Vancouver Whitecaps FC is off to the MLS Cup Playoffs with the first knock-out round match happening on Wednesday, October 25, 2017 at BC Place. To celebrate the team and its achievements this season, City of Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson will proclaim Monday, October 23, 2017 as Whitecaps Day in Vancouver. Additionally, Robson Street will be renamed as Whitecaps Way for the duration of the 2017 MLS Cup Playoffs.
Whitecaps Day in Vancouver
Where: Robson at Granville, north east corner
When: Proclamation event Monday, October 23, 2017 at 1:30pm
Hosted by club legend Carl Valentine, this afternoon’s event will see the unveiling of a Whitecaps Way street sign and President Bob Lenarduzzi will present Mayor Robertson with a jersey.
On Wednesday, Vancouver Whitecaps FC will host San Jose Earthquakes at BC Place in the 2017 MLS Cup Playoffs Knockout Round. Kickoff is at 7:30pm. Tickets are available online now.
“There’s a buzz of excitement around the city as the playoffs approach, and we thank the City of Vancouver and Mayor Robertson for their support,” Lenarduzzi said. “Our rally cry for the playoffs is #ForVancouver, and the team is really looking forward to making the city proud.”
The ‘Caps concluded one of the best regular seasons in club MLS history on Sunday, finishing with a 15W-12L-7D record. Should they advance to the Conference Semifinals, they resume their MLS Cup Playoffs run when they host Seattle Sounders FC. The first leg of the Conference Semifinals is scheduled for Sunday, October 29 or Tuesday, October 31. Match details will be announced after the Wednesday, October 25 match versus San Jose Earthquakes.
Follow Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Twitter and Facebook for more information.
The Gathering Place presents the 2017 Festival of Hallows on Tuesday, October 31st. In the Spirit of Day of the Dead (Dia de Los Muertos) and Halloween, the Festival of Hallows honours and memorialized deceased friends, loved ones, volunteers, ancestors and community members.
Taking place in Emery Barnes Park, shrines for the dead will be installed throughout the park. Made by community members for community members, each shrine honours one or more person or group of people who have passed away.
Festival of Hallows in Yaletown
Where: Emery Barnes Park (Davie and Seymour Streets)
When: Tuesday October 31, 2017 from 5:00pm to 9:00pm
The Festival of Hallows is inclusive and open to all cultures and practices that honour ancestors. Anyone interested in a presentation on shrines, shrine building, or sharing other cultural practices can contact the community centre at, 609 Helmcken Street, Vancouver or call (604) 665-2391.
Community shrines will be made that honour victims of HIV (Aids Memorial, by Positive Living), the victims of the Mexican Earthquakes (with approval and participation from the Mexican Consul), Community Volunteers (Gathering Place), along with plans to include shrines for the aboriginal community, victims of the Fentanyl crisis, Iranian community members, and personal shrines by street youth and others.
Everyone is invited to bring a small personal shrine (candles in a decorated glass jar, flowers or a shoe box shrine) to honour beloved family members, friends, or others.
Other activities include Halloween Candies and Games for children, a Candle Labyrinth Walk, Pumpkin Carving, Live Music by Mariachi Los Dorados, the Carnival Band, and the Robin Layne Band, Costume Characters, Stilt Dancers, Food, and more. Everyone is encouraged to come in costume.
The Festival is produced by the Gathering Place Community Centre (609 Helmcken St) and the Downtown South Gathering Place Community Centre Association. The Gathering Place Community Centre serves vulnerable and disadvantaged inner-city community members by providing free and low cost art, social, recreation, and health programs and services.
Returning to Greater Vancouver for the first time since 2010, Menopause the Musical will take to the stage at the Bell Performing Arts Centre in Surrey, and at the Vogue Theatre in Vancouver this week. It’s the longest-running scripted musical in Las Vegas history, and there’s a reason why it’s so successful: It’s the ultimate girls’ night!
Menopause the Musical
Set in a department store, four women with nothing in common but a black lace bra… come to realize they have more to share than ever imagined. The All -Star Canadian cast makes fun of their hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, wrinkles, not enough sex, too much sex, chocolate binges and a whole lot more.
When Thursday, October 26, 2017 @ 8:00pm
Where: Vogue Theatre (918 Granville St, Vancouver)
When: Friday, October 27, 2017 @ 8:00pm SOLD OUT!
Where: Bell Performing Arts Centre (6250 – 144th St, Surrey)
When: Sunday, October 29, 2017 @ 7:00pm
Where: Bell Performing Arts Centre (6250 – 144th St, Surrey)
Tickets are available now for Vancouver and the second night in Surrey.
Written by a woman (Jeanie Linders) for women, the show features 25 hits of the 60s, 70s, and 80s. I spoke with the show’s producer, Mark Zimmerman, about how he brought Menopause the Musical to Canada a dozen years ago and how it continues to be such a success.
“It’s so relatable,” Mark told me over the phone from the show’s Kelowna stop. “I think also why it is so successful is that years ago menopause was somewhat in the closet, certainly my parents never talked about it.”
He says that what happens is that women no longer see themselves as alone, going through this change of life alone.
“In the four characters on stage, they see themselves.”
When Mark first brought Menopause the Musical from Las Vegas to Toronto, it played for 513 consecutive shows. It’s now traveling across Canada with half a dozen stops in BC.
“It’s impossible not to laugh!”
THE NEW YORK TIMES
“Not only do the actors bond on stage and become best of friends through the show, but the women in the audience become almost like a sisterhood and they bond over the relatedness of the topic.”
While the subject matter is for women, by women, and at some theatres even serve up whimsical cocktails like the Menopaus-litan, and Estro-gin and Tonic, men are of course welcome at the show too.
“Yes there are small numbers of men in the audience, but men do love the show. They actually walk away with a closer appreciation of what their partner is going through because they see how similar these symptoms are and what the change of life holds. It brings people closer together.”
Mark says that this show has a power. It’s a power to bring people together over a common experience, laughter, life, and great music.
Win Tickets
I have a pair of tickets to give away to the show on Sunday, October 29th in Surrey. Here’s how you can enter to win:
- Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
- Like, comment on, or share this post on Facebook (1 entry)
- Click below to get another entry by posting on Twitter:
[clickToTweet tweet=”RT to enter to win tickets @MenoMusical from @livenationwest http://ow.ly/J8NX30g2kLo” quote=” Click to enter via Twitter” theme=”style6″]
I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 5:00pm on Tuesday, October 24, 2017.
Follow Live Nation on Facebook and Twitter for all the latest Vancouver entertainment information.
*This event is not recommended for patrons under 16 years of age. Patrons under this age may attend the event, but it is not recommended, due to show content.
Update The winner is Kellie Nehring!
The following has been contributed by Dax Justin in partnership with ZenSeekers, exploring the Okanagan Valley and #Route97.
#Route97 is a collection of experiences and destinations you will find within the Okanagan Valley and into Washington state.
ZenSeekers challenges you to explore the region this fall and have a series of stories to help make that happen.
A Full Okanagan Valley Experience with Dax Justin
A bird’s eye view and a palate-pleasing tour of the Okanagan Valley
View over Lake Okanagan from the Valhalla Helicopter tour.
What a way to start the day – hopping in a helicopter and soaring over the beautiful Okanagan on a crisp, clear fall day.
It’s doesn’t’ get much better than that, kicking off a weekend getaway to this BC wining and dining destination, just little more than a four-hour drive from Vancouver.
This was my first time in a helicopter with the doors off, making me feel a bit like James Bond. With my legs dangling over the side of the helicopter, the shutter on my camera was going non-stop as I took pictures of Lake Okanagan, Mission Hill Winery and the changing fall colours bathed in the golden light of a September morning.
Mission Hill Winery seen from the perch of a helicopter.
Be curious. Explore more amazing Okanagan Valley adventures along #Route97 here »
My aerial experience with Valhalla Helicopters left me with a whole new perspective on this pretty central B.C. region known for its dozens of wineries, farm-to-fork food, vibrant dining and craft brewery scene and an all-round relaxed vibe. Valhalla offers two tours – full- and half-day scenic heli-wine tours, worth checking out. Talk about arriving in style.
The Kelowna food tour includes a lovely walk along the lake.
I could have hung out in the helicopter for much longer, but it was time to explore Kelowna’s food and beverage scene on foot. A walking food tour is always a great way to get an on-the-ground experience of any city’s restaurant landscape. The folks from Okanagan Foodie Tours offer several itineraries. We did an abbreviated sampling of two pubs and a favourite Mexican spot, called El Taquero.
We walked along Kelowna’s pretty waterfront during the tour on a warm fall day, priming us for a cold one and more food sampling. First stop, The Train Station Pub, a favourite of locals and visitors alike. The cosy pub with an energetic vibe has been around since 1926. These days it serves up thoroughly modern pub fare and a nice selection of beers on tap.
A platter of tune poke at Rose’s Pub. The menu offers great range of foods, including many gluten-free options.
Rose’s Pub right on the waterfront was our next stop. On a beautiful fall (or summer) day, the patio is the place to be enjoying the sunshine.
Margaritas are a mainstay on El Taquero’s menu, coming in a variety of traditional and non-traditional flavours.
I was getting a bit full, but knew I could find some room for authentic Mexican. That’s what is served up at El Taquero, specializing in Mexican street food – mostly tacos, but lots of other options, too. Izzy “The Taco Maker,” from Mexico City is the man behind the taco bar, getting inspiration from his family’s recipes. There are 14 tacos every day to choose from, plus tasty margaritas in creative flavours.
View from Mission Hill’s bell tower.
Be curious. Explore more amazing Okanagan Valley adventures along #Route97 here »
I’d spied Mission Hill from the helicopter and one of my missions was to get some great photos from the winery’s iconic bell tower.
I couldn’t wait to climb up there to shoot the sun setting over the winery and beyond.
Walking around the winery, I felt like I could had been transported to Italy. The layout of the buildings with its columns, perfectly symmetrical vineyards, looked beautifully Old World.
The architecture of Mission Hill is simply gorgeous, making you could be somewhere in Europe.
But of course, it’s not just the architecture that Mission Hill is famous for. It’s mainly the wine and food. Anyone who’s interested in both should sign up for the Culinary Workshop Series. It’s an evening you’ll never forget as a chef prepares a series of dishes paired with the perfect wine match. It would make a fun friends getaway. There are many workshops to choose from, some focusing on French, Thai or Indian cuisine, or how to make better gluten-free meals.
Gather a few friends together for a culinary wine and food workshop at Mission Hill. The winery offers a long list of special events throughout the fall.
It’s such a cool experience, getting to watch a chef in action, preparing a series of courses that you get to enjoy, while sampling Mission Hill’s extensive wines. The vibe in the room was fun and relaxed and you could tell everyone was having a wonderful time.
The sun was setting and I wanted to get back to that bell tower to watch the sun set and grab some more photos. It was just getting to be the golden hour for perfect photos and a gorgeous way to end ta beautiful fall day in the Okanagan.
Perfect end to a perfect day in the Okanagan.
If You Go
About the Author: Dax Justin on Behalf of ZenSeekers
Dax Justin is a Canadian explorer, adventure/landscape photographer, visual content creator, and destination storyteller based in Alberta, Canada.
His photographic work focuses on outdoor adventure, landscapes, mountain lifestyle, people and sports. The photography captured on expeditions bring the adventure to a worldwide online audience in real time, expanding brand reach through social media and travel networks including Seekers Media.
Ballet BC opens its 32nd Anniversary season with an evening of visual storytelling by two celebrated dance artists at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, November 2-4, 2017.
Ballet BC Dancers Gilbert Small and Kirsten Wicklund. Photo by Michael Slobodian.
Ballet BC Program 1
Where: Queen Elizabeth Theatre (650 Hamilton St, Vancouver)
>When: November 2-4 at 8:00pm
Tickets: Tickets range from $30.00 to $100.00 (including service charges) and can be purchased through Ticketmaster at 1-855-985-2787 (855-985-ARTS) or online.
Passionate and distinctly talented, Ballet BC’s company of dancers captivate audiences on home, national and global stages. Like never before, each collaboration, each performance punctuates a story of diversity, evolving practice and scope of artistic vision. This exciting program includes both a World Premiere and a North American Premiere.
Contemporary yet timeless, the season begins with a driving new work by internationally acclaimed Ballet BC Resident Choreographer Cayetano Soto and the North American debut of B.R.I.S.A. by Swedish-born Johan Inger, one of the most sought-after choreographers in Europe today.
To launch the season, Cayetano Soto, a visionary of contemporary ballet, will create a new one-act work for the full company. This World Premiere will bring together his integrated vision as choreographer, costume and lighting designer in surprising new ways.
In B.R.I.S.A., ighly-acclaimed choreographer Johan Inger explores the themes of awakening and change. Following the success of Walking Mad, Inger returns to Ballet BC with the North American Premiere of B.R.I.S.A. One of the most prominent dance makers today, Johan Inger’s renowned work probes our intellect and sensitivities.
Win Tickets
I have a pair of tickets to Ballet BC’s Program 1 performance on November 3rd to give away, 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 @BalletBC’s Program 1 #balletbcprogram1 http://ow.ly/ShAh30g0eUS” quote=” Click to enter via Twitter” theme=”style6″]
I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Thursday, October 26, 2017.
Follow Ballet BC on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for more information about performances this season.
Update The winner is Catherine Hercus!
