Are you looking for live music, dancing, family fun, and a ticket price of zero dollars? You are in luck! There is a handful of festivals around Metro Vancouver this summer and you won’t have to pay a thing to get in.

Burnaby Heights Hats Off Day

When: Saturday, June 3, 2017
Where: Hastings between Boundary & Gamma
Highlights: Hats Off Day is a huge, one-day extravaganza featuring a colourful main-street style parade followed by a big street party. The street is packed with nearly 100,000 families, friends, neighbours, and merchants each year!
More Info: Website | Facebook | Twitter

Unite! A Celebration of Canadian Multiculturalism

When: Tuesday, June 27, 2017
Where: North Point & West Promenade, Canada Place
Highlights: Engage with artisans and roaming performers, participate in a variety of interactive experiences, workshops, and creation stations as you make your way to the North Point for the main event. Popular performers including musicians, dancers and drummers. The day will finish off with a free concert on the stage at the North Point, featuring Alex Cuba and headliners Delhi 2 Dublin.
More Info: Website | Facebook

Italian Day on The Drive

When: Sunday, June 11, 2017
Where: Commercial Drive
Highlights: E Italian Day on The Drive represents the largest one day cultural street festival in the city – and perhaps in Canada – drawing over 350,000 enthusiastic attendees of all cultures and ages. It is a multi-cultural and community embrace under the Italian Day umbrella offering over 200 street participants comprised of: sponsors, merchants, retail booths, food vendors and restaurant patios, as well as stages with live music and theatre, street performers, classic cars, activities and displays, children’s amusement zones and more.
More Info: Website | Facebook | Twitter

Point Grey Fiesta

When: Saturday, June 17, 2017 (Carnival June 16-18)
Where: Trimble Park (2250 Trimble St, Vancouver)
Highlights: The Point Grey Fiesta is the community’s annual start-of-summer event for families and friends. Starting with a Saturday parade on West 10th avenue, the Saturday celebration continues in Trimble Park with stage performances, activities and exhibitors. Carnival rides in Trimble Park operate from Friday to Sunday. With the exception of the carnival rides and midway games, Fiesta entertainment and children’s activities are free of charge.
More Info: Website | Facebook

Lynn Valley Days

When: Friday, June 16 to Sunday, June 18, 2017
Where: Lynn Valley field
Highlights: Friday night is a gala under the big top tent; Saturday there is a family fair with carnival rides, and a dance; Sunday is a Father’s Day pancake breakfast.
More Info: Website | Facebook | Twitter

Car Free Day in Vancouver

When: June 17 & June 18, 2017 and July 9, 2017
Where: Main Street, West End, Kitsilano, and Commercial Drive
Highlights: 4 festivals, 3 days, 2 weekends of community block parties, live music, and more. Main Street spans 21 blocks and will have 15 stages; West End will be all along Denman from Robson to Davie, and there will be block parties all throughout Kitsilano.
More Info: Website | Facebook | Twitter

Khatsahlano Street Part

When: Saturday, July 8, 2017
Where: Along West 4th Ave in Kitsilano
Highlights: Khatsahlano, features multiple stages showcasing more than 50 of Vancouver’s top musical performers as well as the eclectic work of local artisans and street performers. This 10-block street fair, spanning from Burrard to MacDonald Street also features a wide variety of food options, bustling patios, giveaways, special activities, and licensed beer gardens. Catch The Zolas, DOA, Louise Burns, War Baby, Roots Roundup, Malcolm Jack, and more on stage.
More Info: Website | Facebook | Twitter

Carnaval del Sol

When: Saturday, July 8 & Sunday, July 9 2017
Where: 88 Pacific Blvd, North False Creek
Highlights: The largest latin carnaval in the Pacific Northwest. Live music, dancing, art, a beer plaza, a travel plaza with cooking demos, family plaza with fashion shows, kids plaza, food plaza and more.
More Info: Website | Facebook | Twitter

Honeybee Festival

When: Saturday July 15 & Sunday July 16, 2017
Where: Honeybee Centre (7480 176 St at Fraser Hwy, Surrey)
Highlights: Family fun, face painting, Beestro food, and live musical entertainment with Bee Beard Showcase and beekeeping demos to awe happy crowds.
More Info: Website | Facebook

Surrey Fusion Festival

When: Saturday, July 22 & Sunday, July 23, 2017
Where: Holland Park, Surrey
Highlights: Nelly Furtado will be headlining this year’s festival and the full lineup will be announced soon. Enjoy activities, crafts, food, and demos from dozens of vendors and over 40 cultural pavilions. Over 70 performances will be scheduled on 4 stages throughout the two-day festival.
More Info: Website | Facebook | Twitter

Columbia StrEAT Food Truck Festival

When: Saturday, July 29, 2017
Where: Downtown New Westminster
Highlights: The largest one day food truck festival in Canada! Join 120,000 other attendees for this street festival, admission is free. Then, purchase snacks and meals from Vij’s Railway Express, Tacofino Vancouver, JAPADOG, Flying Fish N Chipper, Feastro Taco Truck & Catering, and many more.
More Info: Website | Facebook | Twitter

Celebration of Light & Park Stage at Second Beach

When: Saturday, July 29; Wednesday, August 2; Saturday, August 5
Where: Second Beach, Stanley Park
Highlights: New this year! The Celebration of Music at Second Beach in Stanley Park taking place all 3 days of the Celebration of Light. The Park Stage at Second Beach will host areas to view the fireworks at English Bay and an array of performers along with food and drinks. Programming announcements coming soon.
More Info: Website | Facebook | Twitter

Harmony Arts Festival

When: August 4-13, 2017
Where: West Vancouver’s waterfront, between 14th & 17th St on Argyle Ave
Highlights: Details coming soon for the 27th annual event. All but two events are FREE. Enjoy visual art exhibit, art market (two weekends), outdoor concerts on two stages, licensed beachside restaurant spaces in the heart of the action, variety of food vendors and delicious treats, drop-in art activities for both kids and adults.
More Info: Website | Facebook | Twitter

Kaleidoscope Arts Festival

When: Saturday, August 12, 2017
Where: Town Centre Park, Coquitlam
Highlights: Featuring Bif Naked, The Matinee, and more live entertainment. Savour the flavours of the local food truck and craft brew scene, enjoy the very best of mucic and dance, and check out the handiworks at the artisan fair.
More Info: Website | Facebook | Twitter

Have more to add? Send in your event and festival info for a free listing in Miss604’s monthly event roundup or to be included in this post.

Good Noise Vancouver Gospel Choir (“GNVGC”) presents Soul Gospel 2, the second concert uniting two influential and inspiring genres on June 3rd at Christ Church Cathedral.

Vancouver’s own JUNO-nominated vocalist Warren Dean Flandez lends his dark, rich tone, and silky, smooth falsetto to the 90 voices of Good Noise, performing his own original works as well as hits made famous by such stars as Al Green, Stevie Wonder, Sam Cooke, and more.

• What: Good Noise Vancouver Gospel Choir presents Soul Gospel 2 with Warren Dean Flandez
• Where: Christ Church Cathedral (690 Burrard St, Vancouver)
• When: June 3, 2017 @ 3:00pm & 7:30pm
• Tickets: Available online now for the 3:00pm show and the 7:30pm show or by calling 1-800-838-3006.

An artist described as “soulfully charged”, Warren Dean Flandez continues on his trajectory to fame thanks to his 2017 JUNO nominated album, Eternally Grateful. The record, which was in the running for ‘Contemporary Christian/Gospel Album of the Year’, earned praise across the country by critics who were charmed by the singer’s “wide vocal range and killer beats.” In March 2017, Flandez also scooped up two Covenant Awards given by the Gospel Music Association of Canada, winning ‘Urban Song of the Year’ for Never Dim My Light and ‘Gospel Song of the Year’ for Joy!

Flandez’ enigmatic sound and undeniably funky style garnered him further recognition by the industry. In 2011, he released his debut album, Vintage Love, a collaborative effort with award-winning producer Mike Southworth featuring contributions from R&B songstress Divine Brown, Printz Board (Black Eyed Peas), Andrea Martin (Roc Nation), and other acclaimed artists. Flandez returned to his gospel roots in 2016 with the EP, What the World Needs Now. Upon its release, the record shot to No. 2 on the iTunes Inspirational Charts Top 100.

Photo by Brice Ferre Studio

The 90-voice GNVGC has a membership that includes singers from across the Lower Mainland, from the North Shore to Abbotsford and every town in between. Members of the choir come from a diversity of faith traditions (or none at all) sharing a common love of singing gospel and popular music. GNVGC is currently choir-in-residence at one of downtown Vancouver’s finest historic venues, Christ Church Cathedral.

Win Tickets to Soul Gospel II with Warren Dean Flandez

I have a pair of tickets to give away to the evening performance at 7:30pm. Here’s how you can enter to win:

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

[clickToTweet tweet=”RT to enter to win tickets to @goodnoisevgc #SoulGospel2 ft @wdflandez http://owl.li/jtVC30bR0TZ” quote=” Click to enter via Twitter” theme=”style6″]

Follow Good Noise Vancouver on Facebook and Twitter for more info about upcoming shows.

I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 9:00pm on Wednesday, May 24, 2017.

Update The winner is Rob Bear!

Two of my favourite local organizations are teaming up for an amazing initiative! Vancouver Whitecaps FC has launched the 4th annual #BuckUp for Mental Health campaign in support of Covenant House Vancouver. The campaign started this week and it will culminate at the match on Saturday, June 3rd when Whitecaps FC take on Atlanta United FC at BC Place.

This year, the ‘Caps are aiming to raise $50,000 in support of Covenant House Vancouver and their mental health programs. There are more ways than ever to get involved in #BuckUp for Mental Health:

1. Raffle: New this year is a raffle with only 1,000 tickets available at a cost of $20 each. The grand prize is a pair of roundtrip tickets anywhere WestJet flies. Order raffle tickets online here.
2. Auction: Fans can bid on one-of-a-kind experiences and unique items with all proceeds benefitting the campaign and Covenant House Vancouver.
3. Donate: At the match on June 3 or online.

“A few dollars may not seem like much,” said Whitecaps FC president Bob Lenarduzzi, “but when we all come together for this worthwhile cause, we can make a big difference in the lives of some of the most vulnerable youth in our community.”

Funds raised through #BuckUp for Mental Health will be donated to Whitecaps FC community partner Covenant House Vancouver, which serves more than 1,300 homeless youth who access their services every year, many of whom struggle with mental illness.

BC’s beloved rocker, Bif Naked, will perform a free outdoor concert in Coquitlam this summer as part of the city’s highly anticipated Kaleidoscope Arts Festival. Celebrate the arts, savour the flavours of the local food truck and craft brew scene, enjoy the best of music and dance, and check out the handiworks at the artisan fair.

Kaleidoscope Arts Festival in Coquitlam

Where: Town Centre Park next to Lafarge Lake-Douglas SkyTrain station
When: Saturday, August 12, 2017 from 2:00pm to 10:00pm
Tickets: FREE! All ages.

Bif Naked will headline on the Plaza Stage, sponsored by Coast Capital Savings and featuring musical acts throughout the day at the amphitheatre-style Town Centre Park Plaza, overlooking scenic Lafarge Lake.

Bif Naked embarked on a cross-country ‘Songs and Stories’ tour in 2016 following the release of her new book, I, Bificus. With her nine albums, a long list of hits, videos and her new book tucked under her arm, Bif will be rocking the Kaleidoscope stage.

Local roots-rockers The Matinee are also in the lineup. There will be plenty of activities for children, too, including arts, crafts and performances that will pique the imagination. Event-goers are told to expect surprises at every turn.

Explore and Share

Pick up your copy of the Coquitlam 2017 Travel & Adventure Guide at any City facility, or read it online, and share your photos online using #explorecoquitlam.

Miss604 is proud to be the Social Media Partner of the Kaleidoscope Arts Festival

It was a gloriously (rare) sunny weekend in April when John and I hopped into the Ford Fusion Energi to go on an adventure. First stop, the farmers market for picnic provisions. Next stop, a local park with trails, streams, and a spot to eat our locally-acquired lunch.

I recently had the opportunity to take the Ford Energi Fusion for a spin. It’s a hybrid you can also plug in to to charge like a full EV and there’s also regenerative braking, which means I love watching the battery power tick up when I brake or coast down hills.

Apple CarPlay engaged when I plugged in my phone, switching from Ford’s SYNC system, which was very handy, and every time you parked the car and turned off the engine the system would thank you for driving a hybrid and tell you how long it would take to return to a full charge. How polite!

We decided that this green machine would lead us to an afternoon in nature and it also inspired me to pick out 5 Picnic Spots in Metro Vancouver:

Belcarra Regional Park
Forested trails, rocky beaches and mountain views. Trails range from easy to challenging for hikers, cyclists and horseback riders. The rocky shores are home to a rich variety of marine life and there are great photo ops and views from the pier. Nearby Sasamat Lake is also popular.

• Stock up at the Poirier Street Market on Sundays.

Photo credit: BillXu Photos on Flickr

Campbell Valley Regional Park
Grassland vistas, forest boardwalks, and wetlands make this regional park great habitat for wildlife, from songbirds to salmon to squirrels and more.

• Fuel up at the Langley Farm Market, or the legendary Krause Berry Farms.

Minnekhada Regional Park

Forest, marsh and rocky outcrops make this regional park a gem to explore any time of year. The network of quiet trails are great places to hike and watch for wildlife.

• Hop over to Hopcott Market & Bistro.

A post shared by Marion Sherback (@justanucksgirl) on Oct 21, 2016 at 12:05pm PDT

Derby Reach Regional Park
Located on the banks of the Fraser River, the day use areas have picnic tables and washrooms. Explore the riverside, historic buildings, and heritage apple trees.

• Shop the Fort Langley Farmers Market on Saturdays.

Boundary Bay Regional Park

Set up at Centennial Beach or take to the wide open Dyke Trail with its big views. Within the Pacific Flyway, this regional park is also a mecca for birds (and birders).

• Check out Farmers Market Sundays in Ladner Village or visit Westham Island Herb Farm.

Related Posts: Metro Vancouver Park Series, 5 Staycations Around Metro Vancouver »