The holidays look different this year, however there is no shortage of light and community spirit. Whether enjoyed virtually, from the comfort of your own home, or socially spaced and paced if/when attractions are permitted to open, there is still a hearty lineup of December events in Metro Vancouver:
Fleurs de Villes Noël is a socially spaced and paced floral trail in Downtown Vancouver, in place December 4 to 13. Those strolling Robson and Alberni Streets are invited to enjoy 30 pop-up fresh floral installations created by some of Vancouver’s favourite florists.
Thierry entrance created by West Van Florist
Fleurs de Villes Noël in Downtown Vancouver
Fleurs de Villes Noël will be freely open to the public, and with all installations located in outdoor spaces, visitors will be able to safely walk this festive, self-guided trail while adhering to social distancing regulations.
Signage at each installation will feature QR codes that when scanned, will also direct users to view the online interactive map. Participating local florists include:
Arbutus Florist
Blossom & Vine Floral Co.
Botany and Bloom
Brenna Quan
Dushan Flowers
Flower Factory
Four Seasons Floral
JEvents
Karen Wazny Designs
Lotus Flower Boutique
Niche Boutique Florals
Roa Floral Event Design
V&J Plant Shop
Gilligan Girls Flowers on Main
The Floral Trail begins at The Sutton Place Hotel with a winter bride for Weddingbells Magazine and a stunning couture creation for Kim Crawford Wines at Boulevard Restaurant.
The trail continues for two blocks along Robson and Alberni Streets, with highlights including a mini floral forest (a ‘florest’!) at National Bank, a flower-bombed British telephone booth and Bentley, a giant floral lipstick, a ‘selfie swing’ at The Blue Horizon Hotel, a majestic throne and an upside-down floral Christmas tree signifying 2020 – the year that turned our way of life upside-down.
“Fleurs de Villes Noël is the perfect way to celebrate the holiday season in a safe, physically distanced way,” says Charles Gauthier, President and CEO of the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association. “The self-guided set-up makes it an ideal outdoor activation for attendees to enjoy with their immediate families or core bubble. Additionally, there are plenty of small businesses on the floral trail that have COVID-19 safety plans in place, so we hope that guests pop in to grab a hot chocolate or a bite to eat as they tour the many beautiful floral displays. It’s the perfect way to enjoy some festive good cheer while also supporting our local downtown businesses.”
Also look for a festive Evo car share vehicle inspired by the fictional town of Whoville (The Grinch), a shopping cart exploding with flowers at Urban Fare and a floral Eiffel Tower at Ladurée. The trail will also feature magnificent doorway installations at The Burrard Building, The QuadReal Buildings at 745 Thurlow and 777 Hornby and at Warrington PCI buildings along Alberni St.
Fairmont Hotel Vancouver mannequin created by Granville Island Florist
Visitors are encouraged to snap and share their photos at stops along the Floral Trail for a chance to win a $500 Sephora gift basket. Tag #FDVNoelContest when sharing online. Follow Fleurs de Ville on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for more info.
We’re back to a virtual event list! While we need to avoid social gatherings in the hopes of getting a handle on our COVID cases, our creative arts and events community has moved programming online for our viewing pleasure. Here’s what you can tune into online this weekend (or stroll by if you happen to be in the West End…)
Imagine Van Gogh, theoriginal immersive exhibition from Europe featuring more than 200 of the Dutch artist’s paintings, is coming to Vancouver in February March 2021 to the award-winning Vancouver Convention Centre.
Imagine Van Gogh. Photo by Laurence Labat
Imagine Van Gogh is Coming to Vancouver
Tickets go on sale Friday, January 15 at 9:00am PST
Imagine Van Gogh has sold more than 300,000 tickets in Canada this year in Montreal, Quebec City, and in Winnipeg and is now ready to debut in Vancouver.
With the safety of guests, employees and the community as the highest priority, Imagine Van Gogh will open in February March 2021 in accordance with the public health guidelines in British Columbia.
Created by French Artistic Directors Annabelle Mauger and Julien Baron, famous for their immersive exhibits Cathédrale d’Images in Les Baux-de-Provence, Imagine Van Gogh was presented first by Encore Productions in France, where it amazed audiences with its grandiose and immersive concept of Total Image; the viewer is literally transported on a journey to the heart of the artist’s work. The exhibit brings Van Gogh’s canvases to life in a vivid, spectacular way: the audience will literally enter the artist’s world of dreams.
“Original canvasses are expanded and fragmented, then projected into unusual shapes to emphasize the mesmerizing exaggerations and distortions of Van Gogh’s work. Visitors experience their energy, emotion, and beauty like never before,” says Annabelle Mauger.
During its first Canadian stops in Montreal and Quebec City, the unique Imagine Van Gogh exhibition received widespread praise. Before closing in March, Montreal received close to 200,000 visitors and thereafter 75,000 in Quebec City this past summer – during a pandemic! The presentation is currently underway in Winnipeg and has now been extended to the end of December due to incredible demand despite limitations around COVID-19.
Imagine Van Gogh. Photo by Laurence Labat
Paquin Entertainment Group and Tandem Expositions, in conjunction with Encore Productions (France) are excited to bring this spectacular production to Vancouver for the very first time. Like Montreal, Quebec City, and Winnipeg the show is sure to be an exceptional success and the highlight of the 2021 arts season on the West Coast.
One of the many, many reasons I love this community is that so many people do what they can, in their own unique way to support local causes. I received a note about this event and I just had to share: The 10th annual Fishermen Helping Kids with Cancer Herring Sale is happening December 5th.
Fishermen Helping Kids with Cancer Herring Sale
How it Works:Order online and book your time slot for pick-up on December 5, 2020 — there are just four time slots left at time of publishing.
Pacific herring have soft, off-white flesh with high oil content which offers a wonderful full flavour and lends itself perfectly to many preparations including pickling, smoking, canning and salting.
About FHKWC
The spark for Fishermen Helping Kids with Cancer (“FHKWC”) was the inspirational daughter of a BC commercial fisherman. Moved by her steadfast three year battle with cancer, a fellow fisherman came up with the idea of the BC commercial fishing industry holding a herring sale to help all kids with cancer. Though she helped in the planning, our inspiration died at the age of 17, just a few days before the inaugural herring sale in 2011.
The core founding principle of FHKWC is that 100% of the money is for the kids. So far, FHKWC has raised $650,000. Spending may include money for special food at Christmas; maintaining the video game, book and movie libraries; welcome kits for newly diagnosed patients; and other items or activities normally outside of the hospital budget. On occasion, FHKWC may fund a small capital cost that will directly improve the comfort of kids with cancer. They purchased, for example, a vein finder for testing purposes to see whether it would help reduce the number of times that kids are poked with needles.
Book your herring purchase and pick-up, or you can make a straight-up donation to FHKWC online here. There is also a sale in Victoria on the same weekend, details are on Facebook.
