One of the top hotels in Canada, wineries, farms, and festivals can all be found in Abbotsford, just a hop, skip and a jump down the highway from the bustling cityscape of Metro Vancouver. If you’re looking for a staycation that combines the accessibility and great foodie options of the city with the charm, sights, scenes, and farm-to-table goodness of the country then this post is for you!
5 Ways to Enjoy an Abbotsford Staycation
Enjoy a Festival
On Now: Bloom Tulip Festival »
More Festivals: Tourism Abbotsford Calendar »
As someone who publishes a list of 300-600 events every month, I know for a fact that there’s no shortage of fun things to do in the Fraser Valley! Right now the hot ticket is the beautiful Bloom Tulip Festival, open daily and home to seemingly endless Instagram photo ops. Visit and stroll through the millions of bulbs, enjoy games and snacks, and of course purchase some flowers too.
Stop by the new grove of white cross tulips that have been officially named “Peter’s Legacy” after Peter Warmerdam, grandfather of Alexis Warmerdam who now runs the tulip festival.
Peter immigrated from the Netherlands and settled in the Fraser Valley in 1950, bringing his Dutch heritage, horticultural knowledge and farming experience to the Bradner and Sumas Prairie areas over the last 60 years. Continue reading this post ⟩⟩
The SKOOKUM Festival single day lineup has just been released! SKOOKUM is a new festival experience that will take to Stanley Park September 7-9, 2018 featuring daily headliners The Killers, Florence + The Machine, and Arkells.
SKOOKUM Festival Single Day Lineup
Single day tickets will be available to the general public on Friday, April 20, 2018. There are a few pre-sales on Thursday. Weekend passes are $319 (all prices listed are subject to applicable service charges & fees), here’s the full rundown:
Friday, September 7, Gates: 4:00pm
FRIDAY – TIER 1 CA$114 TIER 2 CA$139 get tickets »
ARKELLS
Chromeo • Dear Rouge • Matt Mays • Delhi 2 Dublin
Black Pistol Fire • The Julian Taylor Band • Little Destroyer
Shred Kelly • Mob Bounce • The Carnival Band • Zynth & Co
Saturday, September 8, Gates: 12:00pm
SATURDAY – TIER 1 CA$169 TIER 2 CA$199 get tickets »
FLORENCE + THE MACHINE
Metric • The War on Drugs • St. Vincent • Rodrigo y Gabriela
Milky Chance • Stereophonics • Current Swell • Said The Whale
The Zolas • Matt Andersen • Hey Ocean! • Midnight Shine
The Matinée • Murray Porter • Snotty Nose Rez Kids • Bitterly Divine
Sunday, September 9, Gates: 12:00pm
SUNDAY – TIER 1 CA$169 TIER 2 CA$199 get tickets »
THE KILLERS
Father John Misty • Blue Rodeo • Mother Mother • Bahamas
Greta Van Fleet • Buffy Sainte-Marie • Cold War Kids • Whitehorse
Yukon Blonde • Barney Bentall • Crystal Shawanda • Belle Game
The Boom Booms feat Ta’Kaiya Blaney • William Prince
daysormay • Kelly Derrickson
The inaugural three-day festival is produced by BRANDLIVE in collaboration with Virgin Mobile and will feature over 50 stage performances by some of the biggest names in music today, live and multimedia art installations; gourmet culinary experiences from some of Vancouver’s most acclaimed restaurants; pop-up and roaming entertainment and tasting areas showcasing some of the best BC wines, locally brewed craft beer as well as select offerings from local area craft distilleries.
For more information, follow SKOOKUM on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter with the tag #SkookumFestival.
Colin Mochrie, Vancouver TheatreSports™ (“VTSL”) alumnus, and star of Whose Line Is It Anyway, returns this May to Vancouver TheatreSports for three laugh-packed performances. We love enjoying a great night of improv comedy in Vancouver and this is an amazing opportunity to see a Canadian comedy icon live on stage!
VTSL Presents Colin Mochrie in Vancouver
COLIN UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL
Get tickets »
Thursday, May 24,2018 at 7:30pm
The Improv Centre (1502 Duranleau St, Granville Island, Vancouver)
The first performance takes place at VTSL’s home theatre on Granville Island – The Improv Centre. This is your chance to see Colin up close and catch every expressive comedic nuance in an intimate space. This very special evening includes two improv sets starring Colin, along with members of the VTSL ensemble, followed by a Q&A session where audience members ask the questions. There are also a very limited number of tickets (only 40) for an exclusive, post-performance reception where guests will personally meet, and socialize with Colin at The Improv Centre’s Neil Macrae Bar & Lounge.
That evening the Bar will be introducing ‘The Colin’ – a cocktail specially designed in Colin’s honour based on his favourite alcoholic beverage – red wine.
THE COLIN MOCHRIE EXPERIENCE
Get tickets »
Friday, May 25, 2018 at 7:30pm
The Vogue Theatre (918 Granville St, Vancouver)
Friday night sees Colin take the stage at The Vogue Theatre, located in the heart of Vancouver’s Entertainment District. This performance once again features the improv master with some of your favourite VTSL players in a free-wheeling improv laugh-fest.
COLIN AND FRIENDS
Get tickets »
Saturday, May 26, 2018 at 7:30pm & 9:30pm
The Improv Centre (1502 Duranleau St, Granville Island, Vancouver)
On Saturday, Colin returns to The Improv Centre, VTSL’s home on Granville Island. Seating only 186 people in a mixture of cabaret and theatre seats, The Improv Centre is a very welcoming experience where every seat is a great seat. Colin will be joined on stage by improvisers from the Vancouver TheatreSports ensemble for an evening that is sure to tickle your funny bone. The Improv Centre is fully-licensed and guests are welcome to take their beverages with them into the theatre to enjoy during the show.
Also of note – it is rumoured that another VTSL alum and Whose Line Is It Anyway star (whose initials are R.S.) may join Colin on stage in a surprise appearance for one or two of these performances. While we can’t guarantee it, it has happened before, most recently this past January at VTSL’s Throwdown Festival.
All performances benefit the Colin Mochrie Scholarship Fund at VTSL’s theatre school, The Improv Comedy Institute. Established in 2014, the scholarship provides assistance to those wishing to study improv but are unable to do so because of financial barriers.
Follow VTSL on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube for more info.
With just a few days of sunshine recently, the tulips are ready to pop! This weekend there are markets, parades, Earth Day celebrations, theatre shows, and much more all happening across the region.
Things to do in Vancouver This Weekend
Friday, April 20, 2018
True or Fish? After Hours at the Vancouver Aquarium
Make It! Vancouver
Illumination Series with Dillon Francis
Good Noise Gala – Soul Edition!
Spring Pottery Sale
Pacific Theatre Presents Love/Sick
Vagabond Players Presents: 4000 Miles
The Arts Club Presents: Misery
Gateway Theatre Presents: Nine Dragons
Collected Traces and Still Here
Art! Vancouver
Vancouver Web Fest
Royal City Musical Theatre Presents Cabaret
Tulip Festivals in the Fraser Valley Continue reading this post ⟩⟩
The circus in general is celebrating its 250th anniversary this year but it sure has come a long way. No longer featuring animals, the circus today is about acrobatics, gymnastics, aerial displays and athleticism – especially when it comes to Circa. Australia’s answer to Cirque du Soleil, Circa is coming to Vancouver, bringing its brand of performance art to The Chan Centre on April 28th.
Justin Nicholas, Atmosphere Photography
Chan Centre Presents Circa: Opus
When: Saturday, April 28, 2018 at 8:00pm
Where: Chan Centre for the Performing Arts (UBC, 6265 Crescent Road)
Tickets: Fro $46. Available by calling 604-822-2697, going online, or visiting the Chan Centre ticket office.
Since forming in Brisbane, Australia in 2004, Circa has become an international sensation, being called to perform in more than 35 countries. In Opus, 14 acrobats—some of whom will be suspended from the Chan Centre ceiling—will perform gravity-defying feats as they interact with the four musicians of France’s esteemed Debussy String Quartet. This genre-defying work pushes the boundaries of ‘nouveau cirque’ to the stirring music of Dmitri Shostakovich.
Described by The Guardian as “truly virtuosic,” Circa is led by Australia-based contemporary circus visionary Yaron Lifschitz. Featuring an ensemble of exceptional, multi-skilled performing artists from Australia and beyond, Circa’s award-winning works have been praised by critics for stretching the perceptions of traditional circus.
Enter to Win
The Chan Centre has offered up a pair of tickets for a lucky Miss604 reader to see Circa: Opus. 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 see @CircaPresents Opus at the Chan Centre @ChanCentre http://ow.ly/VXRM30jyrUB” quote=” Click to enter via Twitter” theme=”style6″]
I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Monday, April 23, 2018. Follow The Chan Centre on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for more information about upcoming shows.
Update The winner is Alex!
