We start the month with remembrance, and move into holiday season. November events in Metro Vancouver include markets, festivals, theatrical productions and so much more. This month Miss604 is proud to sponsor the Chefs’ Charity Dinner for Dan’s Legacy (November 2) and the Surrey Tree Lighting Festival (November 23). Be sure to check back often as I update this list every day!
November Events in Metro Vancouver
This list is updated daily thanks to you! Please submit your events, for a free listing, through the Miss604 Contact Form here »
Events that run for longer than three days in a row are highlighted in green. This list is updated often so send in your event listing anytime – for free – and check back often to plan your week.
The H.R. MacMillan Space Centre presents Cosmic Nights: Dark Energy on November 28th. Through a planetarium show, guest lectures, demos, and trivia, you can explore the mysteries of the dark energy that is said to permeate all of space and accelerate the expansion of the universe.
Cosmic Nights: Dark Energy at the Space Centre
When: Thursday, November 28, 2019 from 6:30pm to 10:00pm Where: H.R. MacMillan Space Center 1100 Chestnut St, Vancouver, BC Tickets:Available online
Learn more about current missions and hot topics in astronomy and space exploration in this fun evening of science and socializing. There will also be drinks available at this 19+ event.
Doors open at 6:30pm and “How Can We See the Invisible” starts at 7:00pm. From 7:30pm to 8:30pm watch the “Dark Side of the Universe” show in the Planetarium Star Theatre. The Dark Energy will run from 9:00pm to 9:30pm. The bar will be open from 6:30pm to 10:00pm in the Cosmic Courtyard.
“How Can We See the Invisible” (GroundStation Canada Theatre) Astronomers use a variety of tools to help us see things beyond the visible spectrum. This short demonstration will show you a variety of techniques astronomers use, as well as some fun trivia with prizes throughout to test your observation skills!
“Dark Energy” lecture by Dr. Gary Hinshaw We live in an expanding universe: ever since the pioneering observations of Edwin Hubble in the 1920’s we have known that galaxies are, on average, all moving away from each other. It has long been supposed that the expansion rate is slowing down with time due to the gravitational pull of each galaxy on its neighbour, but in the last two decades we have come to learn that the expansion is actually speeding up due to something we call dark energy. Dr. Hinshaw will describe the observations that lead us to these conclusions, and efforts that are underway – including some of his own – to try and understand just what dark energy is.
“The Dark Side of the Universe” – Planetarium Star Theatre From Dark Energy to Dark Matter, our astronomer Rachel Wang will take us on a visual journey to help us understand things that hard to visualize, the big unknowns of the universe, and some of the not-so-crazy ideas that may help explain them.
Beer from Red Truck Beer Company and wine from Hester Creek Estate Winery will be available for purchase. For more information follow H.R. MacMillan Space Centre on Twitter and Facebook.
There are only a few days left before Halloween and if you’ve already had enough fright, how about some laughs? Vancouver TheatreSports presents Spooktober, a limited-run, seasonal celebration of all things eerie features three different improv shows and a very special event you’ll be dying to attend.
When: Now until October 31st, 2019 Where: The Improv Centre, Granville Island Tickets:Available Online
Vancouver TheatreSports Spooktober
Monster Matches Pits teams of monsters against one another in a series of ‘head-to-headless’ short-form scenarios to see who ‘eeeks’ out the most laughs. Will the werewolves defeat the witches or zombies overcome the vampires? In this fast-paced ‘roller-ghoster’, the winner is determined by audience judges.
Cult Fiction Hosted by an investigative journalist, the players utilize audience suggestions to spin a ‘spell-binding’ tale behind the cult, including the core cult belief and some of its unique traits. The more ridiculous the suggestions, the more inventive the action and the louder the laughter.
Kreepy Kitty Sees the action of the show directed by an evil kitty from its window perch. This is one ‘fur-midable’ feline with plenty of ‘cat-titude’ whose ‘claw-ver’ commands lead to plenty of comedic ‘hiss-terics’.
You’ll find ‘spooktacular’ specials on potions and poisons at VTS’ Neil Macrae Bar and Lounge. This is one instance where you’ll want to drink the ‘Killer Kool-Aid’ (vodka, amaretto, cranberry juice) or indulge your inner ghoul by imbibing a dark purple ‘Creepy Kitty’ (vodka, blue curacao, cranberry juice, margarita mix).
“Breakfast tomorrow?” Laura and I both texted each other when we found out the news. One favourite local breakfast cafe is closing its doors this weekend after 17 years. Within 12 hours of the text, we were sitting in the steamy window of The Spot Cafe on Denman, watching the rain with a cup of coffee in hand.
The Spot Cafe on Denman is Closing
The Spot Cafe: 805 Denman St at Robson in Vancouver
I received an email to my website contact form a few minutes before I alerted Laura to the news. A reader kindly informed me that the much-loved West End cafe was closing and they hoped I could spread the word.
To the passer-by, the only indication of this weekend’s closure is a “For Lease” sign on the corner window. That is, until you step inside.
At a small table there is a handwritten sign about the closure, and a poster board where patrons and neighbours can leave well-wishes for the owners. It’s a family-run business, a literal mom and pop operation, that will be sorely missed in this neighbourhood.
The sign above the poster says: “Feel free to say thanks for the last 17 years. The Spot Cafe retires end of the month.” I asked at the counter when I ordered my two eggs any style breakfast if it was closing at the end of October or this weekend like my email stated, and discovered it’s this weekend.
I have many fond memories of breakfasts at The Spot, with family and friends, like this morning when Laura and I chatted about life and work, while local radio played and the #5 bus splashed around the corner every few minutes.
So, my dear readers, I encourage you to visit this little cafe on the corner of Robson and Denman (the “best corner in the city!” according to one note on the poster board) and have a home-style breakfast or lunch before it is gone for good.
The Birthplace of BC has a lot of stories to tell, and quite the sordid history to share. What better time than Halloween to hear tales of love, mysterious burials, and hair-raising amputations during Fort Langley National Historic Site’s annual Grave Tales Historic Walking Tours. Enjoy this event and some more family friendly activities this Halloween in Fort Langley.
Halloween in Fort Langley
Grave Tales
When: On now until November 3, 2019 Where: Fort Langley National Historic Site (23433 Mavis Ave, Langley City) Tickets: Grave Tales tickets available in advance online Grave Tales is a historic walking tour through the village of Fort Langley, ending inside the historic Big House inside the fort. Heritage Interpreters tell tales of misfortune in Fort Langley’s cemeteries, streets, and inside the Hudson’s Bay Company fort. For youth who would like a taste of Grave Tales, a youth edition (available at 6:00pm) is available for the family audience.
Halloween at the Fort When: Saturday, October 27, 2019 from 10:00am to 5:00pm Where: Fort Langley National Historic Site (23433 Mavis Ave, Langley City) Admission: This event is geared toward young families and is free with your annual pass and for youth age 17 and younger. Adults are $7.80 and seniors are $6.55. Try pumpkin bowling, trick-or-treat at some of our historic buildings and enjoy the scenic setting with your little ones in their Halloween costumes.
Daily Fall Activities
At the Fort, visitors can expect a guided tour at 11:00am and 3:00pm daily on weekdays. There are White Glove tours with curators every Monday and Friday at 2:30pm. On weekends, there’s the “Fort Langley 101” introductory tour. A coopering demonstration will take place at 11:00am. Feature presentations highlighting the stories of Fort Langley’s original inhabitants (the boat builders, fur traders, farmers or families). At 3:00pm, watch the sparks fly in the Fire Program. Whether there’s a show on blacksmithing or baking, interpreters will definitely spark your interest with this demonstration. Weekend days close with the lowering of the flag at 4:30pm.
About Fort Langley
Built in 1827, Fort Langley was a Hudson’s Bay Company fur trading post. Located on the banks of the Fraser River, it was once part of a trade route for the British Empire at the centre of a large population of Indigenous people.
Fort Langley served as part of a network of fur trade forts operating in the New Caledonia and Columbia Districts (now British Columbia and northern Washington). The fort maintained a good and peaceful trade in furs, salmon, and even cranberries with the local native inhabitants.
