It’s full steam ahead to holiday season with markets, craft fairs, lighting displays and more family fun on the horizon. Here’s what’s happening around Vancouver this weekend:
The Barra MacNeils — Canada’s “first family of Celtic music” — herald the arrival of the 2018 holiday season by bringing their East Coast Christmas Tour to North Vancouver’s Centennial Theatre for an evening of world-renowned sibling harmonies and the signature beauty of Gaelic song. This concert marks the first time the group have performed in North Vancouver in their almost 40-year history!
The Barra MacNeils East Coast Christmas Tour
When: Thursday, November 22, 2018 at 7:30pm Where: Centennial Theatre (2300 Lonsdale Avenue, North Vancouver) Tickets: Tickets are $48 ($43 for children ages 4 – 12, and for groups of 10 or more) including box office fees and taxes, and are available online or by calling (604) 984-4484.
The MacNeils — Lucy, Boyd, Stewart, Kyle and Sheumas — began performing together as children in 1980, in their native Sydney Mines, Nova Scotia. (The name “Barra” comes from an island in Scotland that is the family’s ancestral home.) Since then, the group have released more than a dozen acclaimed albums (including 1993’s gold-selling Closer to Paradise), won countless awards, and toured North America, Europe and the Caribbean. Their repertoire combines original material and beloved traditional songs, spanning Celtic and North American folk, country and pop. The family’s instrumental brilliance, honed throughout the decades, sees them playing the diverse likes of mandolin, tin whistle, fiddle, bouzouki, acoustic and electric guitar, piano, and various percussion instruments.
For their East Coast Christmas tour, the Barra MacNeils present a musical potpourri of traditional family favourites gleaned from Christmas ceilidhs, midnight masses and down-home festive frolic, steeped in Cape Breton tradition with strong Celtic roots. The result is a Christmas concert unlike any other of the season: one moment a rousing chorus; then a hauntingly beautiful Gaelic ballad; the next, a flurry of foot-stomping tunes that turns into step-dancing revelry.
Win Tickets
I have a pair of tickets to give away to this fun and festive show. Here’s how you can enter to win:
Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
Click below to get another entry by posting on Twitter:
[clickToTweet tweet=”RT to enter to win tickets to the @BarraMacNeils live in #NorthVan for their #EastCoastChristmasTour http://ow.ly/TuyF30mCEhw” quote=” Click to enter via Twitter” theme=”style6″]
I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 10:00am on Saturday, November 17, 2018. Follow the Barra MacNeils on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for more info about the tour.
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by Rebecca BollwittDisclosure: Sponsored Post — Sponsored by Abbotsford's own Slap Communications Please review the Policy & Disclosure section for further information.
The Fraser Valley is full of Christmas cheer and at its heart is Abbotsford‘s artisans, retailers, farms, and markets. Enjoy festive family-friendly events, unique shopping opportunities, and the very best memory-making opportunities. Here are 5 events to inspire, delight, and enchant your holiday season in the Fraser Valley:
Highstreet’s Holiday Show
Where: Highstreet Shopping Centre (3122 Mount Lehman Road) When: Saturday, November 17, 2018 at 5:00pm
Details: Free! The Fraser Valley’s biggest and brightest holiday show! Highlights include the lighting of a dazzling 65 foot Christmas tree, one of the tallest in Canada, along with Santa’s arrival to Highstreet on November 17th. Weekly holiday shows will include 30 minutes of entertainment with the MEI Screaming Eagles Marching Band, Project Dance, Rudolf, Frosty, Spandy Andy, and of course Santa! Free live shows every Saturday at 5:00pm until December 15th. Read more »
Abbotsford Historic Downtown Lighting
Where: Downtown Abbotsford (2633C Montrose Ave) When: Saturday, December 1, 2018 5:00pm to 9:00pm
Details: Free! Abbotsford sees its second Christmas tree lighting at Winter Jubilee. Highlights include the arrival of Santa and Mrs. Claus, live entertainment, a craft beer and wine garden, children’s activities, photos with Santa, an artisan marketplace, carollers, FIREWORKS and more. Valley Collective Farm Market will also host a ticketed Christmas event on November 30th and December 1st as part of the Historic Downtown lighting and festivities. Read more »
Maan Farms Christmas
Where: Maan Farms (790 McKenzie Rd, Abbotsford) When: November 24-25; December 1-2, 8-9, 2018
Details: Three weekends, three themes! Love & Briadl November 24th & 25th, Food & Wine December 1st & 2nd, and Cheer & Gifts December 8th and 9th. Every weekend the Christmas Market Series will include: More than 50 vendors, breakfast with Elsa and Anna, food trucks, photos with Santa, festive activities, cooking demo from Mama Maan, gift wrapping station, samples from the kitchen, mulled wine, egg nog, visits from Mrs Claus, and more! Read more »
Mt Lehman Sojourn in the Country
Where:Various locations When: November 8 – December 8, 2018
Details: Escape with Mt. Lehman Sojourn in the Country – a collaborative of like-minded, quality vendors located in the Mt. Lehman area of Abbotsford whose passion is for you to experience the very best of country living Abbotsford has to offer. Do Cookie Decorating with Santa and Mrs. Claus (November 24th) or shop the Christmas Artisan Market Glenda’s Christmas Cottage (December 8th), and visit the Tanglebank Christmas Open House (November 24th & December 8th). Visit Seaside Pearl and Mt Lehman wineries, and book a staycation at Brookside Inn. Read more »
Harrison’s Lights on the Lake
Where: Harrison Lakefront When: November 24th, 2018 to January 28th, 2019
Details: Free! Lights on the Lake is a Sasquatch-themed festival, sharing Harrison’s favourite ways to spend time outdoors. Feature light displays include the legendary, mythical creature hiking, biking, paddling, skiing, fishing, camping, wind surfing, and wishing visitors a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. The inaugural lighting occurs at 5:30pm on Saturday, November 24th with pre-lighting festivities including complimentary hot chocolate and treats, a roving Sasquatch, and a few other surprises. Open 7 days a week from dusk until 11:00pm. Make a staycation out of it! Check out deals and festivities at the Harrison Beach Hotel and Harrison Hot Springs Resort Read more »
Follow Tourism Abbotsford on Twitter and Facebook for all the latest news and events.
BC’s largest outdoor carolling competition, Yule Duel, returns to the streets of Gastown for a fourth consecutive year. Hundreds of voices from more than 20 of Vancouver’s best choirs will again echo down the cobblestone streets in support of May’s Place Hospice.
Yule Duel Choir Battle in Gastown
Where: Water Street in Gastown When: Thursday, December 6, 2018 6:00pm to 9:00pm Admission: FREE! RSVP on Facebook here »
Yule Duel attracts thousands of spectators each year, and it’s quite the sight! Visitors wandering down Water Street will see 20 choirs with singers of all ages stationed along the way. They’ll be performing holiday season favorites sung in a range of languages and choral styles including rock, pop, gospel, and barbershop, as each choir tries to stave off elimination in the competition.
For a donation of $5.00, spectators can buy voting ballots to help their favourite choirs get into the finals for the dueling sing-offs. Funds raised will go to May’s Place, a hospice providing compassionate end-of-life care to the most vulnerable in Vancouver’s downtown eastside.
The evening includes special mainstage performances by Dutch Robinson and The Marcus Mosely Chorale.
Spark your holiday spirit as you explore over 17,000 square feet of Christmas warmth and inspiration showcased in a beautiful, historic Edwardian mansion at Christmas at Hycroft, November 15-18, 2018. Enjoy the seasonal splendour of the courtyard and all three floors of Hycroft, while taking in the fabulous entertainment highlighted by evening performances.
Christmas at Hycroft 2018
Where: Hycroft Manor (1489 McRae Ave, Vancouver) When: November 15 to 18, 2018 open daily 11:00am to 9:00pm (Sunday until 6:00pm) Tickets: Admission is $15 for adults. Children 12 years and younger are admitted free of charge when accompanied by an adult. Tickets are only available at the front gates.
Inside you’ll find a variety of boutiques, crafters and over 25 local artisans. Outside in the courtyard, find live entertainment, and more vendors. Located in the Coach House, find treats made by the legendary Hycroft Kitchen Creations Team, including Christmas puddings, mincemeat, to-die-for lemon curd, renowned lemon lentil soup and freshly baked goodies.
Located in Hycroft’s magnificent Ballroom, shop original, personal gifts that will help you check off names from your Christmas list. Along the main floor of the manor, the Foyer, Drawing Room, Living Room, Oak Room, Green Solarium, Terrace Bistro, Library, Dining Room and Blue Solarium will all be beautifully decorated and themed for the season. You can relax in the Drawing Room in front of the large ornate fireplace and enjoy your stay over any number of talented entertainers. Psst… and check into the Speakeasy downstairs for a cold brew, a little sherry or a nice glass of wine.
