Things To Do In Vancouver This Weekend: January 5, 2017

Happy 2017! It’s time to dig yourself out of the pile of cheese rinds, chocolate wrappers and wine bottles (if you want, I’m not judging) and head out for the first weekend of the year. ‘Tis the season for outdoor ice skating – either at Robson Square or up on Grouse Mountain, the holiday lights are still up at Capilano Suspention Bridge, and the Vancouver Italian Film Festival begins.

 

Friday | Saturday | Sunday | Ongoing

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Friday January 6

Vancouver Italian Film Festival
Where: Various locations
What: Contemporary films from the past two to three years are merged with Italy’s rich history of classic avant-garde, and neo realism cinema.
Runs until: Thursday January 12, 2017

And Bella Sang with Us
Where: Firehall Arts Centre
What: A stylish play with a dark and wicked sense of humour with a shot of song that celebrates two of Canada’s unsung pioneers: Constables Lurancy Harris and Minnie Miller, Vancouver’s first female police officers.
Runs until: Saturday January 14, 2017

Ellis Hall: Soul Unlimited
Where: The Orpheum
What: Superstar vocalist and instrumentalist Ellis Hall channels the greats in a concert with soul. Get your groove on to classic music by Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, the Temptations, Smokey Robinson, Otis Redding, and Ray Charles.
Runs until: Saturday January 7, 2016

My American Cousin
Where: The Cinematheque
What: A free screening of a classic of our national cinema. An affecting coming-of-age tale and a witty meditation on Canadian-American cultural tensions.

The first RAPP BATTLEZ of 2017
Where: The Fox Cabaret
What: A comedy showdown, where some of the city’s best comedians face-off in high concept, no-holds-barred spit fests.

Vancouver Canucks vs. Calgary Flames
Where: Rogers Arena
What: Western Canadian cities compete in a game of hockey.

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Saturday January 7

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The Wheelgrinders
Where: The Emerald Supper Club
What: Local rockabilly.

Tim Hicks and Chad Brownlee (show 1 of 2)
Where: The Commodore
What: Two Canadian country singers.

The Shooting
Where: The Cinematheque
What: With Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus as avowed influences, the odd, existential Western — written by Five Easy Pieces’ Carole Eastman — casts Warren Oates as an ex-bounty hunter escorting a mysterious woman (Millie Perkins) across the desert to settle a score.

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Sunday January 8

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The Enchantment Theatre Company and the VSO: The Firebird
Where: The Orpheum
What: An enchanted tree bears golden apples and an evil magician conjures a terrible storm in this imaginative production about Prince Ivan and the fabulous Firebird.With puppets, masks and magic, Enchantment Theatre Company presents the classic Russian tale The Firebird set to the evocative music of Igor Stravinsky.

Golden Globes at The Rio
Where: The Rio Theatre
What: Dress up and get ready for trivia, prizes, good times and more as you watch the Golden Globes on the big screen. Admission is free.

No Pants Skytrain Ride
Where: The Skytrain, 2:30pm
What: Ride the Skytrain with no pants with a group of other pantless people.

Tim Hicks and Chad Brownlee (show 2 of 2)
Where: The Commodore
What: Two Canadian country singers.

 

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Ongoing

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Ellis Hall: Soul Unlimited (this weekend only)
Where: The Orpheum
What: Superstar vocalist and instrumentalist Ellis Hall channels the greats in a concert with soul. Get your groove on to classic music by Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, the Temptations, Smokey Robinson, Otis Redding, and Ray Charles.
Runs until: Saturday January 7, 2016

Canyon Lights (ends this weekend)
Where: Capilano Suspension Bridge Park
What: The suspension bridge, Treetops Adventure, Cliffwalk, the rainforest and canyon are transformed into a world of festive lights in the trees, over bridges, and in the little village.  See the world’s tallest living Christmas tree (153 feet) go on a Snowy Owl Prowl, decorate gingerbread cookies and make your own Christmas card.
Runs until: Sunday January 8, 2016

All Together Now: Vancouver Collectors and Their Worlds (ends this weekend)
Where: The Museum of Vancouver
What: 20 beautiful, rare, and unconventional collections, with something for everyone including corsets, prosthetics, pinball machines, taxidermy, toys, and much more. In this exhibition both collector and collected are objects of study, interaction, and delight.
Runs until: Sunday January 8, 2016

White, Steel, Slice, Mask (ends this weekend)
Where: Contemporary Art Gallery
What: Working together for over a decade, the duo’s interdisciplinary practice typically instigates community-based models of participation in order to re-imagine a material record of the present. They investigate tactics of cultural representation while utilizing the methods of anthropology to examine various forms of collecting, interpretation and display.
Runs until: Sunday January 8, 2016

Vancouver Italian Film Festival
Where: Various locations
What: Contemporary films from the past two to three years are merged with Italy’s rich patrimony of classic avant-garde, and neo realism cinema.
Runs until: Thursday January 12, 2017

STOMP Out Hunger
Where: Red Truck Brewery
What: Everyone who drops off a cash or non-perishable food donation at the Red Truck Brewery before January 13th will receive a coupon good for $5 off a ticket to see the touring production of STOMP during its January 13th-15th run at Queen Elizabeth Theatre. In addition, Red Truck Beer will donate $1 from each pint of its seasonal beers sold in the Truck Stop during the month of December to the Vancouver Food Bank.
Runs until: January 13, 2016

And Bella Sang with Us
Where: Firehall Arts Centre
What: A stylish play with a dark and wicked sense of humour with a shot of song that celebrates two of Canada’s unsung pioneers: Constables Lurancy Harris and Minnie Miller, Vancouver’s first female police officers.
Runs until: Saturday January 14, 2017

Walker Evans: Depth of Field
Where: Vancouver Art Gallery
What: The American photographer Walker Evans (1903–1975) is among the most influential artists of the 20th century. Covering the full arc of his career, Walker Evans: Depth of Field presents the most comprehensive look at Evans’ work ever mounted in Canada.
Runs until: January 22, 2017

Alexine McLeod
Where: Monte Clark Gallery
What: The artist presents wall-mounted abstract compositions that combine everyday materials including plastic, fabric, found objects, and light.
Runs until: January 30, 2016

In the Footprint of the Crocodile Man
Where: UBC Museum of Anthropology
What: The Sepik River of Papua New Guinea is one of the largest river systems in the world, extraordinarily beautiful, but seldom visited. It is here that the Iatmul people, who live along its banks, have created internationally renowned works of art primarily inspired by stories of the majestic crocodile as the primordial creator. This unique exhibition will showcase the most comprehensive collection of contemporary Sepik art in North America for the first time. In addition to highlighting the exquisite carvings of Papua New Guinea’s latmul people, the exhibition will delve into their economic, cultural, and spiritual connections to the river system, drawing urgent attention to the logging and mining operations that pose environmental threats to the region.
Runs until: January 31, 2017

Juxtapoz x Superflat
Where: Vancouver Art Gallery
What: A manifesto for new creative practices that can no longer be adequately described by the traditional categories of art and production. Presenting the work of more than 30 artists from Japan, China, Korea, Europe and the United States this remarkable exhibition offers a unique insight into contemporary art and its place in cultural life.
Runs until: February 5, 2016

As Heavy as a Feather
Where: Centre A
What: Indigenous Taiwanese artist Chang En Man is having her first exhibition in North America. Chang’s practice is characterized by a dynamic interplay between story, tradition, and the struggles of indigenous peoples in the face of ongoing experiences of colonization.
Runs until: February 11, 2016

Robson Square Ice Rink
Where: Robson Square
What: Ice skate for free or rent a pair for $4 on this outdoor, covered public rink right downtown.
Runs until: February 14, 2017

Judy Chartrand, What a Wonderful World
Where: The Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art
What: Her beautiful and provocative work presents her own personal history and insights into life in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, and commentary on racism and post–colonial relations between Indigenous and non–Indigenous cultures.
Runs until: February 19, 2016

Layers of Influence
Where: UBC Museum of Anthropology
What: This stunning exhibition will explore clothing’s inherent evidence of human ingenuity, creativity and skill, drawing from MOA’s textile collection — the largest collection in Western Canada — to display a global range of materials, production techniques and adornments across different cultures and time frames.
Runs until: April 9, 2017

Vancouver Special
Where: Vancouver Art Gallery
What: The first iteration of this series and it features works by 40 artists produced within the last five years—Vancouver’s post-Olympic period. The exhibition includes many emerging artists as well as those who are more established but whose ideas were prescient. Some are recent arrivals to Vancouver, while others are long-term residents who have already made significant contributions. Others are nomadic, less settled in one place and are working energetically between several locations.
Runs until: April 17, 2016

Nat Bailey Stadium Winter Farmers Market
Where: Nat Bailey Stadium
What: Don’t fret the summers Farmers markets packing up – winter is here, and you can still shop local for fresh produce, preserves, baked goods, and crafts.
Runs until: April 22, 2017

Hastings Park Farmers Market
Where: Hastings Park (near the PNE)
What: The Hastings Park Farmers Market features a great selection of local produce; nursery items, fish, meat & dairy; artisan prepared foods, baking and treats; local crafts, and of course, food trucks.
Runs until: April 30, 2017

What are you up to this weekend? Tell me and the rest of Vancouver in the comments below or tweet me directly at @lextacular

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