-kind items, making this the can’t-miss shopping event of the season.
[clickToTweet tweet=”RT to enter to win tickets to the @CircleCraft Christmas Market at @VanConventions Nov 10-14 http://ow.ly/Jxei50GrMtW” quote=” Click to enter via Twitter” theme=”style6″]
I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Thursday, October 21, 2021. UPDATE the winner is Carol!
The Vancouver Horror Show Film Festival (“VHS”) will be kicking off its fourth year as the beloved local festival moves to a hybrid event this year, both live and virtual, from October 27 to November 7, 2021. The full VHS 2021 Hybrid Event lineup includes 46 short films and three feature-length films from 12 different countries, all of which will be available as part of the virtual programs. 11 film blocks this year include shorts, features, a Sci-Fi block and a Rated R block.
Vancouver Horror Show Film Festival 2021
When: VHS Live will kick off the festival on Tuesday, October 26, 2021
Online programs October 27 to November 7, 2021 (via TicketSpice for terror on-demand)
Last year, VHS made the pivot to online programming as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Festival director David Taylor works as a Registered Nurse at St. Paul’s Hospital and has been on the front lines throughout the COVID-19 pandemic:
“As VHS moves forward, we won’t look back. While it’s important for us to have a safe and responsible in-person event this year, we do not want to lose the online portion of the festival. Last year we were able to share our programming with folks from all over the world and the response was so great — it’s hard to imagine we will ever stop incorporating the on-demand portion of programming.”
Online viewers will have a chance to weigh-in with an Audience Choice Award and to test their mettle with nightly trivia about each program following the screenings.
The online platform will also host The VHS Screenplay Table Read Series via Zoom. VHS ticket holders are invited to attend live table reads where professional actors will perform a reading of the top selected short screenplays. A panel of industry experts will weigh in on the screenplays and offer notes to the writers. This provides the writers a chance to workshop their pieces and ask questions of the actors, directors, and festival experts. Festival attendees will receive an inside look at how things move from page to stage.
2021 Festival Programming
The Vancouver Horror Show’s 2021 program includes three feature films and 46 short films from 12 different countries. All programs will be followed by a filmmaker Q&A session.
Shorts Program
As a Canadian festival, the VHS is showcasing some truly outstanding home-grown talent. Internationally celebrated Vancouver-based filmmaker Gigi Saul Guererro delivers her iconic tex-mex brand of horror in Luchagore’s Mistress of Bones, a story about two grave-robbers who unleash an ancient Aztec force, leaving it up to the titular heroine to defeat it in gory spectacle.
Another Vancouver female filmmaking juggernaut, Lisa Ovies, gives us a fresh take on a familiar story of the babysitter gone wild with Witches Midnight, starring the bewitching Beverly Elliot (Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants). From Vancouver-based producer / director duo Victoria Burkhart (Snowpiercer, Chappie, Elysium) and N’Cee Van Heerden, we have the haunting monster flick Hunter’s Cabin. These films will be shown as part of VHS Live in addition to being available to screen on-demand.
From writer/director Jessica Henric comes Don’t Let It In (USA) — a story about a young Seminole woman who returns to her home in the Everglades after a divorce and encounters a terrifying entity that leads her to reconnect with her past and heritage to defeat it. From Minsun Park & Teddy Tenenbaum comes Koreatown Ghost Story (USA) — a supernatural horror tale based on a Korean ritual starring Margaret Cho and Lyrica Okano, about a woman who entertains a macabre marriage offer.
Arik Bauriedl’s Larva (Germany) tells the dark summer camp story of a female hockey team that rails against their deceitful, male coach with supernaturally chaotic results. Milk and Cookies (UK) from Alex Baró-Cayetano and Bear Winter-Perreau finds young Adam tired of Father Christmas breaking the law and getting away with it, this year he plans to put an end to it. From Amsterdam-based filmmaker Niels Bourgonje comes Swipe (NLD) a tech horror story starring the masterful Ebony Obsidian. Taking top honors in the Student Film category this year is VFS alum Oskar Sjöberg’s Can Someone Hear Me? A short sci-fi, post-apocalyptic thriller about a radio operator living in a pandemic containment radio station.
2021 Feature Films
Dark Stories (France) from Guillaume Lubrano and François Descraques will make its Canadian debut at VHS 2021. Who doesn’t love a horror anthology? When Christine (played by Kristanna Loken of Terminator 3 fame) is attacked by a bloodthirsty creepy doll, she has to use all her imagination to distract it with horror stories. Zombies, Ghosts, Djinns, Aliens and Ghouls legends help her get through the night and stall the doll as another threat awakens. Dark stories boasts an outstanding cast and a beautiful production.
Making its Vancouver debut at the VHS 2021 is a film from the Netherlands: The Columnist. Director Ivo Van Aart weaves a topical tale about a columnist who continuously has to deal with nasty messages and death threats on her social media pages. When enough is enough Femke, played magnificently by Katja Herbers, decides to hunt down her trolls.
Night at The Eagle Inn (USA) from VHS alumni Erik Bloomquist is making its Canadian premiere at VHS 2021. Fraternal twins embark on a pilgrimage to a remote inn to investigate the last known whereabouts of their father who mysteriously disappeared the night they were born — their exploration leads to shocking revelations as the property’s dark secrets ensnare them in a hellish labyrinth they must escape before dawn. The film offers standout performances from Amelia Dudley and Taylor Turner and reunites the production team from VHS’s beloved 2020 film, Ten Minutes To Midnight — proving beyond a doubt that this collective truly knows how to make a great horror film.
Founded in 2018, the The VHS is a registered charity with the mission to celebrate great cinematic storytelling in the horror genre. Follow the Vancouver Horror Show Film Festival on Facebook and Instagram for more information.
Usually when the Northern Lights/Aurora Borealis is forecasted to be visible at our latitude, I send out a list of places to view them outside of town: Porteau Cove, the Dark Sky Park in the Fraser Valley etc. Tonight, I saw a tweet from Global BC’s Kristi Gordon featuring a photo someone shared of the spectacle from Coquitlam:
I figured, well if they’re visible in Coquitlam why not Vancouver? My view from the West End isn’t as great at my friend Laura‘s so I texted her to go out on her balcony and check. Sure enough, she got some great shots on her iPhone:
Aurora Borealis from Downtown Vancouver by Laura Yee-Lim
A few more folks around Vancouver have also shared photos:
I was really excited when ZenSeekers asked me to go out on assignment in the Kootenays, and in particular to start in Castlegar. Earlier this year I did social media coaching with some businesses in the area for the #BuyBasin Festival and they all seemed to have one thing in common: They loved where they lived!
I had a very full day of adventures, inspired by this awesome ZenSeekers story, and here are some highlights and spots you have to stop when you make Castlegar your gateway to adventure in the Kootenay region.
3 Things to Do in Castlegar
1. Eat
The Lions Head Pub is the place to be. They have 12 BC craft beers on tap and house-smoked barbecue. We were there around brunch time so we ordered a smoothie, orange juice and coffee — all in beer form! The Hyperbolic Bumbleberry Smoothie form Nelson Brewing, a Mt Begbie Coffee Stout, and the Going to be OJ from Slackwater were our brunch selections.
2. Play
I posted on social media that I was at Syringa Provincial Park and folks kept telling me it was their favourite spot to camp! Located on the sandy shores of Lower Arrow Lake, you can walk the beach for over 3km, hike up to waterfalls, or stay the night in the campground.
3. Paddle
With so much water around, you’d be remiss not to get out on it to paddle around for a bit! You can rent kayaks at Scotties Marina – on your way up to Syringa – or BYOB (bring your own board) and do some SUP like I did on the Columbia River back down near the Lions Head.
What I loved about Castlegar, aside from all of the above – and its beautiful mountains, rivers, and lakes – is that it’s a hub: You have a mix of local craft beer, independent cafes, and lots of shops (local and big brand) in case you forget any gear. Highways and rivers converge on this beautiful Selkirk Mountain town that will be the gateway to your next adventure in the Kootenays!
When You Go
Castlegar is located in south-central BC, a 7-hour drive from Vancouver or Calgary. It’s also a 3-hour drive from Spokane, Washington.
Air Canada flies into the West Kootenay Regional Airport in Castlegar five times a week.
Russian Doukhobor culture is strong in the city. Visit the Doukhobor Discovery Centre and get a bottle of authentic borscht at the airport.
There are 62 mountain bike trails offering 122 kilometres of riding in Castlegar.
