The Coal Harbour neighbourhood is getting its own, free and festive event series this holiday season. Liven Up will run December 1-30, 2023 along the waterfront with light displays, and live entertainment every Friday and Saturday night.
Miss604 photo
Free Festive Fun in Coal Harbour with Liven Up
Snap some photos and make some memories at light installations at these locations around the Coal Harbour Waterfront:
Performance areas will be activated every Friday and Saturday evening from 5:00pm to 10:00pm, and will include a large and cozy tented hub in Harbour Green Park that will feature:
A live music stage presenting over 150 musicians
A specialty bar offering delectable alcoholic and non-alcoholic hot drinks
Concord Pacific presents the cherished holiday tradition of Heritage Christmas at Burnaby Village Museum. The event officially kicks off on November 25th and runs until January 5th, featuring live entertainment, scavenger hunts and incredible light displays across the 10-acre complex in Deer Lake Park, one of the most beautiful areas of Burnaby.
Photo submitted – Burnaby Village
Heritage Christmas at Burnaby Village
Dates: November 25, 2023 to January 5, 2024
Hours:
November 25, 2023 to December 17, 2023
Tuesday to Friday 1:00pm to 5:30pm
Saturday & Sunday 1:00pm to 9:00pm
December 19 to January 5 (closed December 24 & 25)
Daily 1:00pm to 9:00pm
Where: Burnaby Village Museum (6501 Deer Lake Ave)
Tickets: Admission is FREE no advanced booking is required but please plan your visit in advance as entry may be limited based on site capacity. Parking may be sparse, so visitors are encouraged to consider alternate means of transport to the museum.
Carousel rides are $2.52 or a Baker’s Dozen (13 rides) for $30.24. Prices do not include tax.
It’s such a festive place to be, it’s no wonder so many holiday shows and movies have been filmed at Burnaby Village! Families can also capture a photo with Father Christmas on select dates. Enjoy a meal or treat at the new Mai’s Cafe (formerly the Ice Cream Parlour) or other offerings from food trucks.
Photo submitted – Burnaby Village
Bright in Burnaby
Saturday, December 2, 2023 from 5:00pm to 9:00pm
Join the official launch of Heritage Christmas with a special tree lighting ceremony at 6:00pm. Proceeds during Bright in Burnaby night from the carousel rides will go to the Burnaby Christmas Bureau with Concord Pacific matching the donations.
The Heritage Christmas giving season continues during Concord Community Week from December 16 to 22. Snap a photo at the sleigh photobooth display with #ConcordPacific and Concord will donate $2 for each picture to Ryan’s Rainbow, a volunteer-run emergency food outreach donation and distribution food bank located in Burnaby.
Plan your visit to Burnaby Village Museum and follow on Facebook for information about this event and more throughout the year.
Miss604 is a proud media sponsor of Heritage Christmas at Burnaby Village 2023
Follow Miss604Holidays this season for the latest arts and culture activities, attraction and event news »
The CPKC Holiday Train will once again wrap up its cross-continent journey in the Fraser Valley and Metro Vancouver. Trains will be traveling coast to coast, entertaining hundreds of thousands with free concerts while raising funds and donations for local for food banks along the way.
The CPKC Holiday Train tours Canada and the United States from November 20 through December 19 for its 25th anniversary, raising money, food and awareness for the important work that food banks do in their communities. Professional musicians will play free concerts from the brightly decorated train’s stage.
The Canadian train departs from Montreal on November 21st and makes its way west with performers Seaforth and Keisza, switching with Virginia to Vegas and Trudy in various cities throughout Quebec and Ontario. Anyway Gang will perform at stops in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. Tyler Shaw and Kiesza will then take over after Calgary and play throughout the rest of Alberta and British Columbia.
The US Train that comes through Saskatchewan and Alberta will also feature more performances by Dallas Smith and MacKenzie Porter. A full schedule overview is available online for both the U.S. Train and the Canadian Train.
How the Events Work
When the train arrives it will pull to a safe stop in front of the crowd in attendance. The stage door lowers and the band opens with its first song. After that, a brief presentation takes place with local food bank officials and other dignitaries.
Once complete, the band resumes performing a mix of traditional and modern holiday-themed songs. The whole event lasts about 30 minutes, and once the band plays its farewell show, the boxcar door closes, and the train slips off into the night on its way to the next stop.
Fraser Valley & Metro Vancouver Stops
Tyler Shaw and Kiesza will arrive and play Agassiz on December 17th at 5:30pm, Maple Ridge at 7:50pm, and Pitt Meadows at 8:55pm. On December 18th the CP Holiday Train will finish its journey in Canada by reaching Port Moody at 5:20pm, and Port Coquitlam at 7:05pm.
City
Location
December 17th
Agassiz
Across from Agra Centre on Pioneer Ave West of Hwy 9
5:30pm
Maple Ridge (Haney)
Across from Billy Miner pub 22355 River Rd
7:50pm
Pitt Meadows
Railway crossing corner of Harris Rd & Advent Rd
8:55pm
City
Location
December 18th
Port Moody
300 Ioco Road behind Rec Center
5:20pm
Port Coquitlam
KingsWay between Mary Hill & Wilson Ave
7:05pm
This event is free to attend, but audiences are encouraged to bring a cash or non-perishable food donation if you’re able for your local food bank. Local organizations will have collection stations at each events, with donations made going towards the local food bank at each stop to help people in need within the community.
Since the Holiday Train program launched in 1999, the CPKC Holiday Train has raised more than $22.5 million and more than 5 million pounds of food for community food banks across North America.
Follow the #CPKCholidaytrain on Facebook for more information.
Follow Miss604Holidays this season for the latest arts and culture activities, attraction and event news »
Guest post by Kristy Hayter in honour of Giving Tuesday. Happening this year on November 28th, the campaign is the world’s largest generosity movement.
The Power of Giving Tuesday and Beyond
What does it mean to give? To be philanthropic? Philanthropy and giving speaks to generosity in all forms and includes giving gifts of time, talent, and treasure.
To me, giving speaks to caring, support, and to that innate human desire to want to help one another and the world around us. The act of giving back can also be an expression of someone’s values, supporting what they truly care about and the changes they want to see in their communities and world.
Recently, it has felt like the number of those needing support has grown exponentially. So many individuals, families, causes, and communities need a helping hand. It can be overwhelming and hard to know what to do and how to help.
But here is the good news, every day I have the privilege of witnessing the act of giving in action.
I want to share some of the different ways you can give. Everyone has something to give. Yes, even if you don’t have an extra cent or an hour to spare right now, you can still make a difference.
Carousel Theatre for Young People presents playwright Greg Banks’ delightful take on the fairytale classic Snow White on Granville Island – and you can enter to win tickets!
The wickedly funny reinterpretation sees two actors whimsically embody a cast of beloved characters, including the handsome prince, malicious queen, helpful dwarf, and pure-hearted Snow White herself.
Katrina Teitz and Carly Pokaradi in Snow White. Photo credit Emily Cooper – Carousel Theatre
Snow White tells the familiar story of an evil, envious queen who recruits a huntsman to dispatch the pure-hearted heroine, only to have her come into the care of seven dwarfs. When the queen learns of Snow White’s presence in the woods, she sends her into an eternal slumber that can only be broken by the arrival of a certain prince.
Minneapolis Children’s Theatre Company originally commissioned the script from playwright Greg Banks, who also directed the play for the company’s 2019 season. Since its debut, the piece has graced stages among children’s theatre companies across North America, with a Christmas staging at Toronto’s Young People’s Theatre in 2022, an upcoming Winnipeg production this holiday season, and multiple runs throughout the U.S.
The Carousel presentation will see actors Katrina Teitz and Carly Pokoradi embodying the mercurial cast and executing the lightning-quick switches between characters. They are joined on-stage by Sound Designer MJ Coomber, who will layer their original score with live accompaniment on accordion, fiddle, french horn, and mandolin.
The creative team also includes Set & Props Designer Monica Emme, Lighting Designer Rebekah Johnson, and Costume Designer Emily Friesen.
Win Tickets
I have a four-pack of tickets to give away to Opening Night on December 1st. Here’s how you can enter to win:
Snow White will feature several special events throughout its month-long run, including a mandatory masked performance on December 2 (1:00pm), an ASL Interpreted performance on December 9 (1:00pm), and a VocalEye described performance on December 16 (4:00pm). In addition, audiences are encouraged to dress up as their favourite fairytale characters on Saturday showings at 4:00pm (December 2, 9, 16, 23 & 30).
