The creative team behind the Steveston Wine Fest (June 25th) & Steveston Beer Fest (Aug 27th) is bringing a new event to North Vancouver this summer, the first-ever North Shore Beer and Wine Fest! The festival will host approximately 35 vendors, showcasing over 100 craft beers and boutique wines from British Columbia and other countries from around the world.

North Shore Beer and Wine Fest

Where: The Pipe Shop, Lonsdale Quay, North Vancouver
When: Saturday, August 6, 2016 from 2:30pm to 5:00pm
Tickets: Available online now for $49.00 (plus fees & taxes). Ticket includes all beer and wine samples (no tokens need for sampling). Use the code FRIENDS to get $10 off your ticket when you book!

Partial proceeds will support Fraser River Keeper and other local non-profit organizations. Fraser Riverkeeper is dedicated to the protection and restoration of the Fraser River and its watershed — and our encompassing mission is to ensure the right of all citizens to safely swim, drink, and fish in BC waters.

The event is intended to entice those that are new to craft beer and delicious wine, as well as the experienced palate.

The Pipe Shop Building is a spectacular recuperated heritage building located in the popular Shipyards Plaza on the City’s waterfront in North Vancouver. Its open, expansive indoor exhibition space is an awe inspiring blank canvas. The stunning, open concept venue has concrete floors, high ceilings, consequential glazing, multiple doors and exposed wooden beam construction. It’s the perfect location for this celebration of local and international flavours.

Follow the North Shore Beer and Wine Fest on Facebook, Twitter for more info.

Win Tickets to the North Shore Beer and Wine Fest

I have a pair of tickets to give away to one lucky Miss604 reader and their guest. Here’s how you can enter to win:

• Leave a comment on this blog post (1 entry)
• Like, comment on, or share this Facebook post (1 entry)
• Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)

I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Tuesday, July 12, 2016. Must be 19+. Please enjoy responsibly. For more information about beer and wine events in BC, follow Host Events on Facebook and Twitter.

Update

Unfortunately this event has been cancelled however the organizers have offered up a pair of tickets to the sold out Steveston Beer Festival on August 27th for my contest. I will draw from all of the entries and offer these new tickets to the winner. Thank you for understanding and for participating.

Update The winner is Desiree!

From farmer’s field to pint glass, you can enjoy a BBQ and craft beer pairing event at BC Hop Co‘s Fraser Valley headquarters on July 16th. BeerBQ will bring together local craft breweries and barbecue pitmasters on the Sumas Prairie where you get to judge which team created the best beer and BBQ pairing of the day.

BeerBQ in the Fraser Valley

Where: BC Hop Co (1893 Cole Rd, Abbotsford)
Date: Saturday, July 16, 2016
Time: from 1:00pm to 5:00pm
Tickets: Available online starting at $27.50 (plus fee) with additional VIP options and hotel package options available.

Six teams will battle it out, including Rusty Johnson, currently ranked as #2 in the country by The Canadian BBQ Society. House of Q in Langley, Fat Wally’s Firehouse BBQ and Stacked Racks in Surrey, Hogshack Cookhouse in Richmond, and Big Dog BBQ in Abbotsford will round out the impressive line-up for this new event.

Abbotsford’s Field House Brewing Co and Ravens Brewing will also participate, along with Mission Springs Brewing, Vancouver Island Brewery, Lighthouse Brewing, R & B Brewing, Parallel 49, Howe Sound Brewing and Steel & Oak.

At standard BBQ competitions, teams are focused on the strict judging format rather than preparing samples for spectators but BeerBQ will take a fresh approach with teams vying for the People’s Choice cash prizes for Best Food, Best Beer and of course, Best Pairing. To ensure credibility and consistency among competitors, BeerBQ will be using the same standards as sanctioned events and will have a panel of local judges on hand for pre-determined turn in times.

BeerBQ visitors will have the opportunity to view the new BC Hop Co processing facility, visit the hop fields, tour the farm, learn from a panel of BBQ and beer experts and enjoy some great entertainment. Follow the event on social media using the tags #BeerBQ and #BCHopCo, and scoop up your tickets today.

Bard on the Beach is one of Canada’s largest not-for-profit, professional Shakespeare festivals and every summer it brings an outstanding caliber of performances to the waterfront in Vancouver. This season there’s a classic telling of Romeo and Juliet, Othello, and Pericles along with the Merry Wives of Windsor which set in Windsor, Ontario circa 1968.

Bard-B-Q Fireworks

One of Bard’s special event features is the Bard-B-Q Fireworks, when shows take place on the same night as the Honda Celebration of Light fireworks in English Bay.

Bard-B-Q Fireworks nights are July 23rd, July 27th, and July 30th. Tickets start at $95 and include a play (The Merry Wives of Windsor or Othello), a salmon barbecue dinner from Emelle’s Catering with all the fixings, and an entire evening of entertainment. Visit the PIXSTAR photobooth, take in the award-winning Dowco Triumph Street Pipe Band and more before enjoying a private view of the spectacular Celebration of Light fireworks.

Photo courtesy of Bard on the Beach.

Win Bard on the Beach Bard-B-Q Fireworks Tickets

I have a pair of Bard-B-Q tickets for the performance of The Merry Wives of Windsor on July 27th to give away to a lucky Miss604 reader. Here’s how you can enter to win:

• Leave a comment with your favourite Shakespeare quote (1 entry)
• Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)

I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Monday, July 11, 2016. Must be 19+. Bard-B-Q festivities begin at 5:00pm each fireworks night. Follow Bard on the Beach on Facebook and Twitter.

Update The winner is Christina Kosiancic!

There’s a reason why Surrey Fusion Festival has won an international award for Best Festival, it really is a highlight of summer, where dozens of cultures come together with music, dance, food, and fun for the whole family.

Surrey Fusion Festival

Where: Saturday, July 23 & Sunday, July 24, 2016 from 11:00am to 10:00pm
When: Holland Park (SW Corner of King George Blvd & Old Yale Rd in Surrey)
Admission: FREE! You’ll want to bring some cash or use the ATM on site to scoop up some food tickets so you can sample from over 40 vendors from just as many nations.

Photos by John Bollwitt for Miss604

Entertainment Lineup

Check out the entertainment on the YVR Community Stage, demos at the Safeway Cooking Stage, the Canada 150 Stage, SFU Celebration Stage, and the main Concord Pacific World Music Stage.

Maxi Priest, Alex Cuba, Delhi 2 Dublin top the list of performers. There’s also entertainment from The Re-Enactors (Surrey history stories), Polish Theatre, and Rockin’ Robin. Take a First Nations hoop dance lesson, watch a Polish Folk Dance Group, listen to beats from Jan-Michael Reyes, watch the BC Cultural Bhangra Academy and Surrey Folk Bhangra Club, learn from SuperChefs, Chef Trevor Randle, Tammy Wood, and much more.

Photos by John Bollwitt for Miss604

Feel the beat of Zimbabwean marimba with West African and Afrocuban percussion, and listen to afro-bearing Guyanese-Canadian soul queen Krystle Dos Santos. Local talent, Good For Grapes, The Boom Booms, and Dawn Pemberton will perform, and Mayor and Council will welcome all to the festival on Saturday.

Cultural Pavilions

Shop, sample, taste, and play at these cultural pavilions:

The full schedule is available online, along with the list of performers, chefs, dancers, pavilions, and much more. For the latest updates, follow @Surrey_Events on Twitter or “Like” the Surrey Fusion Festival Facebook Page. Follow the #SurreyFusion tag to join in the conversation.

Take Off Fridays are back at YVR Airport this summer, with free family fun at the best airport on the continent!

Take Off Fridays at YVR

The 7th annual summer celebration will kick off Friday, July 8th and run every Friday until August 26th from 9:00am to 3:00pm. Enjoy delicious treats and lunch specials from locations throughout the airport as well as FREE entertainment including live musicians, DJs, caricaturists, face painters and our very own YVR Paper Airplane Folding Zones.

Highlights this year include visits from community partners including: The Vancouver Aquarium Aquabus, TapSnap, The Vancouver Canadians, Canucks Autism Network, and the Coca-Cola Hug Me Machine. In August, the popular Emergency Response Airside Demonstrations will return to the Public Observation Area from 11:00am to 11:30am.

Join YVR’s Explorer Tours every Friday at 11:00am in front of The Spirit of Haida Gwaii: The Jade Canoe for a free one-hour pre-security walking tour to learn about our art and architecture.

Pick up a voucher from any Customer Information Counter to receive 5 hours of parking for $5 for Take Off Fridays. To save the commute, take the Canada Line which arrives directly at YVR.

Visit a YVR Selfie Station in terminal for your chance to win a $1,000 UNIGLOBE Travel voucher plus a $500 YVR shopping spree! Take a photo and use #YVRTakeOffFridays on social media for your chance to win.