Things to Do this Weekend in Vancouver: May 25, 2017

This weekend arts are all around us with artist studios opening up to the public in Mount Pleasant, Point Grey and on Granville Island. There’s an international art fair at the Convention Centre, a theatre festival at The Cultch, and outdoor dancing at Robson Square and the Davie Village. Vancouver Craft Beer Week has also begun, with tastings popping up in breweries and restaurants all over. (For a relaxing break from festivities, this weekend is also ideal the head to VanDusen Botanical Garden – the longer winter means that the spring blooms are all lighting up the landscape a little later this year, as in, right now!)


Friday | Saturday | Sunday | Ongoing



Friday May 26

Art! Vancouver | Painting by Oxana Babkina, originally from Kazakhstan

Art! Vancouver
Where: Vancouver Convention Centre
What: A world-class international art fair in an exceptional waterfront venue, featuring reputable galleries and artists from across Canada and around the world. Art enthusiasts and collectors can immerse themselves in a wide array of artwork. Tickets available at Tickets Tonight.
Runs until: Sunday May 28, 2017

Vancouver Craft Beer Week

Vancouver Craft Beer Week
Where: Various locations
What: A week of beer, events, tastings, music, and outdoor beer gardens across the city.
Runs until: Sunday June 4, 2017

The Dance Centre presents Global Dance Connections 8: Wen Wei Dance

The Dance Centre presents Global Dance Connections 8: Wen Wei Dance
Where: Scotiabank Dance Centre
What: Wang pairs his precise and subtle choreography with striking visual design and music and a distinctive trans-cultural sensibility, articulating our deepest emotions with an elegant, aggressive physicality which is resonant and startlingly beautiful. Tickets available at Tickets Tonight.
Runs until: Saturday May 27, 2017

rEvolver Theatre Festival
Where: The Cultch
What: The festival by Upintheair Theatre fosters possible futures: supporting the next generation of theatre makers, and exploring new ideas through a unique focus on speculative fiction and formal innovation.
Runs until: Sunday June 4, 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

Vancouver Symphony: Sophisticated Ladies

Vancouver Symphony: Sophisticated Ladies
Where: The Orpheum
What: Sy Smith, Montego Glover and Capathia Jenkins (known in Vancouver for her amazing work in the VSO’s James Bond concerts) take the stage to celebrate groundbreaking icons of popular song such as Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, Dinah Washington, and more

ROVE: A Mount Pleasant Art Walk

ROVE: A Mount Pleasant Art Walk
Where: Mount Pleasant 6:00pm – 10:00pm
What: Tour artist’s studios and galleries in the Mount Pleasant neighbourhood.

Modified Ghost Festival

Modified Ghost Festival
Where: The Rickshaw Theatre
What: Bringing international touring acts Vancouver area & Western Canada and promoting the local music scene. Expect rock, metal, punk, pop, garage, folk, psych, hardcore, progressive, and electronic music.
Runs until: Sunday May 28, 2017

So There I Was

So There I Was
Where: The Biltmore
What: A comedy storytelling experience featuring some of Vancouver’s funniest local comedians telling their own unique, hilarious story involving having a few too many drinks.

All That Jazz

All That Jazz
Where: The Cinematheque
What: Bob Fosse’s Fellini-inspired phantasmagoria is now routinely cited as one of cinema’s great musicals and remains a major-studio release of unusual daring and invention.
Runs until: Monday May 29, 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


 

Saturday May 27

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West of Main Art Walk

West of Main Art Walk
Where: Point Grey to Main Street, Granville Island to 41st  Avenue
What: A vibrant community of more than 50 artists share their works in garden studios, cafés, shops, and community centres.
Runs until: Sunday May 28, 2017

Drone Day 2017
Where: Red Gate Revue Stage (Granville Island)
What: Taking inspiration from game pieces by composers like Wolff, Xenakis, and Zorn, this “Game of Drones” has chosen 47 musicians to create one continuous piece of music over a period of 12 hours, from noon until midnight.

Five Alarm Funk

Five Alarm Funk
Where: The Commodore
What: Hot, sweaty dance floors with feet stomping, grooves, horns, crushing percussion and psych-rock guitars.

The Shins

The Shins
Where: Queen Elizabeth Theatre
What: An American indie rock band from Albuquerque, New Mexico, formed in 1996.

East Van Bazaar
Where: 1739 Venables
What: Explore a thriving community of local artists, artisans, makers, shakers, doers and dreamers. There will be a distinct selection of hand-crafted jewelry, local woodwork, new gadgets, oddities, trinkets, collectibles, prints, textiles, cool handmade items, and vintage reworks.

Cat Sanctuary Open Adoption Weekend
Where: Richmond Animal Protection Society (Richmond, BC)
What: RAPS is inviting the public to come and the visit the Cat Sanctuary and see some of the lovable cats that are available for adoption.
Runs until: Sunday May 28, 2017

Vancouver Whitecaps vs. DC United

Vancouver Whitecaps vs. DC United
Where: BC Place Stadium
What: It’s soccer time. Cheer and be merry.

Vancouver Retro Gaming Expo
Where: Anvil Centre (New Westminster, BC)
What: Vendors, gaming, tournaments, and costumes in a licensed venue with live bands, special guests and other gaming themed entertainment unique to the Vancouver area.


 

Sunday May 28

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Feats of Strength

Feats of Strength
Where: The Cobalt, 4:00pm
What: Vancouver’s brewers have long been known for their ridiculous strength, and of course, for their strength in the ridiculous. Watch brewers, cellarpeople, barkeeps and plain-old-full-time-strong-folk, compete in push up competitions, phonebook/The Growler tearing, keg stacking, and possible, but not guaranteed, shirtless-totem-poling.

Classical Kids: Tchaikovsky Discovers America

Classical Kids: Tchaikovsky Discovers America
Where: The Orpheum
What: This story tells of the great composer’s arrival in New York for the grand opening of Carnegie Hall in 1891.A surprise encounter with a young American girl, Jennie, reveals much about Tchaikovsky – his life in Russia, his love of music and his fears of conducting.

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

The Birthday Massacre

The Birthday Massacre
Where: Venue
What: Gothy rockers bring their Under Your Spell Tour with support from Army Of The Universe & Sumo Cyco.


 

Ongoing

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Family Lines in Landscape
Where:  Kimoto Gallery
What:  Veronica Plewman examines how time and memory are rooted in a location, from childhood. She reconstructs and paints her journey and portrait of BC, from the place she grew up to the old family photos of her parents early lives, and the stories she can recall. This series is about migration, how a family gets there and the unknown mysteries of our family history.
Runs until: Saturday May 27, 2017

The Dance Centre presents Global Dance Connections 8: Wen Wei Dance

The Dance Centre presents Global Dance Connections 8: Wen Wei Dance
Where: Scotiabank Dance Centre
What: Wang pairs his precise and subtle choreography with striking visual design and music and a distinctive trans-cultural sensibility, articulating our deepest emotions with an elegant, aggressive physicality which is resonant and startlingly beautiful. Tickets available at Tickets Tonight.
Runs until: Saturday May 27, 2017

Expressions Theatre Festival
Where: Granville Island
What: Five diverse and distinctive productions by gifted young artists.
Runs until: Saturday May 27, 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

Art! Vancouver | Painting by Oxana Babkina, originally from Kazakhstan

Art! Vancouver
Where: Vancouver Convention Centre
What: A world-class international art fair in an exceptional waterfront venue, featuring reputable galleries and artists from across Canada and around the world. Art enthusiasts and collectors can immerse themselves in a wide array of artwork.
Runs until: Sunday May 28, 2017

West of Main Art Walk
Where: Point Grey to Main Street, Granville Island to 41st  Avenue
What: A vibrant community of more than 50 artists share their works in garden studios, cafés, shops, and community centres.
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

Cat Sanctuary Open Adoption Weekend
Where: Richmond Animal Protection Society (Richmond, BC)
What: RAPS is inviting the public to come and the visit the Cat Sanctuary and see some of the lovable cats that are available for adoption.
Runs until: Sunday May 28, 2017

Modified Ghost Festival

Modified Ghost Festival
Where: The Rickshaw Theatre
What: Bringing international touring acts Vancouver area & Western Canada and promoting the local music scene. Expect rock, metal, punk, pop, garage, folk, psych, hardcore, progressive, and electronic music.
Runs until: Sunday May 28, 2017

All That Jazz

All That Jazz
Where: The Cinematheque
What: Bob Fosse’s Fellini-inspired phantasmagoria is now routinely cited as one of cinema’s great musicals and remains a major-studio release of unusual daring and invention.
Runs until: Monday May 29, 2017

Children of God

Children of God
Where: The Cultch
What: In this powerful musical, the children of an Oji-Cree family are sent to a residential school in Northern Ontario. This is a story of redemption: for a mother who was never let past the school’s gate, and her kids, who never knew she came.
Runs until: Sunday June 3, 2107

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

rEvolver Theatre Festival
Where: The Cultch
What: The festival by Upintheair Theatre fosters possible futures: supporting the next generation of theatre makers, and exploring new ideas through a unique focus on speculative fiction and formal innovation.
Runs until: Sunday June 4, 2017

Vancouver Craft Beer Week

Vancouver Craft Beer Week
Where: Various locations
What: A week of beer, events, tastings, music, and outdoor beer gardens across the city.
Runs until: Sunday June 4, 2017

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Shipyards Night Marlet

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

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

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

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

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

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 | 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

Emily Carr: Into the Forest

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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