Inside Vancouver

Caribbean Days Festival 2011

by Dana Lynch in Events on July 16, 2011

Get ready to party Caribbean-style! North Vancouver’s free Caribbean Days Festival—one of B.C.’s largest cultural festivals and one of the biggest Caribbean festivals in western Canada—is two days of tropical rhythm, cuisine, carnival and culture, featuring a parade, live entertainment, and more.

Organized annually by the Trinidad & Tobago Cultural Society of BC, the Caribbean Days Festival is packed with colourful costumes, traditional dance, and kids’ activities. The Festival’s free fun includes live entertainment and concerts, an international food fair, and a clothes and crafts market. There’s also a Multicultural Street Parade, and a fabulous free, nighttime Waterfront Party featuring Soca, Reggae and Calypso rhythms.

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Caribbean Days Festival 2011

Vancouver Folk Music Festival – July 15 – 17, 2011

by Dana Lynch in Entertainment on July 10, 2011

Named one of the ten best outdoor concerts in North America by USA Today, the Vancouver Folk Music Festival is one of the highlights of the summer music season. This three-day festival at Jericho Beach Park features an eclectic range of folk and roots music performed on eight outdoor stages, all overlooking the picture-perfect vistas of downtown Vancouver and the North Shore mountains.

At this festival, “folk” has an expansive meaning, covering an enormous range of sounds, from gospel to blues, rock, world music, spoken-word poetry, and African- and Latin fusion. The diverse 2011 artist line-up includes Dan Bern, Jim Bryson and the Weakerthans Band, Rosanne Cash, Alpha Yaya Diallo, Freshlyground, The Fugitives , La-33, New Country Rehab, Tim Robbins & The Rogues Gallery Band, and Mary Gauthier, to name just a few.

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Vancouver Folk Music Festival – July 15 – 17, 2011

10 Free Things to Do in July in Vancouver

by Dana Lynch in Entertainment on July 2, 2011

Vancouver's annual Celebration of Light Fireworks Competition starts in July.

If there’s one month in Vancouver when you don’t have to spend any money to have fun, it has to be July. Along with taking advantage of the summer weather to enjoy Vancouver’s gorgeous beaches and parks, July 2011 is packed with free festivals, events and activities for all-ages, from the world-famous Celebration of Light Fireworks Competition to free outdoor movies and more!

10 Free Things to Do in July in Vancouver

1. Celebrate Vancouver’s 125th Birthday with live music and more at Summer Live in Stanley Park, (July 8 – 10, 2011).

2. Take the whole family to a free outdoor movie at a Vancouver park. Complete list here.

3. Salsa dance for free every Sunday in Robson Square.

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10 Free Things to Do in July in Vancouver

Greek Day on Broadway – June 26, 2011

by Dana Lynch in Events on June 24, 2011

Greek Day 2009: Cooking chickan souvlaki at the Acopol tent. Photo: Dana Lynch

Love gyros and chicken souvlaki, loukoumades, hand-made custard bougatsa and baclava? Then I know exactly where you will want to be this Sunday: the annual Greek Day on Broadway! (Seriously: the bougatsa is always divine!)

Greek Day on Broadway is one of my favourite Vancouver summer events. It’s a fun, free celebration of all things Greek, featuring loads of food (naturally), traditional Greek dancers, live music, kids’ activities, and lots and lots of charm.

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Greek Day on Broadway – June 26, 2011

Carnaval del Sol – June 26, 2011

by Dana Lynch in Events on June 24, 2011

There are lots of options for free fun this weekend, from free concerts at the Vancouver International Jazz Festival to the all-day festivities on W Broadway for Greek Day 2011, but the one option that’s practically guaranteed to get you dancing in the streets is the Vancouver 2011 Carnaval del Sol.

A celebration of Latin American heritage, Carnaval del Sol 2011 is a huge street party featuring an “authentic” and diverse Latin American food court, Salsa and Zumba street dancing, live music performances by Rio Samaya, Aquizamin Garcia, Liliam Santamaria, Sergio Flores, Coral Fusion Latina, Tanga, Mexico Vivo, and Spanish Passion’s Flamenco Latino, kids’ activities and more. There’s even a street soccer tournament with the Vancouver WhiteCaps FC and Mayor Gregor Robertson as one of the players!

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Carnaval del Sol – June 26, 2011

Caribbean Days Festival 2011

Vancouver Folk Music Festival – July 15 – 17, 2011

10 Free Things to Do in July in Vancouver

Greek Day on Broadway – June 26, 2011

Carnaval del Sol – June 26, 2011

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Vancouver photo essays