Lunar New Year festivities are coming to Metropolis at Metrotown. From February 9 until February 24, 2024, BC’s largest shopping centre will usher in the Year of the Dragon with a series of performances, workshops, and traditional displays.
Metropolis at Metrotown Photo Submitted
Lunar New Year at Metropolis at Metrotown
The shopping centre is open Monday to Saturday from 10:00am to 9:00pm and Sunday from 11:00am to 7:00pm. Here’s what’s in store for the Lunar New Year:
Spend and receive Visit the cherry blossom tree in the Grand Court after spending $288 and choose a lucky red pocket – inside you’ll find a $25 gift card, a retail voucher, and a memento celebrating the Year of The Dragon.
Give back for good fortune For every shopper who selects a red pocket from the cherry blossom tree, Metropolis at Metrotown will donate $5 to Angels on Earth Society.
Marvel at a colourful Lion Dance performance Watch as the lion parades throughout Metropolis at Metrotown to bring good luck and prosperity to shoppers and retailers on February 14 at 10:00am in the Grand Court.
Enjoy a musical performance Listen to the beautiful sounds of the guzheng (a traditional Chinese instrument with a 2,500-year-old history) in the Grand Court, as the Lucky Buddha will pose for photos and hand out red envelopes on February 16 from 12:00pm to 2:00pm.
Join a culinary workshop Learn how to prepare traditional Lunar New Year meals on February 17. Some attendees will be able to take home a delicious treat.
Make your own Lantern Festival decor During this craft workshop, you can learn from three artisans – a Chinese dragon artisan, a Chinese gold phoenix artisan, and a Chinese lantern artisan.
Dance and eat the day away Watch a dumpling eating contest, dance to traditional and K-pop music, and learn how to lion dance on February 24 at 12:00pm.
Taste your way through Metropolis at Metrotown Take your tastebuds on a tour of the shopping centre, where over 70 eateries beckon with flavours from around the world.
Creator of The Really Gay History Tour, Glenn Tkach, invites audiences to explore the unknown history of the punks, jockers, fairies, and Two-Spirit warriors who shaped Western Canada in The Queer Frontier: Untold Story of Canada’s Wild West.
The Queer Frontier
Date: Sunday, January 21, 2024 at 3:00pm
Location: The Junction (1138 Davie Street, Vancouver)
Glenn Tkach reaches back to the The Queer Frontier to uncover some of the earliest colonial queer history in the region, predating the establishment of Vancouver. With his dynamic, engaging, and humorous style, Tkach weaves together narratives that challenge preconceptions.
The event will offer a fresh perspective on how Western Canada was built, with queer individuals at its very heart. Attendees can expect to be transported back in time, exploring an unknown history.
“I’ve always been fascinated to see queer identities expressed through different cultures. Most people don’t know about the unique queer culture that existed right here in the Pacific Northwest.”
Glenn Tkach
The Really Gay History Tour recently received TripAdvisor’s Traveller’s Choice: Best of the Best 2023 award, ranked as one of the top ten tourism experiences in all of Canada. It has consistently received nothing less than 5 stars on TripAdvisor. Now, Glenn brings that same calibre of storytelling to an even earlier period. The Queer Frontier promises to be an enlightening experience, shedding light on an important chapter of Canadian history that has been overlooked, ignored and even erased.
During the first cold snap of the season in Vancouver, I embarked on one of my sunrise walks around the Stanley Park Seawall to capture some winter scenes.
Winter Sunrise in Vancouver
The sea lions that have made Coal Harbour home for the last month were quieter than usual first thing in the morning, and seagulls slipped and they stood on the frozen surface of the high tide. It was about -8C right when the sun started beaming from behind Canada Place.
DanceHouse and The Cultch present the North American premiere of Gravity & Other Myths’ acrobatic and athletically-charged work, The Mirror on stage in Vancouver, and you can enter to win tickets.
Performance photo by Andy Phillipson
Directed by GOM Artistic Director Darcy Grant, The Mirror is a compelling and intimate exploration of the search for authentic human connection within our disconnective digital age. The Australian contemporary circus company infuses its high-level dance choreography with innovative production design – incorporating an LED wall, cameras and selfie sticks – an atmospheric electronica soundscape, and a levity that belies its heart-pumping feats of acrobatic virtuosity.
Gravity & Other Myths The Mirror
Dates: January 24-27, 2024
Times: 8:00pm
Address: Vancouver Playhouse (600 Hamilton St, Vancouver)
“When we first welcomed the company in 2015 with A Simple Space, our audiences were absolutely blown away by the unpretentious rawness of the work,” adds Heather Redfern, Executive Director at The Cultch. “This new creation pulls back the curtain even farther. Through their disarming honesty – unmasked grunts of effort, shaky limbs, and backstage camera access – GOM artists break down the barrier between audience and performer, inviting us on their quest for authentic human connection in an increasingly superficial world.”
Enter to Win
I have a pair of tickets to give away to opening night! Here’s how you can enter to win:
