Open on Christmas Day in Vancouver

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If you’re looking for what’s open on Christmas Day in Vancouver, you’ll find fun activities at your local community centre or a way to give back at a charitable event.

There’s the White Spot Christmas Lunch for Charity, where staff at two locations will be donating their time and tips for two great local causes between 11:00am and 3:00pm.

The The Whalley Santa Cause is looking for volunteers to help hand out care hampers on Christmas Day in the North Surrey neighbourhood.

You can enjoy free skating at Robson Square Ice Rink from 12:00pm to 5:00pm on Christmas Day.

The local ski hills will be open on Christmas Day, check out Mt Seymour, Grouse Mountain, and Cypress Mountain for full details on their hours and offerings.

Community ice rinks will also be open on Christmas Day. At the West End Community Centre they’ll have a Winter Wonderland Skate from 11:00am to 5:00pm; Hillcrest has a public skate at 10:45am; Trout Lake has a public skate 11:45am to 3:00pm; and Kerrisdale’s public skate is at 1:45pm.

The Winter Ice Palace in Surrey will be open on Christmas Day from 12:00pm to 3:00pm at the Cloverdale Ice Arena.

For all of these events and more, follow the Miss604 December event list and Miss604 on Facebook.

Things to do in Vancouver This Weekend

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This weekend in Vancouver you can enjoy some great family activities, with some venues remaining open on Christmas Day. See the full list below and if you have anything to add (for December, January, or beyond) feel free to send it in to me for a free listing.

Things to do in Vancouver This Weekend


Events that run for longer than three days in a row are highlighted in green.

Friday, December 23, 2016
The Original Ugly Christmas Sweater Party
James & Jamesy: Oh Christmas Tea
Heritage Holiday at Fort Langley
A Charlie Brown Christmas at Carousel Theatre
Bear Creek Park Christmas Train
VanDusen Festival of Lights
Grouse Mountain Peak of Christmas
Canyon Lights at Capilano Suspension Bridge Park
Bright Nights Christmas Train in Stanley Park
Burnaby Village Museum Heritage Christmas
Christmas at Canada Place
Park & Tilford Hi-Light Festival
Vancouver Christmas Market @ Jack Poole Plaza
Enchant Vancouver Christmas Market
Robson Square Ice Rink Skating
FlyOver Canada Christmas Ride
Vancouver TheatreSports: Christmas Queen
Gateway Theatre: The Music Man
The Arts Club Presents: Mary Poppins
Holy Mo! A Christmas Show!
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Win a STOMP & Red Truck VIP Experience

Comments 127 by Rebecca Bollwitt

STOMP, the international percussion sensation, is returning to Vancouver for the first time since 2008, coming up January 13 to 15, 2017 at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.

STOMP in Vancouver

  • When: Friday, January 13, 2017 8:00pm
    Saturday, January 14, 2017 2:00pm & 8:00pm
    Sunday, January 15, 2017 3:00pm
  • Where: The Queen Elizabeth Theatre (650 Hamilton St, Vancouver)
  • Tickets: Available online now through Tickets Tonight or by calling 1-877-840-0457

STOMP performers make captivating, heart-pumping rhythm out of anything they can get their hands on. Everything but conventional percussion instruments – garbage cans, tea chests, radiator hoses, boots, hub caps – find new life in the hands of this idiosyncratic band of body percussionists. With stunning physicality and infectious energy that is often imitated, but never duplicated, STOMP is one of a kind.

Since its premier in 1991, STOMP has been an overwhelming success marked by rave reviews, numerous awards and sell-out engagements, and it’s not hard to see why. It’s explosive, inventive, provocative, witty, and utterly unique—an unforgettable experience for audiences of all ages.

In addition to the stage shows, STOMP has been an overwhelming success marked by rave reviews, numerous awards, an Academy Award nomination, four Emmy nominations and one Emmy Award for their acclaimed HBO special Stomp Out Loud, noteworthy TV appearances including The London 2012 Olympic Games Closing Ceremony, The Academy Awards (produced by Quincy Jones), Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, and a series of award-winning international commercials.

In Vancouver, STOMP has partnered with Red Truck Beer to STOMP Out Hunger in Vancouver – a drive for the Greater Vancouver Food Bank. The drive is currently underway, and will culminate on January 13th with a special STOMP performance at the Red Truck Beer Truck Stop.

Win a STOMP & Red Truck VIP Experience

I have an amazing STOMP & Red Truck VIP Experience to give away. The lucky winner will enjoy a day with Red Truck & STOMP, attending the STOMP Media Event at Red Truck, enjoying a dinner for two at the truck stop, and private brewery tour. Later on the winner and their guest will be transported to the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in the Red Truck to see the live show that night.

Here’s how you can enter to win:

  • Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
  • Like, comment on, or share this Facebook post (1 entry)
  • Click below to post an entry on Twitter

[clickToTweet tweet=”RT to enter to win a @STOMPnyc + @redtruckbeer VIP experience http://owl.li/bqHx307lQjw” quote=” Click to enter via Twitter” theme=”style6″]

I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Tuesday, January 3, 2017. Must be 19+. Please enjoy responsibly.

Update The winner is Chantale!

Snowshoeing at Manning Park Resort

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Disclosure: Sponsored Post — Views are my own. This is a sponsored post as a part of my membership with the SnowSeekers Social Influencer Team. Please review the Policy & Disclosure section for further information.

For the second year in a row, I visited Manning Park around opening weekend to participate in some winter wonderland adventures. This time around, I was on snowshoes to document my trip for SnowSeekers.

Manning Park Snowshoe

Making my own tracks on a guided snowshoe tour with my guide Janja Klemencic, I spot footprints that were not made by humans. “It’s the snowshoe hare!” Janja says. The very namesake for our footwear was hopping through Manning’s pine forest and leaving its mark.

It wasn’t long after we spotted the tracks that the animal itself made an appearance. Larger than any grass-grazing bunny I’ve seen in the city, the white-furred, floppy-eared creature froze when it spotted us. Janja, a guide with Manning Park Resort, explained the snowshoe hare is a rusty brown colour in the summer but it camouflages itself among the snowbanks in the winter.

Just as the hare transforms with the seasons, so does Manning Park, going from a summer playground of hiking trails, campgrounds, and lakes suitable for swimming and canoeing, to a winter wonderland with a 64-kilometre cross-country and snowshoe trail network along with 160 kms of backcountry trails.
» Continue reading…

At one point I didn’t know if Janja was pulling my leg but she told me to make a face print in the snow. She said it’s what the guides do for fun. So, I voluntarily gave myself a face wash while she took a photo.

Snowshoeing at Manning Park

We laughed as I washed the snow off my face, which was rather welcome to cool me off since we had been trekking for a good 90 minutes already.

What I love about Manning Park Resort is that it’s close to Metro Vancouver but it feels like it’s in such a remote and pristine part of the province. They also have so many events for families, including the moonlight guided snowshoe and a lantern lit ski down that I’m determined to attend one season.

Read about my snowshoe adventure over on SnowSeekers follow SnowSeekers all winter on Facebook and Twitter for coverage about ski resorts and slopes in BC and Alberta — including the latest snowfall reports and conditions.

Bus Route Changes Started on December 19

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Disclosure: Sponsored Post — This post is sponsored by TransLinkPlease review the Policy & Disclosure section for further information.

On Monday, December 19th, 22 bus routes changed in the Tri-Cities to integrate into the new Millennium Line Evergreen Extension. The Evergreen Extension added six new SkyTrain stations to the Millennium line, allowing passengers in Port Moody, Coquitlam, and Port Coquitlam to connect to the wider transit network.

Bus Route Changes Started on December 19

evergreenbuschanges

December marks one of the largest service changes on record! Here are some of the changes that riders can expect:

Key bus route changes

  • A new 95 B-Line along Hastings Street provides a more direct and reliable service — particularly for those travelling between SFU to Downtown Vancouver.
  • Newly installed overhead trolley lines along Cambie Street extend the 5 and 6. The 6 extends along Davie Street to provide better connections to Yaletown, Canada Line, and Cambie Street.
  • The C21 and C23 will merge into the new 23 Main Street Station/Yaletown/Beach route serving Beach Ave, Yaletown Roundhouse Station, Stadium–Chinatown Station, and Main Street–Science World Station.
  • The “C” representing Community Shuttle routes will end, and the bus route numbers will change. Now, regardless of the type of bus that stops, customers can board any bus with their route number on it.
  • There is new service to the Dominion Triangle/Fremont Village via the 171/172, a growing commercial retail area in Port Coquitlam.
  • Introducing new service to Burke Mountain via the 191.
  • Redesigned service in Heritage Mountain and Westwood Plateau neighborhoods better connects communities to the Evergreen Extension.
  • The redesigned 143 operates between SFU and Burquitlam with a high-capacity articulated bus and all-day service to SFU for students, staff and residents.
  • The 701 now extends from Haney Place to Mission. With the introduction of the Evergreen Extension, most TrainBus customers will have more travel options using SkyTrain and the 701.
  • The re-designed 151 provides all day service on Como Lake Avenue 7-days/week with extended hours to meet the first and last trains at Coquitlam Central Station and Burquitlam Station.
  • The 188 Coquitlam Station/Port Coquitlam Station now provides 15-minute service during peak periods with larger conventional buses all day, and runs to meet the first and last trains at Coquitlam Central Station.
  • Extended late night service on the N9 between Lougheed and Coquitlam Central stations now creates 24-hour service along the Evergreen Extension of the Millennium Line corridor.
  • In addition, the new 95 B-Line along Hastings Street provides a more direct and reliable service – particularly for those travelling between SFU to Downtown Vancouver.

Check out the TransLink Trip Planner to map your new route on transit.