Inside Vancouver

5 Free Things to Do This February

by Taraneh in Events on February 15, 2013

Winterruption Festival. Photo credit: Granville Island

Wrangle family and friends and take advantage of all the budget-friendly fun in February.

Vancouverites will turn out en force to celebrate the Year of the Snake at LunarFest, a free Lunar New Year festival with live performances and great eats taking place at Vancouver Art Gallery Plaza all weekend, February 15-17.

Rain or shine, get out and witness the 40th annual Vancouver Chinese New Year Parade, Sunday, February 17 – the city’s biggest free Chinese Lunar New Year bash. Right now, they’re predicting sun.

Winterruption brings free entertainment for kiddos and grown-ups to Granville Island, February 22-24.

Winter won’t last forever; we recommend taking a spin around the free Robson Square ice rink while you can. And don’t forget to discover Vancouver’s free snowshoeing trails, while they’re still fluffy white.

Find the full list of free Vancouver events and activities after the jump.

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5 Free Things to Do This February

5 Truly Vancouver Date Ideas

by Inside Vancouver in Town on February 12, 2013

Photo: John Bollwitt

The following article was contributed by Vancouver blogger Rebecca Bollwitt – aka Miss 604 (www.miss604.com | @miss604)

Vancouver is a beautiful place to fall in love, which is what my husband and I did 7 years ago when I was living in Kitsilano. When it comes to date ideas in the city, I think we had it easy. He moved from the Midwest to our glorious Pacific Northwest burg all those years ago so being a “tourist in my hometown” was a no-brainer for date nights. A walk down to the water, a trip up the SkyRide, a tour of our urban forest. The possibilities, from opening our wallets for event tickets to spending nary a penny on a romantic stroll to watch the sun dip into the ocean at the end of the day, seemed endless. We still have date nights, we still explore our hometown, and it’s safe to say we’re still pretty crazy about each other which is why I wanted to share some of my suggestions for truly great, truly local, and totally Vancouver date ideas:

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5 Truly Vancouver Date Ideas

Late-Night Street Food Festival (with beer) coming to Vancouver, Feb 22-23

by Remy Scalza in Events on February 12, 2013

Photo credit: RickChung.com | Flickr

It’s the event street food junkies (and craft beer lovers) have been waiting for.

From Feb. 22-Feb. 23, Granville Island will turn into an after-hours party zone for the first Street Eats and Beats Festival. The beer-garden-style outdoor event, held from 6 p.m. to midnight directly under the Granville Street Bridge, features six of Vancouver’s best food trucks, B.C. wine and beer from Granville Island Brewery and top DJs and performers.

Ticketholders will have the chance to sip, savour and get down at one of Vancouver’s hottest outdoor parties since the 2010 Olympic Games. Here’s how it works. Continue reading:
Late-Night Street Food Festival (with beer) coming to Vancouver, Feb 22-23

Fight December Darkness at the Winter Solstice Lantern Festival, Dec 21

by Remy Scalza in Events on December 11, 2012

Photo credit: eych-you-bee-ee-ahr-tee | Flickr

Darkness has descended on Vancouver. During December, we wake up in the dark, then trudge home from work and school in the dark. Days grow ever shorter until Dec. 21, the shortest day of the year, when Vancouver gets a meagre 8 hours and 14 minutes of light (That day also corresponds to the end of the world in the Mayan Calendar, just for a little extra doom and gloom).

If all that darkness has you down, you may want to check out the Winter Solstice Lantern Festival. This unique event, timed on Dec. 21 to coincide with the shortest day of the year, celebrates the return of light and warmth to our corner of the world as we move away from darkness and tilt ever closer to the sun.

On the evening of Friday, Dec. 21 – at five separate locations around the city – crowds carrying handmade paper lanterns will converge for a procession of light. After winding their way along city streets and seawalls, they’ll descend on local parks and community centres for singing, drumming, bonfires and a toast to the season.

Want to get in on the lantern action? Workshops for making your own paper lanterns are being held throughout the city during the month of December. And here’s what’s in store for the festival on Dec. 21: Continue reading:
Fight December Darkness at the Winter Solstice Lantern Festival, Dec 21

5 things worth knowing about the Vancouver International Improv Festival Oct. 29- Nov 3

by eliannalev in Events on October 24, 2012

Outside Joke from Winnipeg will perform at theVancouver International Improv Festival

Don’t think.
That’s one of the most important rules when it comes improv, the art of unscripted performance. Some popular examples of this would be the TV show Whose Line is it Anyways? and Christopher Guest’s Best In Show (which was shot right here in Vancouver). Locally, there certainly isn’t a lack of it, from daily performances at TheatreSports to the weekly (and super popular) Sunday Service. As of next week, there will be a lot more than usual in our city, as the Vancouver International Improv Festival hits town. I asked the event’s director, Alistair Cook, to tell me six things worth knowing about this year’s festival. He didn’t have to think too hard.

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5 things worth knowing about the Vancouver International Improv Festival Oct. 29- Nov 3