Things to Do in Vancouver This Weekend: April 26, 2018

The Vancouver Opera is reveling in Russian arts this weekend, there’s a festival that’s brought in music from around the world, and performance about an experience growing up Métis. Or, you could catch aerial acrobatics on a 40ft schooner, bike your way through cherry blossoms, or usher in the arrival of spring at the first open of the farmers’ markets (yes, they’ve started!).

Friday | Saturday | Sunday | Ongoing



Friday April 27

Vancouver World Music Festival
Where: Various locations
What: A three-night celebration of world beats and melodies, will feature some world-class artists from Mexico, Iran, Africa, Spain, USA, as well as talented and innovative artists from Canada.
Runs until: Sunday April 29, 2018

Métis Mutt | Image by Marc J Chalifoux Photography

Métis Mutt
Where: Firehall Arts Centre
What: Written and performed by Métis actor, writer, stand-up comic, musician and director Sheldon Elter. It’s the story of Sheldon’s coming of age under extremely difficult family and cultural circumstances as the eldest child of a violently alcoholic father. Experiencing bigotry from both sides of the racial fence, he attempts to understand both what drives him psychologically and what is important to him culturally.
Runs until: Saturday May 5, 2018

The History of the World (Based on Banalities)

The History of the World (Based on Banalities)
Where: The Cultch
What: A youngster decides to look after his mother in the last months of her life. Starting from run-of-the-mill situations and objects, he embarks on a quirky voyage through her past.
Runs until: Saturday May 5, 2018

Flatbush Zombies

Flatbush Zombies
Where: The Vogue
What: An American hip hop group from the Flatbush section of Brooklyn.

Khruangbin

Khruangbin
Where: The Rickshaw
What: A psychedelic trio who draw inspiration from the deepest depths of music history: mixing 1960’s funk scene in Thailand, 1970’s Persian rock music, and 1980’s Algerian symphonia with a dash of disco, soul, and balearic music.

Vancouver Whitecaps vs. Real Salt Lake

Vancouver Whitecaps vs. Real Salt Lake
Where: BC Place Stadium
What: It’s a soccer game. Go cheer and paint your face.

Jeanette: The Childhood of Joan of Arc

Jeanette: The Childhood of Joan of Arc
Where: The Cinematheque
What: His confounding new feature, runner-up in Cahiers du cinéma’s best of 2017 poll, depicts the typically-untapped preadolescence of the martyred heroine, from writings by French poet Charles Péguy. But director Bruno Dumont stages her spiritual awakening as a headbanging electro-metal musical. Have at it.
Runs until: Thursday May 3, 2018

Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami

Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami
Where: Vancity Theatre
What: This electrifying journey through the public and private worlds of pop culture mega-icon Grace Jones contrasts musical sequences with intimate personal footage, all the while brimming with Jones’s bold aesthetic. A larger-than-life entertainer, an androgynous glam-pop diva, an unpredictable media presence – Grace Jones is all these things and more.
Runs until: Thursday May 3, 2018


 

Saturday April 28

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Vancouver Opera Festival

Vancouver Opera Festival: Russian White Nights
Where: Various locations
What: The Vancouver Opera Festival is a vibrant celebration of the vocal and theatrical arts. The second annual Vancouver Opera Festival celebrates Russian composers with classic opera, dressed in beautiful costumes and artful staging along with a series of instrumental and vocal chamber music concerts.
Runs until: Sunday May 6, 2018

Scarlet Sails Performance

Scarlet Sails Performance
Where: Queen Elizabeth Theatre Plaza
What: The Russian White Nights Festival celebrates the time of year around the summer solstice in areas of high latitude when darkness is never complete. The festival highlight is the arrival of a Scarlet Sails schooner. Vancouver Opera has partnered with CircusWest, to stage the Scarlet Sails love story. A specially created 40-foot long red schooner will serve as the stage for gravity-defying acrobatic feats, with music and custom designed projections on the 22-foot tall sails in a free performance for all ages.
Runs until: Saturday May 5, 2018

Bike the Blossoms

Bike the Blossoms
Where: Trout Lake
What:Grab your bike and head out on an easy route under a canopy of pink cherry blossoms.

April Bird Walk

April Bird Walk
Where: VanDusen Gardens
What: Join Jeremy Gordon for a guided birding exploration in the Garden.

Circa: Opus

Circa: Opus
Where: The Chan Centre
What: Performing to stirring music of Dmitri Shostakovich, 14 acrobats defy gravity in virtuosic feats of strength and agility. Through lyrical group choreography, the performers shift from delicate poses to dizzying stunts.

Jorja Smith

Jorja Smith
Where: The Biltmore
What: English R&B singer-songwriter.

Emily Carr in Dialogue with Mattie Gunterman

Emily Carr in Dialogue with Mattie Gunterman
Where: Vancouver Art Gallery
What: The work of two women artists practicing in British Columbia in the early twentieth century. This exhibition draws on the Vancouver Art Gallery’s deep holdings of Carr’s work to reflect her direct engagement with and great affection for British Columbia’s landscape. Like Carr, much of Gunterman’s oeuvre reflected her engagement with the wilderness around her which she documented with images of friends, campsites, trappers, prospectors, miners and the day to day of pioneer life.
Runs until: Monday September 3, 2018

Hari Kondabolu

Hari Kondabolu
Where: The Commodore
What: A Brooklyn-based, Queens-raised comic who the NY Times has called “one of the most exciting political comics in stand-up today.”

Sarah Chang Plays Bruch
Where: The Orpheum
What: Her recording of the popular Bruch Violin Concerto No. 1 was named to Gramophon magazine’s list of the top 250 classical records of all time. This concerto is famous for its grace and lyrical, flowing melodies that show off the expressive possibilities of the violin through nearly the entire range of the instrument.

Riley Park Farmers’ Market
Where: Riley Park
What: 30+ vendors each week – 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: Saturday October 27, 2018 (Saturdays)


 

Sunday April 29

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Randy Rainbow

Randy Rainbow
Where: The Vogue
What: A comedian who got most of his fame on YouTube.

The Music of James Rolfe, Composer of The Overcoat—A Musical Tailoring

The Music of James Rolfe, Composer of The Overcoat—A Musical Tailoring
Where: CBC Studio 700
What: A selection of Rolfe’s vocal and instrumental chamber music repertoire.

International Dance Day: Mozaico Flamenco
Where: Central Library
What: Enjoy a performance of passionate and virtuosic flamenco by Mozaico Flamenco – a moving force in the world of Spanish dance, pushing the artistic envelope, and fusing dance, music and culture for more than 40 years.


 

Ongoing

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Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival | Image by thetu2

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 in bloom! 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 29, 2018

Spirit Horse

Spirit Horse
Where: The Waterfront Theatre
What: A play about two youth who are caught between two worlds—the traditional ways of their Stoney Nation heritage and the modern ways of the city.  Angelina and Jesse’s lives are changed forever when their grandfather brings them a horse that has mysteriously appeared to him.  Can this majestic animal heal a troubled single parent family?
Runs until: Sunday April 29, 2018

Vancouver World Music Festival
Where: Various locations
What: A three-night celebration of world beats and melodies, will feature some world-class artists from Mexico, Iran, Africa, Spain, USA, as well as talented and innovative artists from Canada.
Runs until: Sunday April 29, 2018

N. Vancouver

N. Vancouver
Where: The Polygon Gallery
What: The show in the newly-opened gallery will pay tribute to the evolution of North Vancouver and will feature commissioned works by more than 10 artists, including Andrew Dadson, Gabrielle Hill, Althea Thauberger, Stephen Waddell and Tracy Williams, paired with existing work by Stan Douglas, Greg Girard, Fred Herzog, Curt Lang, and Jeff Wall, among others.
Runs until: Sunday April 29, 2018

The Explanation

The Explanation
Where: The Cultch
What: Every Saturday morning, John dresses up as a woman and takes transit out of cozy Burnaby to go to the Central Library in downtown Vancouver. He’s straight. He frequents the literature DVD shelves. That’s where he bumped into Dick. Who’s also straight. Dick thinks John’s a woman… I think. And now they’ve started to rendezvous there every Saturday morning. What on earth is going on?
Runs until: Sunday April 29, 2018

Capture Photography Festival | Image: Nadia Belerique, In The Belly Of A Cat

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: Monday April 30, 2018

Jeanette: The Childhood of Joan of Arc

Jeanette: The Childhood of Joan of Arc
Where: The Cinematheque
What: His confounding new feature, runner-up in Cahiers du cinéma’s best of 2017 poll, depicts the typically-untapped preadolescence of the martyred heroine, from writings by French poet Charles Péguy. But director Bruno Dumont stages her spiritual awakening as a headbanging electro-metal musical. Have at it.
Runs until: Thursday May 3, 2018

Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami

Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami
Where: Vancity Theatre
What: This electrifying journey through the public and private worlds of pop culture mega-icon Grace Jones contrasts musical sequences with intimate personal footage, all the while brimming with Jones’s bold aesthetic. A larger-than-life entertainer, an androgynous glam-pop diva, an unpredictable media presence – Grace Jones is all these things and more.
Runs until: Thursday May 3, 2018

Métis Mutt | Image by Marc J Chalifoux Photography

Métis Mutt
Where: Firehall Arts Centre
What: Written and performed by Métis actor, writer, stand-up comic, musician and director Sheldon Elter. It’s the story of Sheldon’s coming of age under extremely difficult family and cultural circumstances as the eldest child of a violently alcoholic father. Experiencing bigotry from both sides of the racial fence, he attempts to understand both what drives him psychologically and what is important to him culturally.
Runs until: Saturday May 5, 2018

The History of the World (Based on Banalities)

The History of the World (Based on Banalities)
Where: The Cultch
What: A youngster decides to look after his mother in the last months of her life. Starting from run-of-the-mill situations and objects, he embarks on a quirky voyage through her past.
Runs until: Saturday May 5, 2018

Misery
Where: Arts Club Theatre
What:It’s Stephen King’s thriller on stage. Successful romance novelist Paul Sheldon is rescued from a car crash by his “number one fan,” Annie Wilkes, and wakes up in her secluded home in the mountains of Colorado. While Annie nurses him back to health, Paul soon realizes that he is not her guest, but her captive.
Runs until: Saturday May 5, 2018

Scarlet Sails Performance

Scarlet Sails Performance
Where: Queen Elizabeth Theatre Plaza
What: The Russian White Nights Festival celebrates the time of year around the summer solstice in areas of high latitude when darkness is never complete. The festival highlight is the arrival of a Scarlet Sails schooner. Vancouver Opera has partnered with CircusWest, to stage the Scarlet Sails love story. A specially created 40-foot long red schooner will serve as the stage for gravity-defying acrobatic feats, with music and custom designed projections on the 22-foot tall sails in a free performance for all ages.
Runs until: Saturday May 5, 2018

Takashi Murakami: The Octopus Eats Its Own Leg

Takashi Murakami: The Octopus Eats Its Own Leg
Where: Vancouver Art Gallery
What: Featuring fifty-five remarkable works, some newly created for the presentation in Vancouver, this retrospective offers a critical and serious meditation on the current state of Japanese society in the midst of a complex, global world, while highlighting Murakami’s important role as a committed and often conflicted commentator on cultural production.
Runs until: Sunday May 6, 2018

Vancouver Opera Festival

Vancouver Opera Festival
Where: Various locations
What: The Vancouver Opera Festival is a vibrant celebration of the vocal and theatrical arts. The second annual Vancouver Opera Festival celebrates Russian composers with classic opera, dressed in beautiful costumes and artful staging along with a series of instrumental and vocal chamber music concerts.
Runs until: Sunday May 6, 2018

Me and You
Where: Arts Club Theatre
What: From childhood until old age, Liz and Lou are sisters who go through life mostly as friends, but sometimes as foes. Liz is a steady-minded biologist while Lou is a free-spirited painter, and their personalities clash over everything from hair dye to cheating partners to rebellious children. See their stories come alive across the decades through the acclaimed mask work of Melody Anderson in a comedy that gives a unique face to sisterhood.
Runs until: Sunday May 6, 2018

Living Building Thinking: Art and Expressionism | Portrait of Anna Grünebaum by Otto Dix (image cropped)

Living, Building, Thinking: Art and Expressionism
Where: Vancouver Art Gallery
What: The term Expressionism is invariably associated with the period of art and social activism in Germany between 1905 and 1937, encompassing visual art, literature, philosophy, theatre, film, photography and architecture. Explore the development of Expressionism in art from the early 19th century to the present day through the German Expressionist collection from the McMaster Museum of Art.
Runs until: Monday May 21, 2018

Murder on the Improv Express

Murder on the Improv Express
Where: The Improv Centre
What:The comedic whodunnit is set in the 1930s and involves many of the set characters and scenarios you’d expect to find. However, what isn’t known is who is the victim, who is the killer and how the dastardly deed was done. These are just some of the things that will be established by audience suggestions during the course of the show. What is known is that audience members will die laughing at all the improbable plot twists and turns.
Runs until: Saturday May 26, 2018

Haida Now

Haida Now
Where: Museum of Vancouver
What: This exhibition features an unparalleled collection of Haida art boasting more than 450 works created as early as 1890. Local Haida artists will share their insights and knowledge about the art pieces, providing visitors with the opportunity to experience a powerful way to engage with the worldview and sensibility of the Haida people while gaining greater appreciation for the role museums can play in the reconciliation movement.
Runs until: Saturday June 16, 2018

Bombhead | Untitled by Carel Moiseiwitsch (image rotated for the screen)

Bombhead
Where: Vancouver Art Gallery
What:  A thematic art exhibition organized by guest curator John O’Brian that explores the emergence and impact of the nuclear age as represented by artists and their art. Encompassing the pre- and postwar period from the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 to the triple meltdown at Fukushima Daiichi in 2011, BOMBHEAD brings together paintings, drawings, prints, sculpture, photographs, film and video that deal with this often dark subject matter.
Runs until: Sunday June 17, 2018

The Blue Hour

The Blue Hour
Where: Vancouver Contemporary Art Gallery
What:Making reference to the brief period of twilight at dawn and dusk when temporal linearity appears to momentarily hover in a state of suspension, this photography exhibition presents works by five Canadian and international artists – Joi T. Arcand, Kapwani Kiwanga, Colin Miner, Grace Ndiritu, and Kara Uzelman – that collectively act as a proposition to consider the futurity of the photographic image.
Runs until: Sunday June 24, 2018

Emily Carr in Dialogue with Mattie Gunterman

Emily Carr in Dialogue with Mattie Gunterman
Where: Vancouver Art Gallery
What: The work of two women artists practicing in British Columbia in the early twentieth century. This exhibition draws on the Vancouver Art Gallery’s deep holdings of Carr’s work to reflect her direct engagement with and great affection for British Columbia’s landscape. Like Carr, much of Gunterman’s oeuvre reflected her engagement with the wilderness around her which she documented with images of friends, campsites, trappers, prospectors, miners and the day to day of pioneer life.
Runs until: Monday September 3, 2018

Culture at the Centre

Culture at the Centre

Culture at the Centre
Where: UBC Museum of Anthropology
What: Five Indigenous-run cultural centres in BC will be showcased representing six communities: Musqueam Cultural Education and Resource Centre (Musqueam), Squamish-Lil’wat Cultural Centre (Squamish, Lil’wat), Heiltsuk Cultural Education Centre (Heiltsuk), Nisga’a Museum (Nisga’a), and Haida Gwaii Museum (Haida). Covering a wide geographic expanse from Vancouver to the Nass River Valley, this marks the first time the participating communities will come together to share their diverse cultures in one space.
Runs until: Monday October 8, 2018

Riley Park Farmers’ Market
Where: Riley Park
What: 30+ vendors each week – 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: Saturday October 27, 2018 (Saturdays)

In a Different Light

In a Different Light
Where: Museum of Anthropology
What: More than 110 historical Indigenous artworks and marks the return of many important works to British Columbia. These objects are amazing artistic achievements. Yet they also transcend the idea of ‘art’ or ‘artifact’. Through the voices of contemporary First Nations artists and community members, this exhibition reflects on the roles historical artworks have today. Featuring immersive storytelling and innovative design, it explores what we can learn from these works and how they relate to Indigenous peoples’ relationships to their lands.
Runs until: Spring 2019

What are you up to this weekend? Tell me and the rest of Vancouver in the comments below.

 

 




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