Things to Do this Weekend in Vancouver: June 8, 2017

Prime bike-riding season has begun, and if Bike to Work Week didn’t get you started, Velopalooza is here with a bike rave, bike polo, and a bike expo this weekend. And forget a lazy Sunday – ride on over to Commercial Drive for Italian Day, to Main Street for an art fair, or to the downtown east side to watch a black metal vegan’s live cooking demo.

Friday | Saturday | Sunday | Ongoing

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Friday June 9

Flora and Fauna: A Summer Art Show
Where: The Fall Tattooing and Artist Studio
What: An artistic summer celebration of all vibrant, colourful, living things.
Runs until: Friday September 15, 2017

Let’s Have a Playdate
Where: Vancouver Playhouse
What: Bring the kids to explore fast and slow music on three playdates: at a friend’s house, at the park and at a concert. Play hide and seek, bounce the ball and other favorite games set to the music of Johannes Brahms. Accompanied by a woodwind quartet.

Hamlet
Where: The Cultch
What: Presented by The Sandbox Theatre.
Runs until: Saturday June 24, 2017

Rachael Rakes + Leo Goldsmith screening Peter Watkins’ The Journey
Where: The Western Front
What: Watkins’ 1987 film charts the geopolitical landscape of the nuclear arms race. Working collaboratively with activist groups from Sweden, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Soviet Union, Mexico, Japan, Scotland, Polynesia, Mozambique, Denmark, France, Norway, West Germany and USA and filmed between 1983 to 1985, The Journey is an astonishing experiment with documentary that expands its powers of polemic, reflexivity, reflection and passion.
Runs until: Sunday June 11, 2017

Laurent Craste: Revolution’s Small Collateral Damage
Where: Back Gallery Project
What: Of French origin, Laurent Craste has been living and working in Montreal for the past 25 years. His practice focuses on the exploration of the multiple layers of meaning of decorative objects: ideologically, aesthetically, and through their sociological and historical dimensions.
Runs until: Saturday July 1, 2017

Future
Where: Rogers Arena
What: Some American rap/hip hop/trap.

Means of Production
Where: CityScape Community Art Space (North Shore)
What: Through weaving, rug hooking and stitching, five textile artists explore the value, meaning, and metaphorical possibilities of methodically making work by hand in a digital age of increasingly rapid advancement. The title draws on Marx’s theory of alienation, which asserts that our humanity is created through production – essentially we are what we make.
Runs until: Saturday July 15, 2017

Velopalooza Bike Festival
Where: Various locations
What: A full calendar of cycling events, parties, rides, and workshops.
Runs until: Sunday June 25, 2017

Covenant Festival III
Where: The Rickshaw
What: A weekend of black metal and death metal, featuring Bolzer, Sortilegia, Revenge, Necroholocaust and more.
Runs until: Saturday June 10, 2017

Deva Premal & Miten with Manose: Temple at Midnight Tour
Where: The Vogue
What: A unique, spiritually inspired evening of mantra, song, and chant.

Lord Nelson Spring Carnival
Where: Lord Nelson Elementary School
What: Two-time Canadian Olympic Gold Medal-winning trampoline gymnast Rosie Maclennan will show off her skills with an exclusive trampoline performance and will host a meet-and-greet for Carnival guests. Trampolines will be on-site so guests can jump on and play. Rosie will also be handing out takeaway gifts, taking photographs and signing autographs.

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Saturday June 10

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Animating History Workshop
Where: Museum of Vancouver
What: A fun collective creative event that inspire families to illustrate their history. Bring an understanding of your family’s immigration history or their movement within Canada and be prepared to tell your stories through animation (no experience required). Families will work with each other to produce a short film that will be viewed at the end of the afternoon session. Films will be posted online to allow sharing and viewing.

The Titan: VSO Season Finale
Where: The Orpheum
What: Bramwell Tovey commands the stage in a titanic concert that features extraordinary violinist Baiba Skride, mezzo-soprano Marion Newman, a new composition by Maestro Tovey, and the heroic symphonic masterpiece by Gustav Mahler.
Runs until: Monday June 12, 2017

World Naked Bike Ride Vancouver
Where: Sunset Beach, 12:00pm
What: What it says. Strip down and cycle free of fabric. Sunscreen probably advised.

JFL Northwest Presents: WellRED Comedy Tour
Where: The Rio
What: Stand-up comedy and writing partners, Trae Crowder (The Liberal Redneck), Drew Morgan and Corey Ryan Forrester are touring nationally in support of their best-selling book, Liberal Redneck Manifesto: Draggin Dixie Outta the Dark.

Tinder Tales
Where: The Fox Cabaret
What: Professional/amateur daters, storytellers, comedians & everyday people confess their most outrageous and hilarious Tinder Tales and other online dating stories live on stage.

Bike Rave
Where: To be announced
What: Cover your bike in lights, dress in colours and rave on wheels.

Aunty Donna
Where: The Vogue
What: Award-winning Australian comedy group performs their little plays, clever dances, and goofy characters.

Hollerado
Where: The Commodore
What: Canadian indie rock.

Rabia Dastgir Trunk Show
Where: 101 Powell
What: Rabia Dastgir is an emerging fashion designer based in Vancouver. Her work is a play of bold colours, chic cuts and outstanding intricate hand embroideries.

BC Shellfish & Seafood Festival: Fresh Fest
Where: Coastal Black Estate Winery
What: An all-star lineup of the country’s top-level chefs this year including 2017 & 2012 Top Chef Canada Competitor Trevor Bird, and Celebrity Chef Ned Bell. Guests will have the opportunity to personally interact with the chefs at each station, while enjoying the incredible musical talents of local B.C. musician, Ari Neufeld.

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Sunday June 11

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Italian Day on The Drive
Where: Commercial Drive
What: A vibrant cultural street festival celebrating Italian culture, heritage and respective immigrant contributions in Vancouver. Commercial Drive, also known as The Drive, is home to the annual festival which transforms the street into a lively 17 block, vehicle-free celebration.

Queers & Beers: Summer Edition
Where: The Cobalt
What: Beer drinking and tasting, sans bro-culture. Special casks, exclusive brews, pool, pinball, video games, food trucks, and vintage-vibes spinning.

Black II: The Gathering
Where: The Rickshaw
What: This year’s event will have an art exhibition of black metal culture featuring works from Kevin Eisenlord and black metal logo designer Christophe Szpajdel. In addition to showcasing their black metal art, Szpajdel will be hosting a very special live art performance piece. Youtube sensation Vegan Black Metal Chef will host a live cooking segment on stage along with serving a vegan buffet.

Project Limelight Society presents: Off the Hook
Where: The Fei and Milton Wong Experimental Theatre
What: Project Limelight is a free performing arts program for young people living in Vancouver’s DTES. This all-ages comedy takes us from East Van to Neverland, where The Lost Boys look for a mother, The Lost Girls look for The Pirates, The Pirates look for Peter, and Peter, he’s just looking for some fun.

Mid Main Art Fair
Where: Heritage Hall
What: This one-day art fair features 18 established artists from the lower mainland showing works for sale in a variety of media and styles, including painting, sculpture, photography, and printmaking.

Chasing Evel
Where: The Imperial
What: Chasing Evel follows the legendary Evel Knievel’s son, Robbie. His father was an icon, his father was a tyrant, and his father never let him out of his shadow. All Robbie wanted was to carry on the family name, the Knievel legacy, and he has. In legendary fashion. Robbie followed perfectly in his father’s footsteps, smashing every jump record his father left behind, cleaning up all the jumps his father crashed on and pushing the limits farther than anyone ever had done. Any father would be proud except for Evel Knievel.

Parade of Renovated and Custom Homes
Where: Various locations
What: From 10am – 4pm a selection of professionally built and renovated homes will be open for you to poke around in. Meet the builders, view the latest home and renovation design trends, and learn about the science behind homes being built today.

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Ongoing

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Outside Mullingar
Where: Pacific Theatre
What: A pair of introverted misfits, Rosemary and Anthony’s families have lived on neighbouring farms as far back as anyone can remember, where they battle over property lines and childhood stories but never what matters most. A quirky story of flawed love and some kind of happiness told with effortless wit and poetic Irish lyricism.
Runs until: Saturday June 10, 2017

Rachael Rakes + Leo Goldsmith screening Peter Watkins’ The Journey
Where: The Western Front
What: Watkins’ 1987 film charts the geopolitical landscape of the nuclear arms race. Working collaboratively with activist groups from Sweden, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Soviet Union, Mexico, Japan, Scotland, Polynesia, Mozambique, Denmark, France, Norway, West Germany and USA and filmed between 1983 to 1985, The Journey is an astonishing experiment with documentary that expands its powers of polemic, reflexivity, reflection and passion.
Runs until: Sunday June 11, 2017

The Titan: VSO Season Finale
Where: The Orpheum
What: Bramwell Tovey commands the stage in a titanic concert that features extraordinary violinist Baiba Skride, mezzo-soprano Marion Newman, a new composition by Maestro Tovey, and the heroic symphonic masterpiece by Gustav Mahler.
Runs until: Monday June 12, 2017

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

Creative Visions: Hong Kong Cinema 1997-2017
Where: The Cinematheque
What: This year marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). To celebrate, the HKSAR Government takes great pleasure in presenting a number of specially curated film programs on Hong Kong cinema in 10 cities across Europe, North America, and South Korea, in addition to four cities in Mainland China and in Hong Kong.
Runs until: Friday June 23, 2017

Hamlet
Where: The Cultch
What: Presented by The Sandbox Theatre.
Runs until: Saturday June 24, 2017

Velopalooza Bike Festival
Where: Various locations
What: A full calendar of cycling events, parties, rides, and workshops.
Runs until: Sunday June 25, 2017

Hand to God
Where: Arts Club Theatre
What: In a church basement in suburban Texas, three troubled teenagers meet weekly to express themselves through puppetry and learn to avoid the devil at all costs. Things take a twisted turn when one student—Jason—creates a hand puppet that is possessed with a delightfully dark personality of its own.
Runs until: Sunday June 25, 2017

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

Dance in Transit
Where: Various outdoor locations
What: A continuous supply of dancing during the warm months —at no cost. Watch it, try it, and see if you love it.
Runs until: Sunday August 27th, 2017

Laurent Craste: Revolution’s Small Collateral Damage
Where: Back Gallery Project
What: Of French origin, Laurent Craste has been living and working in Montreal for the past 25 years. His practice focuses on the exploration of the multiple layers of meaning of decorative objects: ideologically, aesthetically, and through their sociological and historical dimensions.
Runs until: Saturday July 1, 2017

Million Dollar Quartet
Where: Arts Club Theatre
What: Inspired by true events, this rocking jukebox musical takes you into Sun Records Studio on December 4, 1956, to witness the famed recording session that brought together rock and roll legends Presley, Cash, Lewis, and Perkins—for the first and only time.
Runs until: Sunday July 9, 2017

Means of Production
Where: CityScape Community Art Space (North Shore)
What: Through weaving, rug hooking and stitching, five textile artists explore the value, meaning, and metaphorical possibilities of methodically making work by hand in a digital age of increasingly rapid advancement. The title draws on Marx’s theory of alienation, which asserts that our humanity is created through production – essentially we are what we make.
Runs until: Saturday July 15, 2017

The Vienna Model: Housing for the 21st Century City
Where: Museum of Vancouver
What: Explore housing in Vienna, Austria, through its portrait of the city’s pathbreaking approach to architecture, urban life, neighborhood revitalization, and the creation of new communities.
Runs until: Sunday July 16, 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

Pictures From Here
Where: Vancouver Art Gallery
What: Featuring photographs and video works from the early 1960s to the present that capture the urban environment of the Greater Vancouver region, its citizens and the vast “natural” landscape of the province.
Runs until: Sunday September 4, 2017

Sunday Art Market
Where: Jim Deva Plaza
What: Local artists, vendors and makers, largely from Vancouver’s West End, along with musical and other live performances and artist-led workshops to drop into.
Runs until: September 2017

Panda International Night Market
Where: Richmond, BC
What: A diverse market in Richmond, with shopping, food, beverages, and a game zone.
Runs until: Monday September 11, 2017

Flora and Fauna: A Summer Art Show
Where: The Fall Tattooing and Artist Studio
What: An artistic summer celebration of all vibrant, colourful, living things.
Runs until: Friday September 15, 2017

Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival
Where: Vanier Park
What: What do you say to watching a live production of Much Ado About Nothing, The Winter’s Tale, The Merchant of Venice or The Two Gentlemen of Verona in a custom-built tent on the beach while sipping wine, beer, and munching on a picnic lunch themed to the play? Yes! Right? After 28 years, this festival has hit a stride of near perfection (and don’t even get us started on the amazing costumes.)
Runs until: Saturday September 23, 2017

Shipyards Night Market
Where: Lonsdale, North Vancouver
What: Food, art, music, entertainment, shopping, a beer garden, and you can bring your dog!
Runs until: September 29, 2017

Mount Pleasant Farmers Market
Where: Dude Chilling Park
What: Amble over and pick up some afternoon picnic supplies, groceries for the week, and Sunday dinner fixings from 25+ farms and producers. Each week you’ll find a fresh selection of just-picked seasonal fruits & veggies, ethically-raised meats & sustainable seafood, artisanal bread & prepared foods, craft beer, wine, & spirits, handmade craft, and coffee & food trucks.
Runs until: October 8, 2017

Traces of Words: Art and Calligraphy from Asia
Where: UBC Museum of Anthropology
What: Words and their physical manifestations are explored in this insightful exhibition, which will honour the special significance that written forms. Varied forms of expression associated with writing throughout Asia is shown over the span of different time periods: from Sumerian cuneiform inscriptions, Qu’ranic manuscripts, Southeast Asian palm leaf manuscripts and Chinese calligraphy from MOA’s Asian collection to graffiti art from Afghanistan and contemporary artworks using Japanese calligraphy, and Tibetan and Thai scripts.
Runs until: Monday October 9, 2017

Richmond Night Market
Where: Richmond, BC
What: There’s a dinosaur park! Anamatronic dinosaurs! Also – live performances, carnival games, over 200 retail stalls and over 500 food choices from around the world.
Runs until: October 9, 2017

Onsite / Offsite Tsang Kin-Wah
Where:  Vancouver Art Gallery
What:  This large-scale composition transforms English texts to form intricate floral and animal patterns. The work draws from discriminatory language that appeared in newspapers and political campaigns in Vancouver during the 1887 anti-Chinese riots, the mid-1980s immigration influx from Hong Kong and most recently, the heated exchanges around the foreign buyers and the local housing market.
Runs until: Sunday October 15, 2017

West End Farmers Market
Where: 1100 Comox St
What: Located in the heart of Vancouver’s busy West End, this laid-back Saturday market looks onto beautiful Nelson Park and adjacent community gardens. Each week, shop for the best in local, seasonal produce, artisanal bread & prepared foods, craft beer, wine, & spirits, ethically raised meat, eggs, & dairy, sustainable seafood, wild crafted product, and handmade craft. Hot food & coffee on-site as well.
Runs until: Saturday October 21, 2017 (Saturdays)

Trout Lake Farmers Market
Where: Trout Lake
What: This is where you’ll find the vendors who have been doing it since the beginning; what started as 14 farmers ‘squatting’ at the Croatian Cultural Centre back in 1995 has grown into Vancouver’s most well-known and beloved market. Visitors come from near and far to sample artisan breads & preserves, stock up on free-range and organic eggs & meats, get the freshest, hard-to-find heirloom vegetables and taste the first Okanagan cherries and peaches of the season.
Runs until: Saturday October 21, 2017 (Saturdays)

Kitsilano Farmers Market
Where: Kitsilano Community Centre parking lot
What:   A great selection of just-picked, seasonal fruits & vegetables, ethically raised and grass fed meat, eggs, & dairy, sustainable seafood, fresh baked bread & artisanal food, local beer, wine, & spirits, and beautiful, handmade craft. Kids and parents alike can enjoy entertainment by market musicians, a nearby playground and splash park, and coffee and food truck offerings each week.
Runs until: Sunday October 22, 2017 (Sundays)

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
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
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

Emily Carr: Into the Forest
Where: Vancouver Art Gallery
What: Far from feeling that the forests of the West Coast were a difficult subject matter, Carr exulted in the symphonies of greens and browns found in the natural world. With oil on paper as her primary medium, Carr was free to work outdoors in close proximity to the landscape. She went into the forest to paint and saw nature in ways unlike her fellow British Columbians, who perceived it as either untamed wilderness or a plentiful source of lumber.
Runs until: March 4, 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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