This Canada Day long weekend in Port Moody, Big Sugar will be the headline performer at the annual Golden Spike Days Festival in Rocky Point Park.

Golden Spike Days

Where: Rocky Point Park
When: Friday, June 28 to Monday, July 1, 2019
Admission: By donation

On Sunday, June 30, 2019, the City of Port Moody presents Big Sugar for a set of great music starting at 9:15pm at the Golden Spike Days Festival in Rocky Point Park. Whether they’re playing old favourites like “If I Had My Way” or new songs like “Anything Is Possible,” Big Sugar is sure to rock the house and keep you dancing as you celebrate Canada’s 152nd birthday.

The Golden Spike Days Festival is one of the oldest and longest running family events in BC and are proud to have been named to The Tri-City News’ A-List as ‘Favorite Community Event,’ multiple years running. The festival is held at Rocky Point Park around Canada Day, attracting upwards of 40,000 people of all walks of life with live entertainment, special events and activities for all ages.

The event commemorates the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway line and its arrival at the original western terminus in Port Moody where the LAST SPIKE was driven. For more info about this event and more, follow the City of Port Moody on Facebook and Twitter.

Burnaby’s biggest festival, Hats Off Day, is free and fun for the whole family! Held on the first Saturday in June each year, it’s a giant one-day extravaganza featuring a colourful parade followed by a big street party.

Hats off Day at Burnaby Heights

Where: Hastings from Boundary to Gamma in Burnaby
When: Saturday, June 1, 2019 9:30am to 4:00pm
Admission: Free

Burnaby Heights merchants take their ‘hats off’ to salut the community and offer up sidewalk sales, street eats, and fun activities over 10 blocks at this even that can attract up to 100,000 people! This year’s theme is HEIGHTS SUPERHEROES.

The day starts with the parade at 9:30am, a tradition since 1989. The Police Motorcycle Drill Team will lead it off at 9:30am from Beta Avenue and continue all the way to Boundary Road. You can also join the 7th annual Family Fun Dash to start things off. Come in your best superhero costume!

The street festival will follow until 4:00pm, with Hastings Street shut down to traffic and filled with live music, street performers, kids activities, delicious food, and much more. With multiple activities and attractions for all ages, each block has something to experience.

Save the date and follow Burnaby Heights on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for more information.

Miss604 is a proud sponsor of Hats Off Day.

This weekend is full of Mother’s Day activities, along with markets – like the Friday night Shipyards Market – and theatre and more. There are lots of things to do in Vancouver this weekend, check out the list below:

Things to do in Vancouver This Weekend

Friday, May 10, 2019
FUSE at Vancouver Art Gallery
Art World Expo
Mothers Day Trout Lake Traditional Powwow
Sweet Release: A Hip Hop Comedy Concert
La Maison Lust presents: WET
Impressions and Memories – Barry Tan, Piano
Peruvian Tall Ship BAP UNIÓN in North Vancouver
DOXA Documentary Film Festival
Burnaby Festival of Learning
Arts Club Presents: The Great Leap
Slamming Door Artist Collective Presents: The Sea
VAMP: A Supernatural Musical Burlesque
Shipyards Night Market

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Acclaimed author Margaret Atwood joins the Vancouver Writers Fest this fall to discuss her forthcoming title, The Testaments. 

Margaret Atwood at the Vancouver Writers Fest

When: Thursday, September 26, 2019 at 7:30pm
Where: The Chan Centre for Performing Arts
Tickets: Available in June, sign up here for updates when they go on sale

In this brilliant sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale, she answers the questions that have tantalized readers for decades. When the van door slammed on Offred’s future at the end ofThe Handmaid’s Tale, readers had no way of telling what lay ahead. With The Testaments, the wait is over.

Margaret Atwood‘s sequel picks up the story fifteen years after Offred stepped into the unknown, with the explosive testaments of three female narrators from Gilead.

Margaret Atwood, whose work has been published in thirty-five countries, is the author of more than forty books of fiction, poetry, and critical essays. In addition to The Handmaid’s Tale, her novels include Cat’s Eye, short-listed for the 1989 Booker Prize;Alias Grace, which won the Giller Prize in Canada and the Premio Mondello in Italy; The Blind Assassin, winner of the 2000 Booker Prize; Oryx and Crake, short-listed for the 2003 Man Booker Prize; The Year of the Flood; and MaddAddam. She is the recipient of the Los Angeles Times Innovator’s Award, and lives in Toronto with the writer Graeme Gibson. 

The Vancouver Writers Fest is October 21-27, 2019. Follow along on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to get the latest updates about this event and more.

On May 21st, the winner of the Philip B. Lind Emerging Artist Prize 2019 will be announced at The Polygon Gallery in North Vancouver.

The Lind Prize

Opening Reception on Tuesday, May 21, 2019 at 7:00pm
Where: The Polygon Gallery (101 Carrie Cates Ct, North Vancouver)

Established in 2016, the Philip B. Lind Emerging Artist Prize is awarded annually to an emerging BC-based artist. In past years, the nominations were limited to students enrolled in a BFA or MFA program working in the mediums of film, photography, or video. For 2019, the program has expanded to also include emerging artists working outside of academic institutions. This year, visual arts instructors, curators, and other colleagues across the province nominated over 50 candidates, who were then shortlisted by a jury to 11 finalists.

An exhibition of work by these finalists will be presented at The Polygon Gallery from May 17 – June 9, 2019. There will also be an art discussion on Wednesday, May 22nd from 1:00pm to 3:00pm, to take a closer look at the exhibition. All are welcome, and artists will be in attendance.

Finalists

Claire Geddes Bailey	Aaron Leon
Evan Berg	Christian McGinty-Steele
Roxanne Charles	Lilian Rose Smith
Garnet Dirksen	Ryan Stella
Jessica Johnson	Weronika Stepien
Ran Zhou

The winner of The Lind Prize 2019, will be announced at the opening reception May 21st, and will receive $5,000 toward the commissioning of a new artwork to be exhibited at The Polygon Gallery in 2020.

For more information about The Lind Prize this year, follow The Polygon Gallery on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram #ThePolygon #TheLindPrize2019.

Canada Place has announced its lineup of entertainment and activities for the 32^nd annual Canada Day at Canada Place, the largest Canada Day celebration outside the nation’s capital. 

Canada’s 152^nd birthday party will feature a full day of festivities, great food, family fun and fireworks that will celebrate our nation’s values, innovation and diversity. 

Canada Day at Canada Place 2019

• Where: Canada Place, Jack Poole Plaza, surrounding city streets
• When: 9:30am on July 1st until fireworks at 10:30pm
• Admission: Free 

The day will begin with the traditional Citizenship Ceremony that will welcome 60 new Canadians to our multicultural family. At 11:00am, all zones and exhibits, including the Main Stage, will open with great entertainment and activities for guests of all ages. 

Event Highlights

• Daytime event performances: Featuring terrific musical acts and dance performances that reflect the talent and diversity of Canada itself (Dirty Radio, Blonde Diamond, Bitterly Divine, Marieme) with headliners Delhi 2 Dublin closing out the day.
• Coast Capital Savings Youth Zone: Located on the North Point of Canada Place, this zone will feature a lineup of fantastic music from artists including headliner Dirty Radio.
• Canadian Forces Zone (Hall B): Incredible displays and interactive exhibits that honour Canada’s Army, Navy, and Air Force.
• Innovation Zone: The Innovation Zone provides a peek into the future through displays, exhibits, and inspirational talks from some of the most interesting and forward-thinking organizations around.
• Kids’ Zone (Hall A): New for this year, the Kids’ Zone will feature a ton of activities to keep the kids entertained. Featuring emcee and music by Rock’N’Beau, and an epic mascot dance-off!
• Picnic Plaza: Picnic tables, buskers and family-friendly activities.
• Food trucks: Experience the great multi-cultural tastes of Canada.

Fireworks

Vancouver’s only two-barge simultaneous pyrotechnic extravaganza, viewable from Vancouver’s waterfront and the North Shore, with tickets (and best viewing) available at the family-friendly Fireworks Viewing Zone.

Canada Day fireworks in Burrard Inlet can be best viewed (for free) from Harbour Green Park; Coal Harbour; Stanley Park (9 o’clock gun); Crab Park; and West Vancouver Seawall (between Ambleside and Dundarave).

Get Involved

Canada Day at Canada Place in Vancouver is looking for performers, volunteers and exhibitors to be part of the 32^nd annual celebration. Join over 250,000 of your fellow Canadians and share your national pride.

Every year, more than 250 volunteers help welcome over 250,000 guests who take part in the free event festivities organized around Canada Place. Volunteering is a great way to build experience, get involved in your community, meet new people and show your Canadian pride. Volunteers must be at least 16 years old.