Published in partnership with VisitCoquitlam.ca

It’s Free Outdoor Concerts and Patio Season in Coquitlam

Summer is here and the outdoor music scene is coming alive in Coquitlam.  One to add to your free entertainment calendar is the Summer Concert Series in Coquitlam, which takes place at a stunning outdoor amphitheatre in Town Centre Park.

Picture the views over Lafarge Lake as bands take to the stage at TD Community Plaza. You can roll out blankets, kick back on the steps, bring lawn chairs or dance in the grass. Pick up a snack at a food truck or pack your own picnic.

It’s a family-friendly scene, with crowd-pleasing bands. To top it off, it’s easy to get to – located a short walk through the park from Lafarge Lake-Douglas SkyTrain station.

Free Outdoor Concerts

The first in the 2019 Summer Concert Series kicks off Friday, July 12 from 7:00pm to 9:00pm, with some rock ‘n’ roll. The show begins with Oliver and The Elements, described as a lively repertoire bouncing from Motown, Memphis, New Orleans and London, including CCR, James Brown, Rolling Stones and Marvin Gaye.

Next, Quickness takes the stage. This Vancouver band is attracting a growing following, offering up a mix of introspective tunes and rock anthems.

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There’s an 80s-themed pop-up roller rink party at Robson Square on Saturday and everyone is invited! Rollerskate Vancouver is partnering with Jack 96.9 for this event with Jack Up the 80s host Larry will be spinning an all-vinyl 80s DJ set.

80s Pop-Up Roller Rink at Robson Square

• Where: Under 800 bock of Robson St at Robson Square, Vancouver
• When: Saturday, July 6, 2019
  • 12:00pm to 2:30pm Family Skate, 2:30pm to 5:30pm Adult Skate (ages 16+)
• Admission: $15 for adults, skate rentals are $10.
  • If you are bringing the kids, use the promo code MINIPOPS online to get 25% off for families of 3 or more. This discount is only available for the 12:00pm to 2:30pm Family Skate. All kids 12 and under MUST wear a helmet.

Skate rentals will be provided by the totally tubular Rolla Skate Club truck. If you are not bringing your own skates, they highly recommend that you reserve a pair of rentals, as sizes are limited, especially for small sizes (kids 11 to men’s 3) and large sizes (men’s 11 and up).

For the Adult Skate at 2:30pm, get ready to Jack up the 80s with special guest DJ Larry from JACK 96.9. Those side ponytails and fluffy mullets will be rocking to the biggest hits from the Me Generation.

Win a 80s Pop-Up Roller Rink Prize Pack

I have a prize pack (valued at $250) to give away that includes:

• 4 admissions and skate rentals for the Family Skate at 12:00 or the Adult Skate at 2:30pm
• 4 free roller skating lessons (age 14+) with Rolla Skate Club
• AND a $50 gift certificate from RollerGirl.ca!

Here’s how you can enter to win:

• Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
• Click below to post an entry on Twitter

Click to enter via TwitterClick To Tweet

Follow Rollerskate Vancouver on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for more info. I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 10:30am on Friday, July 5, 2019.

UPDATE The winner is @MackenzieKaty!

I host speaking engagements and workshops several times a year, from local universities and educational institutions, to corporate events, tutorials and info-sessions. My goal though is to attend a conference or workshop myself at least once a quarter so that I can continue to learn and grow. When The Digital NonProfit Conference approached me to attend their event on June 11th at the Roundhouse in Yaletown I was in!

I’ve been on the board of two nonprofits in the last 3 years, and I’m currently the Secretary of the Board of Directors of Variety – The Children’s Charity of BC (as well as their Marketing Committee Chair and Membership Committee Chair). As such, I invited Cally Wesson, CEO of Variety to come along with me. Here are a few takeaways I had from the event:

5 Takeaways from The Digital NonProfit Conference

When one of your conference’s core values is “good food & great company”. #dnp2019 #goodfoodforlife pic.twitter.com/HZnaKBepn0

— NetSquared Vancouver (@net2van) June 11, 2019

1. NetSquared knows how to organize a conference! It started with a seamless sign-in process where everyone stepped up to an iPad and printed off a name sticker on a repurposed lanyard, followed by selecting a pronoun pin to attach to it. The booklet was awesome, with room for bios, notes, and talking points. Then there was the flow of the event, with ice breakers, fascinating topics, speakers, the seemingly endless supply of coffee, food trucks outside at lunch and an Earnest Ice Cream stand inside. Afternoon sessions with a side of sundae? Yes please.

2. “The shortest distance between two people is a story.” I love this. Thanks to Nicole Jones from Tech Soup for sharing this during her lightning talk.

[New Idea] "Use a Google form to make it easy for anyone in your organization to tell or share a story" – Nicole Jones @nicjonestweets @TechSoup #DNP2019 #nonprofit pic.twitter.com/ttWvLnWBSv

— NetSquared Vancouver (@net2van) June 11, 2019

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Celebrate our nation’s birthday with bang! Enjoy free fireworks displays at dusk, following a full day of festival fun, with these Canada Day fireworks around Vancouver.

Downtown Vancouver Canada Day at Canada Place
Where: View from Coal Harbour and Dundarave, West Vancouver
When: Fireworks at 10:30pm

Surrey Canada Day
Where: Bill Reid Millennium Amphitheatre (17728 64 Ave, Surrey)
When: Fireworks at 10:30pm

Steveston Salmon Festival
Where: Along the historic Steveston waterfront in Richmond
When: Fireworks at 10:15pm

New Westminster Hyack Canada Day Festival & Fireworks
Where: The Quay at New Westminster (900 Quayside Dr)
When: Fireworks at 10:00pm

Coquitlam Canada Day Fireworks
Where: 1299 Pinetree Way, Coquitlam
When: Fireworks at 10:00pm

For more inspiration on what to do this Canada Day long weekend, check out my full event list here and follow Miss604 on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

The 12th Annual SHIFT Festival returns to its roots this year, featuring three short, sharp, original works, created and performed by Tai Amy Grauman, Kelsey Kanatan Wavey, and Claire Love Wilson with Sara Vickruck. The past, present and future are explored in turn by these vigorous voices, and, on July 11, 12, and 13 in downtown Vancouver, audiences can see all three for one price. 

SHIFT Festival 12

Where: ANNEX, 823 Seymour Street, Vancouver
When: July 11, 12 and 13, 2019
Tickets: Available online now for $15 – $19

Dedicated to honest and resonant live performance, and spotlighting diverse and underrepresented voices and stories, the SHIFT Festival has become an annual theatre tradition in Vancouver.

In Marie’s Letters, Tai Amy Grauman embodies five generations of Métis women addressing their unborn daughters about hopes, dreams, fears and essentially, survival, in Treaty 6 Territory. Grauman – Métis, Cree and Haudenosaunee from Ardrossan, Alberta – was this year’s Jessie Richardson award for most promising newcomer and the Vancouver Mayor’s Emerging Theatre Artist of 2015 (nominated by Margo Kane). Gavan Cheema directs. 

Created and performed by Kelsey Kanatan Wavey, iskonikowisiw is the story of the complicated friendship between the last woman on Earth and the last drop of water. Combining poetry, projection and movement, iskonikowisiw is a reflection on the growing water crisis and what we must sacrifice in order for all our relations to find peace. A Cree actor and writer from Treaty 1 Territory – Winnipeg, Manitoba – Wavey is a recent graduate of Studio 58.

Developed by local multidisciplinary creator Claire Love Wilson and queer theatre-maker and musician Sara Vickruck for SHIFT Festival 12, Sound Off investigates how the transformation of sounds, live and looped, can be constructed and deconstructed into song. Featuring games and improvisation, this show evolves nightly with our audience and may send you out into the mid-summer night singing. Wilson will also present a 90-minute festival workshop on Friday July 12 (4pm), inviting registrants to engage in the song walking practice that she has taught internationally.

SHIFT also presents a special staged reading of Beth Coleman’s Evolutionary Tango on Saturday July 13 (2:00pm).

Win Tickets

I have 4 tickets to give away to any night of the festival! Here’s how you can enter to win:

• Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
• Click below to post an entry on Twitter

Click to enter via TwitterClick To Tweet

Follow the SHIFT Festival on Facebook and Twitter for more info. I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Thursday, July 4, 2019.

UPDATE The winner is Lauren!

July is a month of festivals and free fun in Metro Vancouver, from free outdoor movies across the region, to cultural events and of course Canada Day to kick it all off. This month Miss604 is proud to sponsor the Steveston Salmon Festival, Surrey Canada Day, the Surrey Fusion Festival and the Richmond Maritime Festival. All of these July events and more are listed below:

July Events in Metro Vancouver

Jump to: Monday, July 1, 2019 to Sunday, July 7, 2019
Jump to: Monday, July 8, 2019 to Sunday, July 14, 2019
Jump to: Monday, July 15, 2019 to Sunday, July 21, 2019
Jump to: Monday, July 22, 2019 to Sunday, July 28, 2019
Jump to: Monday, July 29, 2019 to Wednesday, July 31, 2019

This list is updated daily thanks to you! Please submit your events, for a free listing, through the Miss604 Contact Form here »

Monday, July 1, 2019
Sponsored by Miss604: Surrey Canada Day
Sponsored by Miss604: Steveston Salmon Festival
Canada Day at Canada Place
Canada Day in Burnaby
Canada Day at Granville Island
Semiahmoo First Nation Canada Day Rock
Latin American Week Canada Day Parade
Canada Day at Lonsdale Quay
Timber Hosts Canada Day Ball Hockey Tournament
Canada Day on Robson
Canada Day at MOV
Canada Day at the Vancouver Aquarium
Canada Day Fireworks in New West at the Quay
Canada Day in North Van
Canada Day in New West at Queen’s Park
Canada Day at Fort Langley
Canada Day in Langley Township
Canada Day in Coquitlam
Canada Day Parade in Abbotsford
Canada Day in Maple Ridge
Golden Spike Days Festival in Port Moody
Canada Day At McArthurGlen
Canada D’Eh! The Great Canadian BBQ Returns
Canada Day Run at Wesbrook
Canada Day Community Barbecue
Kitsilano Showboat
Bard on the Beach
Vancouver Canadians Fireworks Extravaganza
Tuesday, July 2, 2019
Synergy Collective at the Vancouver Rowing Club
Latin American Film Night
VCC’s The Chef’s Table Pop-Up Kitchen
Free Outdoor Movie in Stanley Park
Vancouver Canadians Game
Bard on the Beach
Rock of Ages at Metro Theatre
Wednesday, July 3, 2019
Free Outdoor Movies in Downtown Vancouver
Street Beats – Helena Gutteridge Plaza
VCC’s The Chef’s Table Pop-Up Kitchen
Vancouver Canadians Game
Kitsilano Showboat
Bard on the Beach
Rock of Ages at Metro Theatre
Thursday, July 4, 2019
Flamenco, Tango and Wine
Summer Fun in Thompson Park
Evenings at Mackin House Museum
VQL Summer Quidditch: Open to All
American Crown Circus & Circo Osorio, Coquitlam
VCC’s The Chef’s Table Pop-Up Kitchen
Summerfest at Lonsdale: Yoga with Kahlena
Burnaby Civic Square Family Nights
Bard on the Beach
Dancing on the Edge Festival
Indian Summer Festival
Rock of Ages at Metro Theatre
A Room Somewhere Presents Athol Fugard’s Hello and Goodbye
Friday, July 5, 2019
CBC Musical Nooners Kick-Off
Free Dancing & Lessons in Downtown Vancouver
Fridays on Front, Downtown New West
Art Party at the Polygon Gallery
City of Lougheed Summer Fun Series
A Nude Hope: A Sci-Fi Burlesque Adventure Farewell Run
24 Hour Friday Night Screenings of The Clock
Bard in the Vineyard at Township 7
American Crown Circus & Circo Osorio, Coquitlam
Heroic Opera Presents Verdi’s Macbeth
Trivia Night at Biercraft Wesbrook
Shipyards Night Market
Richmond Night Market
Kitsilano Showboat
Bard on the Beach
Dancing on the Edge Festival
Indian Summer Festival
Rock of Ages at Metro Theatre
Whistler Children’s Festival
A Room Somewhere Presents Athol Fugard’s Hello and Goodbye
Saturday, July 6, 2019
Carnaval del Sol
Silk Road Festival
Geektopia
Remember the Food Bank Pancake Breakfast
Public Disco Laneway Series
Shipyards Twilight Summer Sessions Concerts
New West Craft Summer Markets
Pop-Up Roller Rink: All 80s!
American Crown Circus & Circo Osorio, Coquitlam
Heroic Opera Presents Verdi’s Macbeth
Small Stage Summer Series at Bute Plaza
Art Slam- Round 1: Fundraiser Benefiting the Kettle Society
Identity Music Festival
Khatsahlano Street Festival
City of Lougheed Summer Fun Series
Free Dancing & Lessons in Downtown Vancouver
Kids First Saturdays at the Polygon Gallery
Bard in the Vineyard at Township 7
West End Summer Art Market
Trout Lake Farmers Market
West End Farmers Market
Richmond Night Market
Bard on the Beach
Dancing on the Edge Festival
Indian Summer Festival
Rock of Ages at Metro Theatre
Whistler Children’s Festival
A Room Somewhere Presents Athol Fugard’s Hello and Goodbye
Sunday, July 7, 2019
Carnaval del Sol
Silk Road Festival
Commercial Drive Car Free Day
Roller Rink on The Drive
4th Annual Food Bank Open House
Greek Summerfest on Boundary
Songwriting Workshop and Showcase Series
Sunday Afternoon Salsa at Robson Square
Vancouver Canadians Game
Sunday with Pacific Rhythm & Friends
Trev Deeley’s Annual Show & Shine
Small Stage Summer Series at Shipyards North Van
Kitsilano Farmers Market
Poirier Street Market 
Mount Pleasant Farmers Market
Richmond Night Market
Bard on the Beach
Dancing on the Edge Festival
Indian Summer Festival
Whistler Children’s Festival
American Crown Circus & Circo Osorio, Coquitlam

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