The sweet aroma of mini donuts radiated from my email inbox as I received word of this year’s food options at the PNE Fair. I scrambled to find some vegetarian options, top of the mainstays, and was pleasantly surprised.
Food Options at the PNE Fair
If you’re headed to the fair (on now until September 2nd) for Dueling Pianos, agriculture displays, For the Love of Drag, cooking demonstrations, musical performances, exhibits, and Summer Night Concerts, here are some of your new food options:
Summer’s not over yet because two of the city’s largest street parties are still to come! Car Free Day in Vancouver will take place over two weekends, with Commercial Drive on September 7th and Main Street on September 15th.
This multi-site annual festival transforms busy streets into vibrant public spaces, bringing artists, performers, local businesses, and communities together.
Unfortunately Car Free Day West End on Denman Street will not return for 2024.
Car Free Day Vancouver celebrates diversity, sustainability, creativity, and connection. Each event will see the streets closed to vehicle traffic and filled with entertainment, music, vendors, food options, family activities, and opportunities to shop local.
Inspired by Glass Onion: Knives Out Mystery, a new murder mystery dinner series is coming to Vancouver this fall. The Perfect Bite, A Dining Experience will feature an elevated 4-course meal as guests step into a thrilling whodunnit when a killer strikes during dinner.
Individual Ticket: $178 / Table of 4 $640 ($160 per person)
Prime Time (Fridays & Saturdays) $196 Individual / $704 for a table. VIP packages and group options are available.
The 4-course prix-fixe meal will have vegetarian and gluten free options available. The hit debut experience of The Perfect Bite WOWed fans in Toronto, selling out for 3 consecutive months, serving over 3,000 guests at the renowned Peter Pan Bistro.
Be a Part of the Story
You’re a member of the culinary elite, invited to an exclusive event hosted by acclaimed Chef Maribelle Moore. Shortly after you arrive, Maribelle shockingly reveals that the menu sheʼs created for the evening will expose a dark secret about the Salty Six, the renowned culinary supergroup formed when they were students. With the other members of the Salty Six also in attendance, tensions begin to run high, and it isnʼt long before a murderer strikes.
Luckily, one of the worldʼs best detectives, Logan Locke, a contemporary of the famed detective Benoit Blanc, is on the scene to investigate and help you decipher the clues hidden within Maribelleʼs menu. Each course contains vital information, and itʼs up to you and your team to sift through the evidence and determine whodunnit. As you feast on food-based puzzles, youʼll unravel the twists and turns to solve this captivating mystery.
After nearly a decade of planning and preparation, Alliance Française Vancouver (AFV) unveiled its new, state-of-the-art cultural facility at 6161 Cambie St in Vancouver. The $24-million, 30,000-square-foot community hub will serve as the nucleus of francophone cultures in Vancouver, becoming the largest, independent cultural facility in BC.
All photos courtesy of Alliance Francaise Vancouver
New Alliance Française Vancouver Cultural Facility
This year marks the 120th anniversary of AFV
The expanded facility will now include a 1,120-square-foot art gallery visible from the street, a 165-seat professional theatre, media library, multiple classrooms, and 2,700 square feet of artist studio space. The French-inspired café and bistro, Champs Élysées, will offer a breakfast and lunch menu throughout the day and transform into an intimate wine bar at night. A set of 16 classrooms will serve as an incubator of knowledge and exploration of the French language and culture, for ages 3 and up.
AFV’s building project began in 2015, when it was determined that a new facility was necessary to meet the needs of a growing francophone community in Metro Vancouver. The organization’s original 8,500-square-foot historic home, originally built in 1968, was no longer able to meet the burgeoning demand for AFV’s education, cultural, and community services.
The Vancouver-based firm McFarland Marceau – recognized for its sustainable approach to architecture – was selected to design the facility. Since the building’s demolition in 2021, AFV has operated from its temporary space at 8555 Cambie Street.
Boasting an airy, light-filled design, the four-floor facility’s architecture reflects its West Coast roots, with a mass timber structure, skylight window, gorgeous wood detailing, and uninterrupted views of Metro Vancouver’s mountainous landscape. The eco-responsible project was recognized in 2022 with a Jury Prize from UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere (MAB) programme, which honours outstanding contributions in the management or preservation of the environment.
French Cultural Centre Events
Alliance Française Vancouver has a long history of serving the community by providing French language programs and promoting local and international francophone cultures through the events it organizes. Each year, Alliance Française Vancouver collaborates with over 50 cultural partners and 100 artists.
Check AFV’s events calendar for activities, workshops, movies, book clubs, classes, and exhibition information each month.
The Vancouver Fringe Festival is celebrating its 40th anniversary with programming across Granville Island September 4 to 15, 2024.
This year’s Festival features more than 500 performances of 74 different artistic companies across 18 venues, with performers from Canada, the US, the United Kingdom, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand participating. The Festival also offers free nightly music and entertainment in the Fringe Bar, located at the Ocean Artworks Pavilion on Granville Island.
Vancouver Fringe Festival
Dates: September 4 to 15, 2024
Location: Granville Island, various venues
Tickets:Available now. Performers set all ticket prices (typically between $15 to $18), and the Fringe returns 100% of ticket profits to the artists. The $3 ticket fee goes solely towards the costs associated with ticketing, like GST and credit card transaction fees.
The Fringe requires the purchase of a $10 annual, one-time membership that helps cover artist costs and keeps the Festival going. 100% of ticket profits are returned to the artists. Membership is free for children aged 13 and under, so long as they are accompanied by an adult.
Fringe fans attending six or more shows can save by purchasing a MultiBuy pass.
Purchase single tickets, or MultiBuy passes online for a six Show Pass: $87 I 10 Show Pass $140 I or 30 Show Pass $408. No ticket sales at the venues.
