The long weekend is over, the snow is gone, and flowers are starting to bloom. We’re soon shifting into another season but one thing that isn’t changing is the robust event and activities lineup around town! There’s plenty to do around Metro Vancouver this weekend, and it’s all detailed below.
Things to do in Vancouver This Weekend
Events that run for longer than three days in a row are highlighted in green.
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by Rebecca BollwittDisclosure: Sponsored Post — The #SkiNorthBC series is sponsored by SnowSeekersPlease review the Policy & Disclosure section for further information.
This winter I partnered with SnowSeekers, with whom I have done a few fun assignments, to share their #SkiNorthBC stories from destinations in Northern BC.
The team visited Powder King, Terrace, Smithers, Quesnel, and Troll Ski Resort. The fourth story is from SnowSeekers #SkiNorthBC expedition founder Jim Barr aka Doc Pow, as he gets a taste of the culture that is beaming in and around Smithers, BC.
The Culture of Smithers
During the expedition, Dow Pow discovered a craft ski maker and one of the world’s top musicians who have binding ties to their community and no reason to leave. “They may live in one of Canada’s most unique – and, yes, a bit remote – locations but they easily pursue their dreams full-time.”
“Smithers, B.C. is where James Fisher founded Paranormal Skis four years ago, and where seven-time Grammy winner and jazz great Alex Cuba live. Found along the Yellowhead Highway, Smithers may only have 5,000 people but it’s got an impressive cultural scene. That’s what keeps Fisher and Cuba here, and stoked about this place they call home.”
Photo by Doc Pow
“Cuba has now written six albums within this community surrounded by the mountains. He has no problem finding creative inspiration all around in fact when we caught up with him for this story; he was leaving the next day for Victoria to produce his seventh release.
Though the nature of their work means Fisher and Cuba spend a lot of time on the road, they find it pretty easy getting in and out of town with the Smithers Airport and easy access to BC’s highway system.
“I can be out my door and into that mountain environment within minutes,” says Fisher.
“I walk out the door of my shop and can pick you the lines I am going to go hit with the new skis I’ve just created. It’s a great way to stay excited about what I’m doing here.”
For all your Travel Northern BC details, the folks from Northern BC Tourism can help make the planning process smooth.
#SkiNorthBC and explore more! For travellers, SnowSeekers has partnered with National Car rental to secure you a SnowSeekers preferred rate. Make a reservation online, or with an agent and in the Contract field enter XVC4SNO for a savings that could cover your ski pass cost every day.
Real advice, real inspiration, and real experts are set to arrive at the 46th annual BC Home + Garden Show, from February 22-26, 2017. The always popular home and garden show is the most trusted resource for every home improvement project, and today, Marketplace Events is officially announcing its list of must-see attractions at this year’s show.
Featuring more than 425 trusted brands and local companies, and appearances from the industry’s biggest names, including HGTV’s Bryan Baeumler, Carson Arthur and Mike Holmes Jr., the 46th annual show promises to be the best one yet.
BC Home + Garden Show
When:
Wednesday February 22, 2017 4:00pm to 9:00pm
Thursday February 23, 2017 Noon to 9:00pm
Friday February 24, 2017 Noon to 9:00pm
Saturday February 25, 2017 10:00am to 9:00pm
Sunday February 26, 2017 10:00am to 6:00pm Where: BC Place Stadium, Vancouver Tickets: Adults (13+) $16; Adults (13 +) Online $13; Seniors (60+) $13; Seniors (60+) Online $10; Seniors (60+) $6 before 6:00pm on Thursday & Friday Only. Children 12 years & under are free.
Help support affordable housing in the Lower Mainland by donating $1 to Habitat for Humanity Greater Vancouver when you purchase your ticket for the BC Home + Garden Show.
Show Features
Check out the Main Stage presented by the Vancouver Sun; the Cooking Stage; Feature Gardens, the Vancouver Sun Gardeners’ School; and join the Ultimate Upcycle Challenge!
Get inspiration from the Container Laneway Home by HONOMOBO interior designed by Kendall Ansell Interiors and landscaped by Blue Pine Enterprises Ltd.; stop by Spring Clean presented by Nellie’s All Natural and designed by Dexter Dolores Interiors; and marvel at the Telus Future Home powered by Telus PureFibre and the BC Hydro Smart Home designed by Jamie Banfield Design.
Enter to Win
The BC Home + Garden Show has offered up a prize pack with goodie from one of the featured speakers, Tiffany Pratt.
Tiffany Pratt is an interior designer, stylist, maker, and all-around rainbow-thrower. Her vibrant and multi-faceted design philosophy has transformed countless spaces and homes in Canada. She hosts shows on HGTV and is a regular guest expert on City TV’s Cityline. Tiffany also recently released her first book: This Can Be Beautiful.
[clickToTweet tweet=”RT to enter to win a @VanHomeShows @thetiffanypratt prize pack http://owl.li/GzFH3094XVB” quote=” Click to enter via Twitter” theme=”style6″]
I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Tuesday, February 21, 2017. Follow the BC Home + Garden Show on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for more inspiration.
Granville Island presents the 12th Winterruption Festival from February 17-19, 2017. This mid-winter celebration of Vancouver culture and arts features live music, theatre, dance and street performance plus art, film, crafts, family activities and, of course, great food!
Winterruption Festival on Granville Island
Stay warm and dry, and join the fun at The Forge (1596 Johnston St), Winterruption’s new centre of activity. The festival brings together live performance and interactive art all in one big, happening location.
Watch as artist Ola Volo’s whimsical mural emerges before your eyes. Enjoy the Rup Loops musical experience, the cool jazz of Black Gardenia, the old-time sounds of The Myrtle Family Band and the ‘greasy’ jazz of Rossi Gang. Savour some maple syrup, taste the fare at the Rebel Kitchen, and join an ongoing collaborative art project where festival participants construct a life-size urban landscape inspired by Granville Island.
Event Highlights
Pop Up Dances – eight amazing dancers show us what happens when architecture, industry and performance intersect at surprising locations around the Island.
The Pajama Men blend stand-up, sketch, improv, and outlandish characters to tell delightfully divergent stories in their production of Pterodactyl Nights, presented by The Fringe Festival.
Ideas Bobert – see Mr. Bean meet Ginger Rogers in a whimsical brew of physical comedy and conundrum for the whole family.
Tours of the Arts Club production and costume shop show visitors where the mechanics of magic are created. Trap-doors open, actors fly and costumes set the stage.
IVancouver TheatreSports® League performs some of the most innovative and daring improvisational comedy you will ever see.
See Open-Air Illustration, featuring eight Vancouver artists’ work at transit shelter locations around the Island, or watch live stone carving with Zimbabwean Master Carver Patrick Sephani, among a myriad of visual arts exhibits and participatory events.
Coastal Jazz infuses the weekend with hot music at Performance Works. Ticketed shows include: the Afro-funk sounds of Camaro 67 along with Bigfate on Friday, February 17; James Danderer’s Hummingbird Brigade transports listeners to the small 1930s cabarets of New Orleans and Chicago on Saturday, February 18.
Free concerts include the Robin Layne Band, Blue Moon Marquee, Only a Visitor and Rossi Gang.
Art and survival collide with the premiere screening of Waiting for Spring, a short art video by Nicole Dextras that tells the fantastical tale of living on pomegranates and surviving the Anthropocene era.
Of course there’s always the world-renowned Public Market to explore as always. Inspired by the freshness of the Public Market, come experience the culinary delights of Granville Island. Enjoy a fascinating assortment of colourful stalls showcasing many unique local products and the very finest in gastronomic delights – all fresh from the ocean, the oven and the field.
The Variety Challenger Baseball Field in Vancouver really is a Field of Dreams — and I’ve been to the actual Field of Dreams movie site in Dyersville, Iowa! The first of its kind in Western Canada, it was the brainchild of the Vancouver Canadians who, with help from the Vancouver Park Board, the Jays Care Foundation, and a boost from Variety BC, have created a new permanent baseball field for The BC Challenger Baseball Program, a program devoted to children with physical, developmental and intellectual disabilities.
I spoke with Andy Dunn, Partner & President of the Vancouver Canadians about how this dream came to fruition. He told me that he knew Ian McLean, National Coordinator, Challenger Baseball Canada for years and eventually something just clicked.
“In the States there’s a program called The Miracle Field and I was familiar with it, and getting to know Ian and all the hard work, love, and effort he puts into the Challenger Baseball program, and seeing where they were playing, I just kept thinking – we can do better for these kids and these athletes.”
One day Andy had the opportunity to have a long discussion with Malcolm Bromley, General Manager, Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation around the time that the Park Board was looking at revamping Hillcrest. A project that involved a baseball field for kids with physical and cognitive disabilities.
“Without Variety this field would not be in place.”
They went to work with Hillcrest, Little Mountain Little League, and funding partners Jays Care Foundation and the Park Board but were still short on funding until Variety stepped up to the plate.
Because of the generosity of these parties, kids will be able to play on a fully turfed field, with extra wide and deep dugouts so the kids can all be together.
“The main part about being a part of a team is not so much the at-bats and that other stuff, it’s the camaraderie of being a teammate,” Andy explains. Having an accessible ballpark allows kids to be part of so much more than 9 innings of baseball.
“We have to provide these kids a place to play, and everybody deserves to play.”
Show Your Support
This past weekend, Variety – The Children’s Charity hosted its 51st Show of Hearts Telethon and raised over $5 million for BC kids with special needs. This is just one of the many initiatives that Variety supports.
You can still support anytime by donating online or by texting “KIDS” to 45678 to give $20 automatically.
Beyond the Nat
Follow the Vancouver Canadians on Facebook and Twitter to follow the team throughout the year for their latest updates and to hear more about their support for all of the Vancouver baseball community.
Rebecca Bollwitt/Miss604 is a sponsor of the Show of Hearts Social Lounge and a Board Member at Variety
This winter I partnered with 
This past weekend, Variety – The Children’s Charity hosted its 51st Show of Hearts Telethon and raised over $5 million for BC kids with special needs. This is just one of the many initiatives that Variety supports. 