The Polygon Gallery, in collaboration with the Blueridge Chamber Music Society, will be staging a performance of Musicircus on Sunday, January 13, 2019. Written in 1967 by legendary composer John Cage, Musicircus brings numerous musicians and performers together within the Gallery over the course of one afternoon.

Musicircus at The Polygon Gallery

When: Sunday, January 13, 2019 from 1:00pm to 4:00pm
Where: The Polygon Gallery (101 Carrie Cates Ct, North Vancouver)

Musicircus is simple: as many musicians as possible are invited to perform anything they want and in any way they desire – all at the same time!

For Cage, the blurred lines between performer and listener, the lack of a dominant focal point, and the atmosphere of controlled chaos creates a democratic, inclusive piece that mirrors the amiably anarchic society he envisioned.

Performed in conjunction with Hannah Rickards’ installation One can make out the surface only by placing any dark-coloured object on the ground, and in collaboration with the Blueridge Chamber Music Festival, Musicircus is a uniquely powerful act of artistic community. Listeners also participate in the creation of the composition by moving around the venue. The event will feature compositions by Cage, including a performance on a specially prepared piano.

For more information, follow The Polygon Gallery on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram #THEPOLYGON #MUSICIRCUS

CityFood Events presents the 9th annual Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival, partnering with some of the city’s best chocolatiers, pastry shops, bakeries, cafes, gelato and ice cream makers to offer up delicious drinks and snacks that will warm you up this season.

Vancover Hot Chocolate Festival

When: January 19 to February 14, 2019
Where: Various locations throughout the city

Confirmed Flavours & Participants

How about an Almond Joy from Baggio Gelateria & Pizzeria with dark chocolate with Baileys Liqueur, vanilla-infused cream and shaved almonds? Or Beaucoup Bakery’s Citronelle Lemongrass white chocolate latte paired with a lemongrass kumquat macaron? There’s the Umami Experience at East Van Roasters with Tamari caramel drinking chocolate made with 70% dark single-origin chocolate paired with wasabi chocolate almonds. Or how about a Black Lavender from Gem Chocolates with French lavender-infused hot chocolate blended with blackberry, accompanied by Gem’s popular Lavender and Blackberry Chocolate? Spice it up with a Great Balls of Fire from Glenburn Soda with spicy cinnamon Callebaut milk chocolate infused with Fireball liqueur served with “fried” ice cream.

All of these flavours and more – 74 in fact – are offered at the following participating locations:

Partner Charities

Partial funds from the proceeds of the Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival will be shared with the following three charitable organizations – all of which seek to improve the lives of women and families in Vancouver:

The Downtown Eastside Women’s Job Training Program of the PHS Community Services Society, run by East Vancouver Roasters, and Fresh to Families, a project conceived by the Farmers Market Association and set up and managed under the VanCity Community Foundation. The third partner charity this year is Growing Chefs Society. They pair teams of chef and community volunteers with elementary school classrooms to grow vegetable gardens, conduct cooking lessons, and get kids excited about healthy food and food systems.

Follow the Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for all the latest updates.

SilverStar Mountain Resort is offering up the ultimate contest – Experience the Okanagan – a three-season prize worth over $7,500, and it’s a fun lover’s dream.

The contest, which closes January 31, 2019 at 11:59pm, lets you explore the region during the winter, summer and spring or fall, whichever bridge season works for you. This amazing package includes a SilverStar ski and stay package, a houseboat rental and a SilverStar bike and stay package.

Click here and enter today!

Silverstar. Photo credit: Blake Jorgenson.

Imagine yourself hitting the slopes of SilverStar and enjoying as many of its 132 runs as you can handle in one trip this winter. Off the slopes, there’s a myriad of activities to entertain and enjoy. The colourful village offers a excellent selection of dining and retail options, plus spa and fitness centres to pamper and stretch out your muscles.

Visit SnowSeekers and discover more about these awesome activities »

Houseboating the Shuswap.
Photo credit: Steve MacNaull.

Tool around Shuswap Lake in a luxury houseboat and enjoy the amazing scenery – beautiful in both spring and fall. With 1,100 kilometres of shoreline, there’s plenty of exploring to be done, or stay onboard and just enjoy life from the deck with a chilled bevvie close by.

But… between the onboard waterslide and the crystal-clear waters, there’s no ignoring the fun side of houseboating.

Once the summer sun hits, SilverStar has leafed out, creating a green canopy over some of the 125kms of bike trails that are just waiting for you.

Bike Silverstar. Photo credit Mark Matthews.

The trails offer something for everyone and every level, and with a chairlift to whisk you to the top, the uphill ride gives you an opportunity to sit back and enjoy the amazing vistas. If biking is not your thing, there’s plenty of hiking opportunities too.

If you want your 2019 vacation getaways looked after in one go, make sure to enter this contest. It is the ultimate way to experience the Okanagan and SilverStar. Good luck!

For full contest details and even more inspiration for your next Okanagan getaway, read and follow SnowSeekers.

Vancouver TheatreSports™ (“VTS”) rocks the laughs with its annual improv celebration, Throwdown – International TheatreSports Festival, at The Improv Centre on Granville Island from Wednesday, January 2 to Sunday, January 27, 2019.

Throwdown – International TheatreSports Festival

Where: The Improv Centre, 1502 Duranleau St, Vancouver
When: Wednesday, January 2 to Sunday, January 27, 2019
Tickets: Tickets are available online

Throwdown – International TheatreSports Festival welcomes TheatreSports™ teams from other cities who bring their ‘A-Game’ to head-to-head matches with each other including local teams comprised of VTS’ top improvisers.

Local teams comprised of VTS ensemble members play in a classic TheatreSports™ round-robin competition for bragging rights of the best team in Vancouver. The laughs start to flow based on suggestions from the audience, and things can quickly become quite partisan as audience members cheer on their favourite performers. As in all classic TheatreSports™ matches, the final outcome is determined by audience judges scoring each of the ‘games’ within a match. The team with the most points wins.

January 22 to 27 welcomes the four U.S. teams in a series of hilarious matches and showcases designed to banish even the gloomiest of times. The lineup features: Sak Comedy Lab – Orlando, Florida (returning champions); Curious Comedy Theatre – Portland, Oregon; On the Spot Improv – Honolulu, Hawaii; Upfront Theatre – Bellingham, Washington.

On the last evening, January 27, the winners of the international competitions play with the local victors from the previous weeks in a winner-takes-all laugh fest. Get your tickets now and beat the winter blahs!

For more information follow Vancouver TheatreSports on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

In the depths of the post-holiday doldrums, the creators of the hugely popular Chilliwack Tulip Festival will bring beauty, colour, and a spirit of giving to the Lower Mainland — with the first-ever I Heart Tulips event in support of Variety – the Children’s Charity.

I Heart Tulips

When: Saturday, January 26, 2019 10:00am to 3:00pm
Where: The Grand Court at Metropolis at Metrotown (4700 Kingsway, Burnaby)
RSVP on Facebook for more info »

I Heart Tulips will see an enormous, one-day-only installation of 10,000 live red and white tulips taking over Metropolis’ Grand Court. Sponsored by Onos Greenhouses Ltd., along with Tulips of the Valley (which runs the Chilliwack Tulip Festival and the Chilliwack Sunflower Festival), the installation will be arranged in the shape of a red heart surrounded by white, forming an awe-inspiring floral tapestry.

The installation may be viewed from all three levels of the mall, from 10:00am to 1:00pm. From 1:00pm to 1:30pm, children supported by Variety – the Children’s Charity will be invited to pick tulips. After 1:30pm, the public will be invited to take their pick of the tulips to bring home, with a minimum donation of only $5 for five tulips. The event will continue until all of the 10,000 tulips have been picked.

All proceeds will go to Variety – the Children’s Charity, a favourite cause of Kate Onos-Gilbert, co-founder of Tulips of the Valley. Variety – the Children’s Charity has been providing direct help to BC children with special needs for more than 50 years.

I Heart Tulips will also include a tulip selfie stand, photo frames, and the opportunity to take pictures with Tilly, the tulip mascot. Other pre-cut tulips will also be available (by donation), and all tulips may be wrapped on site for easy transport. As well, visitors will be invited to enter a draw to win tickets to the 2019 Chilliwack Tulip Festival, taking place in April.

Tulips of the Valley is the operator of the Chilliwack Tulip Festival and the Chilliwack Sunflower Festival. The Chilliwack Tulip Festival takes place over a 5-week period, usually in April, sometimes into May, depending on the weather. The Chilliwack Sunflower Festival takes place from August to September.

Miss604’s Rebecca Bollwitt is Secretary of the Board of Directors of Variety – The Children’s Charity of BC and the Social Lounge sponsor of the Show of Hearts Telethon