The Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival returns this year, from January 19th to February 14th, with dozens of restaurants and cafes serving up deliciously decadent creations for a cause. Over 25 participants will serve up over 60 flavours!

Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival

Try a “Red Truck” at Bella Gelateria, it’s a stout beer/hot chocolate collaboration with Red Truck Brewery, or savour a “Breakfast in Burnaby” from Chez Christophe, which is inspired by French toast with 34% Zephyr hot white chocolate, a maple drizzle and pecan crunch.

There’s also a “Vegan Spiced Hot Chocolate” at Earnest Ice Cream with chai tea ice cream with hints of coconut and cashew, drenched in dark hot chocolate for an affogato-style drink.

Up for some unique ingredients? Mink Chocolates, who had all of Vancouver cheeping about their ‘cricket” drink in 2015, are going for the buzz again with a drink combo that incorporates Ripple Pea Milk. Gem Chocolates has a 60s, blossom-infused, milk chocolate drink on their list that even Austin Powers would approve of. The always romantic Paul Dincer, owner of Koko Monk Chocolates, is infusing black olives, while Chocolate Arts is working with red wine.

These flavours and more are listed below under each participating venue:

Search flavours by location, or by event date. Throughout the festival you can enter to win a chocolate prize pack or a pass for the 2018 Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival.

Hot Chocolate for a Cause

For the fourth year, partial profits from festival sales will be donated to The PHS Community Services program for Downtown Eastside women’s employment and job skills training programs (as run by East Van Roasters.)

For more information follow City Food Mag on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

The 6th annual Street Food City returns to the Dine Out Vancouver Festival from January 23rd to 29th. Presented by Tourism Vancouver, Street Food Vancouver Society, and the Downtown Vancouver BIA, the food truck pod, the most informal event of Canada’s largest festival of food and drink, will be grouped along Howe Street, between Georgia and Smithe Streets.

Street Food City

Dates: January 23 to 29, 2017
Hours: 11:00am to 3:00pm Monday-Friday; 11:00am to 5:00pm Sat & Sun
Where: Dine at 800 Robson Street and Vancouver Art Gallery South Plaza
Admission: Free entry

More than 25 food trucks will rotate throughout the week, serving up everything from crisp lumpia (spring rolls) at Fliptop Filipino Fusion to a rib-sticking serving of beef bourguignon from C’est Si Bon to a crunchy Sicilian pastry filled with cream from Cannoli King, and much more. Whether it’s a fully loaded hot dog from Dougie Luv, a wood-fired sandwich from Via Tevere Neapolitan Express, or spicy jerk chicken from The Reef Runner, guests are sure to leave Street Food City satisfied.

Participating food trucks are:

Partial proceeds from Street Food City’s Dine Out Vancouver specials will be donated to A Loving Spoonful, a volunteer-driven, non-partisan society that provides free, nutritious meals to people living with HIV/AIDS in Metro Vancouver.

Follow Dine Out Vancouver on Twitter and Instagram, using the tags #streetfoodcity #DOVF.

This post has been contributed by Katherine Town, Vancouver lifeguard stationed at Lost Lagoon, on behalf of the Stanley Park Ecology Society (“SPES”). As a member of SPES for the last six years, I wanted to offer the team an opportunity to share their news, events, and work so I created the “SPES Series” where they contribute and share stories with my audience once a month.

Is It Safe to Skate on Lost Lagoon?

By Katherine Town, Vancouver lifeguard stationed at Lost Lagoon

Dec 24, 1983. Skaters on Lost Lagoon. Ralph Bower/Vancouver Sun.

It’s a rare winter in Vancouver when the temperature dips low enough for Lost Lagoon to freeze over. Vancouverites are enthralled with the ice, and yearn to go on it. But, is it safe? Seeing birds standing on the ice does not mean it will support you. After all, a bird may weigh a pound or two, how much do you weigh? The same if your dog scampers out on the ice. Consider its weight versus yours.

At any given time, the ice in Lost Lagoon is of variable thickness. On the city side, where it is predominately in the shade, the ice will be thicker. On the Park side, it is usually sunny, so the ice is thinner. Any place where water is moving means thin ice: at a drainage pipe emptying into the lake or where birds are moving around. Underneath the trees is another area where the ice is thin.

The water in Lost Lagoon itself is not totally fresh water. Some salt water leaks in, and this means it must be much colder in order for it to freeze. In addition to its brackish state, there is very little water circulation in Lost Lagoon; the bottom of the lake is silty with decomposing plants and waterfowl feces which bumps up the water temperature.

A few other factors contribute to thin ice on Lost Lagoon: The lake is close to the ocean, at sea level, so the freezing level must be very low to affect it. The temperature of the ocean also affects the land surrounding it. Lost Lagoon temperatures are therefore moderated by the ocean surrounding it. And Lost Lagoon is a large body of water reaching 7 feet deep in some areas. A larger body of water takes longer to freeze. Areas like Trout Lake, farther east away from the ocean, with 150 feet of elevation above sea level, will freeze more quickly. Combine all of these factors together, and you can understand why it takes Lost Lagoon longer to freeze than other ponds.

And ice can still be thick and not safe. When the snow falls on top of ice, the snow acts like a blanket and insulates the ice, keeping the ice warmer. The ice won’t form as quickly nor as solidly. It’s the kind that you will fall through! Or, air pockets may be formed in the ice, and these won’t support your weight either.

1930s: Skating on Lost Lagoon. Archives# CVA 1376-669.

Frozen Lagoon Safety Tips

1. Standing on the ice and stomping on it with your feet to see if it supports you is risky! Especially if you are unsure of the water depth. If you want to stomp on the ice, find a place where the water depth is only few inches thick. When you fall through, you only get wet to your ankles! Imagine the surprise you’ll get if you fall through 5 feet of ice cold water.
2. Keep your dog off the ice. When your dog falls through, your first inclination is to go and get him. Stop! Your dog is considerably lighter than you. This means you are definitely going swimming.
3. If you need to rescue someone, think of your own safety. Try to rescue them without putting yourself in danger, that is, stay away from where they fell in. Throw them something that floats. Throw them something with a rope attached to it, so you can pull them back in. Around the perimeter of Lost Lagoon, there are red wooden ice ladders. You can extend an ice ladder out to them.
4. If you feel you must go out on the ice, standing in one place puts all your weight in a small space. Try to distribute your weight over a large area. Lying flat on your stomach distributes your weight over a greater surface area. This is also how the red wooden ice ladders work in a rescue.
5. During periods of cold weather, when there is ice on Lost Lagoon, the Vancouver Park Board stations lifeguards to patrol the ice. If you are unsure of ice conditions, speak to the lifeguard. When the danger signs are on the ice warning you of thin ice, believe them! The signs are there because it is not safe. The Lifeguard’s mandate is prevention — by keeping people off the ice.

With all these conditions, Lost Lagoon is not open to ice skating very often. The ice may be thick enough for one person to walk on it, but if the Park Board opens up the lake, 1000 people could show up! (Trout Lake experienced 2000 skaters at once last weekend). To be safe, the ice will need to be thicker to support that many people. Approximately 10 years ago, a portion of Lost Lagoon was open for skating for less than a week. 23 years back, skaters enjoyed several weeks of fun on Lost Lagoon during a very long cold spell. It doesn’t happen very often, but when it does it’s such a thrill!

Read: Vancouver’s Snow Lifeguards

Until Lost Lagoon’s ice is thick enough to support skaters, content yourself with this fun video of river otters enjoying some slippery fun last January:

Enjoy Vancouver’s rare wintry weather, but play safe!

The 7th Annual Vancouver Canadians Hot Stove Luncheon Presented By Scotiabank is set for Friday, January 20th in support of the Vancouver Canadians Baseball Foundation.

Vancouver Canadians Hot Stove Luncheon

When: Friday, January 20th, 2017 from 12:00pm to 2:00pm
Where: Hotel Vancouver (900 West Georgia St)
Tickets: Individual and group tickets can be purchased by calling 604.872.5232 or at the Nat Bailey Stadium Box Office.

Special guests include Toronto Blue Jays’ Pitcher, Joe Biagini, Director of Minor League Operations, Charlie Wilson and Former President of the Toronto Blue Jays, Paul Beeston.

This event, which brings baseball fans together from all across the Lower Mainland, works tirelessly to help benefit a number of great local charities, team’s and organizations. From Challenger Baseball to UBC Thunderbirds Baseball right through to the Boys and Girls Clubs of South Coast BC, the goal is to shine light on those who are truly making a difference in the local community.

Follow the Vancouver Canadians on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for more information.

Bring your family to Larwill Park in Downtown Vancouver this weekend to celebrate hockey in our community with Rogers Hometown Hockey. Canada’s largest touring hockey festival will have live music, games, hockey stars and a viewing party.

Rogers Hometown Hockey

When: January 14 & 15, 2017 12:00pm to 5:30pm
Where: Larwill Park in Vancouver (Bounded by Cambie, Dunsmuir, Beatty, Georgia)
Admission: Free!

Pick up a virtual autograph inside the Rogers Tent, meet your favourite NHL Alumni in the Scotiabank Community Locker Room, test your skills in the Chrysler Pacifica Stow N Go Challenge, and cheer for your local minor hockey teams in the Cheer Like Never Before contest.

View full event schedule (PDF)

Stop by Sunday as Hometown Hockey hosts Ron MacLean and Tara Slone broadcast live from Vancouver. Stick around for a live performance from local musicians and watch as the Vancouver Canucks take on the New Jersey Devils.

For more information follow Rogers Hometown Hockey on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter using tag #HometownHockey.