Things to Do in Vancouver this Weekend: April 20, 2017

It’s your last chance to check out the Cherry Blossom Festival events and to hit the winter farmers market before the summer ones begin! This weekend see new, inventive, and contemporary dance – both on stage with Tunnel and on ice with Vertical Influences. It’s also a weekend of craft – with two markets for craft items and one for craft wine.

Friday | Saturday | Sunday | Ongoing



Friday April 21

The Piano Teacher
Where: Arts Club Theatre
What: When Erin, a classical pianist, experiences the loss of the life she knew, she also finds herself dealing with the departure of her own musical expression. Navigating her way through this change, she meets an unconventional piano teacher who gives her new hope for the future.
Runs until: Sunday May 13, 2017

Vertical Influences

Vertical Influences
Where: Britannia Ice Rink
What: Rising stars Le Patin Libre are creating a new kind of ice dancing, far beyond the confines of traditional figure skating. There are no sparkles, no stereotypes, and no fuzzy animal costumes. Coming off a sold-out European tour, this is your chance to see the fresh and inventive Canadian group before they explode onto the international scene.
Runs until: Sunday April 30, 2017

The Zombies

The Zombies
Where: Commodore Ballroom
What: Yes – it’s the actual Zombies from the 60s with songs like She’s Not There and Time of the Season. They are reunited and touring and they will be in Vancouver.

Make It! Vancouver
Where: PNE Forum
What: More than 200 of your favourite “makies” (and some new ones too) are bringing their goodies back. Stock up on freshly made accessories, jewellery, clothing, art, home decor, food, baby/kid items and lots of other beautifully crafted, handmade goods.
Runs until: Sunday April 23, 2017

East Side Flea
Where: 1024 Main St.
What: Over 50 local vendors, food trucks, a live deejay, artisan showrooms, seasonal drink specials, pinball and more.
Runs until: Sunday April 23, 2017

photo: Campfire Confessions Facebook Page

Campfire Confessions
Where: Lost and Found Cafe (33 W. Hastings Street)
What: Come tell nature-based stories and hang out with lovely people in an artsy space. Stories can be funny, embarrassing, scary or revelatory; from your youth or from last weekend. “Props” such as little kid diaries and ukeleles totally welcome.

Stars on Broadway
Where: Vancouver Public Library – Kits Branch (2425 MacDonald Street)
What: Come celebrate the 73 merchants from the West Broadway Business Improvement Association that have been in business for more than 20 years.

Funny Music Weirdo
Where: Studio 1398 on Granville Island (1398 Cartwright Street)
What: Chase Padgett melds his two most popular performance skills—guitar showmanship and comedic hijinks—in his latest show.
Runs until: Saturday, April 22, 2017

The Cactus Blossoms
Where: The Fox Cabaret (2321 Main St.)
What: These brothers will perform songs from their album, You’re Dreaming, which can best be described as the culmination of several years of songwriting and the kindness of thousands of miles and friends. With a cast of characters, experiences, and personal perspectives, set in simple rhymes and sung in harmony, they’ll try to paint a picture in your mind.

DakhaBrakha
Where: York Theatre (639 Commercial Drive)
What: For one night only, world class Ukrainian band, DakhaBrakha will take over the York Theatre with their captivating and compelling sounds. DakhaBrakha is a world music quartet from Kiev, Ukraine that defies the limits of any one genre.  Reflecting fundamental elements of sound and soul, this Ukrainian “ethno-chaos” band creates a world of unexpected new music.


 

Saturday April 22

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Songs and Serenades

Songs and Serenades
Where: The Orpheum
What: Multi-talented Canadian artist audience favourite James Ehnes conducts and performs on the violin and viola, in a beautiful, lyrical program that kicks off the 2016 Spring Festival.

Garagiste North Wine Festival 
Where: 225 Smithe
What: Join a gathering of the small case lot, artisan wine producers of BC. Enjoy great wine, art, conversation and more and the opportunity to purchase wine from these hard-to-find producers right at the event.

Earth Day at Rocky Mountain Flatbread
Main Street & Kits locations

Rocky Mountain Flatbread will be giving away 50 salad bowl growing kits (one per family) with the purchase of an entree on Earth Day. Be sure to visit either the Main Street or Kitsilano restaurant so you can grow your own zero mile salad in honour of Earth Day!

Earth Day Makeover for Stanley Park
Where: Viewing Plaza above Stanley Park Nature House on Lost Lagoon at the corner of Chilco St. and Alberni St
What: City residents can give back to local habitats in Stanley Park through invasive plant removal and weaving, nest basket installation, and native plant planting. A SPES naturalist will also offer guided tours of the great blue heron colony in Stanley Park where heron pairs are busily laying eggs in 71 nests.

St. Andrew’s Celebrates Earth Day
Where: 1044 St. George’s Avenue, North Vancouver
What: Rain or shine, there will be activities outside in the community and church gardens for the whole family—as well as displays and videos inside about how you can faithfully care for the Earth by being well-informed and pro-active. Guest speaker Kai Nagata from Dogwood rounds out the festivities with an Earth Day talk at noon in the Friendship Room. Everyone welcome!

Vaisakhi Day Parade
Where: Gurdwara Sahib Dasmesh Darbar, 12885 85 Ave., Surrey
What: Everyone is welcome at the annual Vaisakhi Day Parade, featuring cultural floats, community performers and live music. To pay tribute to the harvest celebration roots of the parade, attendees are given free food and drink from hundreds of local residents and businesses.

Write Your Own Chinese Opera Workshop
Where: Chinese Cultural Museum (555 Columbia St.)
What: Join this interactive public workshop on Chinese opera, with Composer Alan Lau and Vancouver Chinese Music Ensemble Director Jirong Huang. Participants will experience the life of an ancient Chinese literati through interactive activities based on language tones, calligraphy, poetry and lyric writing, and explore the multi-faceted relationship between music and other Chinese art forms.

Analog: Pop-Up Vinyl Shop
Where: 52 Sixth St., New Westminster
What: On Record Store Day, indie and electronic record labels from across Metro Vancouver will descend upon New Westminster for a day of live music, beer, food and of course crate digging!

Bodies in the Street
Where: grunt gallery (#116-350 E 2nd Ave.)
What: The gallery will host the latest instalment of Pleasure & Protest Sometimes Simultaneously’s Free School event, entitled “Bodies in the Street.” Randy Lee Cutler and Magnolia Pauker will explore ideas presented in “The Political Affects of Plural Performativity,” an interview with Judith Butler conducted by Athena Athanasiou.

Artists of Kerrisdale Biennial Art Sale
Where: Kerrisdale Community Centre (5851 West Boulevard)
What: The Artists of Kerrisdale are a group of experienced artists who work in a wide variety of painting styles and subject matter. Their purpose is to explore the many different avenues of art styles that encourage personal growth. As a close and supportive group, they are dedicated to the enrichment, excellence, mutual support and encouragement of its members as artists.
Runs until: Sunday, April 23, 2017

Earth Day Bicycle Drive & Clinic
Where: Holy Cross School, 1450 Delta Ave., Burnaby
What: Got an old bicycle just lying around? Now’s the time to find it a good home! On Saturday, you can drop off your used bikes and bike parts, tools, helmets, lights and other accessories to be refurbished for distribution to low-income people in the Greater Vancouver Area. Bonus: bring in your current bike for a free check-up!

March for Science
Where: Downtown Vancouver
What: Scientists and science enthusiasts will be hitting the streets of Downtown Vancouver to celebrate science and the crucial role it plays in our lives.


 

Sunday April 23

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The Tunnel
Where: The Roundhouse Theatre
What: A contemporary dance theatre production that asks its audience to enter the maze of the mind. Dancers move through a staged consciousness, immersed in the evolving light show as they struggle through turbulent thoughts battling themselves and each other. As their bodies bend and weave to the genre warping blend of music and sound design,  the projections alter their shape, playing with the audience’s perception of what they are seeing.
Runs until: Sunday April 30, 2017

The Pedrito Martinez Group
Where: St. James Hall
What:Grammy-nominated Cuban folklorist and master of the batá drum and first-call rumbero, along with bandmembers Jhair Sala (percussion, vocals), Alvaro Benavides (bass and vocals) and Edgar Pantoja-Aleman (keyboards and vocals).

Vancouver Sun Run
Where: Downtown Vancouver
Spring is finally here and excitement is building for one of the most beautiful road races in the world.  The 2017 Vancouver Sun Run Presented by Ford takes place this weekend in a special celebration of health, fitness and heartwarming community spirit!

Murray Perahia, Poet of the Piano
Where: Chan Centre for the Performing Arts at UBC
What: Murray is one of the most sought-after and cherished pianists of our time and his concert promises to be one of the highlights of the Vancouver Recital Society’s 2016-2017 Season.


 

Ongoing

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Nat Bailey Stadium Winter Farmers Market

Nat Bailey Stadium Winter Farmers Market

Nat Bailey Stadium Winter Farmers Market
Where: Nat Bailey Stadium
What: It’s the final weekend of the winter market – shop local for fresh produce, preserves, baked goods, and crafts.
Runs until: Saturday April 22, 2017

Almost, Maine
Where: The Cultch
What: One cold, clear Friday night in the middle of winter, while the northern lights hover in the sky above, Almost’s residents find themselves falling in and out of love in the strangest ways. Knees are bruised. Hearts are broken. Love is lost, found, and confounded. And life for the people of Almost, Maine will never be the same.
Runs until: Saturday April 22, 2017

Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival

Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival
Where: Various locations
What: It’s that time of year when the city turns all shades of pink – the cherry blossoms are about to bllom! Celebrate with community picnics, fairs, blossomy bike rides, and group walks. The Blossom Barge will be at Granville Island featuring free performances.
Runs until: Sunday April 23, 2017

Make It! Vancouver (this weekend only)
Where: PNE Forum
What: More than 200 of your favourite “makies” (and some new ones too) are bringing their goodies back. Stock up on freshly made accessories, jewellery, clothing, art, home decor, food, baby/kid items and lots of other beautifully crafted, handmade goods.
Runs until: Sunday April 23, 2017

East Side Flea (this weekend only)
Where: 1024 Main St.
What: Over 50 local vendors, food trucks, a live deejay, artisan showrooms, seasonal drink specials, pinball and more.
Runs until: Sunday April 23, 2017

Angels in America
Where: Arts Club Theatre
What: A tale of companionship and abandonment that takes place when the personal became political. Set in New York City at the height of the Reagan era, Tony Kushner’s modern masterpiece contrasts the lives of five individuals struggling with identity issues alongside the crippling effects of stereotypes and an incurable diagnosis.
Runs until: Sunday April 23, 2017

Capture Photography Festival | In Between Dreaming and Living

Capture Photography Festival
Where: Various locations
What: High-profile exhibitions as well as emerging talent and community participation are in the lens. There will be events in Vancouver’s leading public and commercial galleries, as well as public installations and a series of community-based photo workshops, tours, artist talks, films, and panel discussions.
Runs until: Friday April 28, 2017

Hastings Park Farmers Market

Hastings Park Farmers Market

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: Sunday April 30, 2017

Warrior: George Littlechild

Warrior: George Littlechild
Where: Kimoto Gallery
What: In George Littlechild’s new series ‘Warrior’, he has painted 10 portraits (5 female & 5 male) of 10 individual First Nations people who are fighting the good fight for the planet, the environment and mankind. These individuals are dedicated and devoted to making positive change in their community and in the world, so that future generations will have a better place to inhabit.
Runs until: Saturday April 29, 2017

The Tunnel
Where: The Roundhouse Theatre
What: A contemporary dance theatre production that asks its audience to enter the maze of the mind. Dancers move through a staged consciousness, immersed in the evolving light show as they struggle through turbulent thoughts battling themselves and each other. As their bodies bend and weave to the genre warping blend of music and sound design,  the projections alter their shape, playing with the audience’s perception of what they are seeing.
Runs until: Sunday April 30, 2017

Vertical Influences

Vertical Influences
Where: Britannia Ice Rink
What: Rising stars Le Patin Libre are creating a new kind of ice dancing, far beyond the confines of traditional figure skating. There are no sparkles, no stereotypes, and no fuzzy animal costumes. Coming off a sold-out European tour, this is your chance to see the fresh and inventive Canadian group before they explode onto the international scene.
Runs until: Sunday April 30, 2017

Mom’s the Word 3: Nest ½ Empty
Where: Arts Club Theatre
What: From the world-renowned creative team behind the Mom’s the Word series comes a new chapter in their stories of family and fracas. Their kids are grown, their marriages have “evolved,” and their bodies are backfiring. Life doesn’t get any prettier, but it never strays far from ludicrous or poignant as the moms continue to mine their personal history for every embarrassing detail.
Runs until: Saturday May 6, 2017

Abbotsford Bloom Tulip Festival
Where: 36737 North Parallel Road, Abbotsford BC
What: A chance to marvel at 10-acres of rainbow-coloured fields featuring more than 2.5 million tulips in a vivid display of breathtaking beauty. Visitors are invited to enjoy the view, get up close with the blooms, tiptoe through the expansive tulip fields, pick their own spring bouquets in the sprawling u-pick tulip field or purchase pre-picked tulips in the “Bloom-Mobile”, an on-site flower shop.
Runs until: Sunday May 7, 2017

Western World

Western World
Where: Vancouver Improv Centre (Granville Island)
What: Vancouver TheatreSports’™ improvisers will demonstrate their lightning fast wit as they play the “hosts” to the audience “guests” in Western World – an improvised parody inspired by the popular TV series Westworld.
Runs until: Saturday May 13, 2017

The Piano Teacher
Where: Arts Club Theatre
What: When Erin, a classical pianist, experiences the loss of the life she knew, she also finds herself dealing with the departure of her own musical expression. Navigating her way through this change, she meets an unconventional piano teacher who gives her new hope for the future.
Runs until: Sunday May 13, 2017

Susan Point: Spindle Whorl

Susan Point: Spindle Whorl
Where: Vancouver Art Gallery
What: Since the early 1980s, Susan Point has received wide acclaim for her remarkably accomplished oeuvre that forcefully asserts the vitality of Coast Salish culture, both past and present. She has produced an extensive body of prints and an expansive corpus of sculptural work in a wide variety of materials that includes glass, resin, concrete, steel, wood and paper.
Runs until: Sunday May 28, 2017

Pacific Crossings: Hong Kong Artists in Vancouver | Sunset, Carrie Koo

Pacific Crossings: Hong Kong Artists in Vancouver
Where: Vancouver Art Gallery
What: June 2017 marks the 20-year anniversary of the transfer of Hong Kong sovereignty from the United Kingdom to mainland China. In the lead up to the handover, tens of thousands of Hong Kong residents immigrated to Canada, many choosing to settle in Vancouver, and among them were a significant number of artists. Pacific Crossings presents works from well-known Hong Kong artists created after their relocation to Vancouver throughout the 1960-90s.
Runs until: May 28, 2017

Retainers of Anarchy

Retainers of Anarchy

Retainers of Anarchy
Where: Vancouver Art Gallery
What: A solo exhibition featuring new work from Howie Tsui that considers wuxia, a traditional form of martial arts literature, as a narrative tool for dissidence and resistance.
Runs until: May 28, 2017

Caroline Mesquita The Ballad

Caroline Mesquita The Ballad
Where: Centre 221A
What: A sculptural practice that intertwines the materiality of altered, oxidized, and painted copper and brass sheets with theatrical playfulness.
Runs until: Saturday June 3, 2017

Song of the Open Road

Song of the Open Road
Where: Contemporary Art Gallery
What: Bringing together artists from Canada, Eritrea, Ireland, Sweden, and the US, the exhibition includes works that combine thematically to interrogate ideas rooted in photographic histories, engaging ideas such as veracity, recollection, remembrance, belonging, staging, and how the image documents and records these or is evidence of differing realities.
Runs until: Sunday June 18, 2017

Up Close

Up Close
Where: VanDusen Botanical Garden
What: All the artists represented in this group exhibition find their inspiration while painting on location at VanDusen Garden. The Vancouver en plein air group, initiated in April 2011, zooms-in to the lush vegetation that provides a new dimension of foreground details. The subjects are varied, and so is the medium.
Runs until: Tuesday June 27, 2017

Xi Xanya Dzam – Those Who Are Amazing At Making Things
Where: The Bill Reid Gallery
What: Xi Xanya Dzam (pronounced hee hun ya zam) is the Kwak’wala word describing incredibly talented and gifted people who create works of art. The exhibition is both a showcase and a critical exploration of ‘achievement’ and ‘excellence’ in traditional and contemporary First Nations art.
Runs until: Sunday September 4, 2017

The Lost Fleet Exhibit
Where: Vancouver Maritime Museum
What: On December 7, 1941 the world was shocked when Japan bombed Pearl Harbour, launching the United States into the war. This action also resulted in the confiscation of nearly 1,200 Japanese-Canadian owned fishing boats by Canadian officials on the British Columbia coast, which were eventually sold off to canneries and other non-Japanese fishermen. The Lost Fleet looks at the world of the Japanese-Canadian fishermen in BC and how deep-seated racism played a major role in the seizure, and sale, of Japanese-Canadian property and the internment of an entire people.
Runs until: Winter 2017

Bill Reid Creative Journeys | Image via the Canadian Museum of History

Bill Reid Creative Journeys
Where: The Bill Reid Gallery
What: Celebrating the many creative journeys of acclaimed master goldsmith and sculptor Bill Reid (1920–1998), this exhibition provides a comprehensive introduction to his life and work.
Runs until: Sunday December 10, 2017

Amazonia: The Rights of Nature

Amazonia: The Rights of Nature
Where: UBC Museum of Anthropology
What: MOA will showcase its Amazonian collections in a significant exploration of socially and environmentally-conscious notions intrinsic to indigenous South American cultures, which have recently become innovations in International Law. These are foundational to the notions of Rights of Nature, and they have been consolidating in the nine countries that share responsibilities over the Amazonian basin.
Runs until: January 28, 2018

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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