Things to Do this Weekend in Vancouver: November 2, 2017

This weekend the Winter Farmers Market is back on, Ballet BC has launched their first program of the season, rugby and football are in the stadiums, a world of music has arrived in the city, and the director of the Carl Sagan Institute helps answer questions about our universe.

Friday | Saturday | Sunday | Ongoing

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Friday November 3

Ballet BC Program 1
Where: Queen Elizabeth Theatre
What: Ballet BC Resident Choreographer Cayetano Soto, a visionary of contemporary ballet, will premiere an original work. Highly-acclaimed choreographer Johan Inger has a legacy of work in major companies all over the world. Following the success of Walking Mad, Inger returns to Ballet BC with the North American premiere of B.R.I.S.A.
Runs until: Saturday November 4, 2017

Canada vs. The Maori All Blacks Rugby
Where: BC Place Stadium
What: Don’t miss this international rugby match as thousands of fans from across the country and around the world will gather to watch Canada take on one of the most beloved and feared teams in the sport today. Witness the Maori All Blacks perform their world famous “Haka”, a traditional war cry and challenge from the Maori people of New Zealand that has become iconic at New Zealand’s international rugby matches.

ISCM World Music Days
Where: Various Locations
What: Each year this festival is hosted by a different city, and this year Vancouver is the place to be to hear new music from global musicians. There are talks, orchestra, percussionists, strings, and there might even be something unlike anything you’ve ever heard before.
Runs until: Wednesday November 8, 2017

Missing
Where: The York Theatre
What: With libretto by distinguished First Nations playwright Marie Clements, Missing addresses the national crisis and devastation of Canada’s missing and murdered aboriginal women and girls. Set between Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside and BC’s notorious Highway of Tears, this deeply-moving drama follows the fate of two young women, one Indigenous and one not, whose lives become tragically intertwined.
Runs until: Saturday November 11, 2017

Lecture: Are We Alone in the Universe?
Where: MacMillan Space Centre
What: Thousands of exoplanets have been discovered over the last two decades. How can we determine which of these might be suitable for life? Dr. Lisa Kaltenegger, director of the Carl Sagan Institute at Cornell University, will discuss techniques and missions that could detect life on these worlds.

Vancouver Asian Film Festival
Where: Cineplex Odeon International Village Cinemas
What: The VAFF program continues to showcase the breadth and depth of Asian diaspora filmmaking beyond mainstream film festival offerings, with programming that reflects the increasingly borderless creative and industry sensibility of Canada’s west coast.
Runs until: Sunday November 5, 2017

Revolutionary Rising: The Soviet Film Vanguard
Where: The Cinematheque
What: November marks the 100th anniversary of Russia’s October Revolution, an event that revolutionized the world of cinema. This creative explosion was both state sponsored and avant-garde. While it was undeniably intended to extol the virtues of the Revolution and advance the Soviet project, it was also, if not immune from official criticism or censorship, still relatively free of the creative shackles that would hamper (and imperil) artists after the early 1930s, when, under Stalin’s tightening grip, there was stricter enforcement of Socialist Realism, with its disdain for “formalism,” as the approved Soviet aesthetic.
Runs until: Sunday November 19, 2017

Umbrella Party
Where: Vancouver Art Gallery Plaza
What: The rainiest, outdoor urban dance party in history (if the weather cooperates) with happy beats powered by SOUNDBOKS and an army of umbrellas.

Girls Like That
Where: Templeton Secondary School
What: What would you do if a naked photograph of you went viral and you couldn’t stop the rumours from going wild?In this award-winning play by Canadian-British playwright Evan Placey, a young girl named Scarlett becomes the center of attention, but for reasons she’d prefer not to be, and she chooses to stay silent, leading to an unexpected but dramatic conclusion.
Runs until: Friday November 10, 2017

Smart People
Where: Studio 16
What: On the eve of Barack Obama’s 2008 Presidential Election, four hyper-intelligent Cambridge residents find that, despite their best intentions upon broaching the subject, the topic of race is a treacherous one, full of stumbles and wrong turns.
Runs until: Saturday November 18, 2017

Abstract Design Showcase
Where: Kimoto Gallery
What: This exhibition features eleven of Kimoto Gallery’s most popular abstract artists; Scott Sueme, Christine Breakell-Lee, Sara Genn, Mark Ollinger, Claire Sarfeld, Yorke Graham, Veronica Plewman, Michael Soltis, Kari Kristensen Christian Nicolay and Katsumi Kimoto. Each driven by their own authentic styles and innovative art practices, this curated exhibition showcases artwork that was inspired by modern trends in design and contemporary interiors.
Runs until: Saturday November 25, 2017

Hard Rubber Riot Ensemble
Where: Roundhouse Performance Centre
What: A multi-media work-in-progress that tells the story of the shocking and destructive Vancouver hockey riot of 2011 that brought hundreds of arrests and millions of dollars of destruction. 

Honouring Reconciliation: Hearing the Truth
Where: West Vancouver Memorial Library
What: Join a moderated panel discussion intended to engage community members in dialogue, increase understanding of our shared history and explore the meaning of reconciliation on a national, community and individual level.

A Piece of My Heart
Where: The PAL Theatre
What: A drama about a group of female Vietnam war veterans.
Runs until: Sunday November 12, 2017

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Saturday November 4

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Vancouver Tea Festival
Where: Chinese Cultural Centre
What: Explore the world of tea, interact with like-minded tea lovers, and taste extraordinary examples of one of the world’s most beloved beverages.
Runs until: Sunday November 5, 2017

BC Lions vs. Toronto Argonauts
Where: BC Place Stadium
What: Watch some East vs. West football.

Winter Farmers Market
Where: Nat Bailey Stadium
What: Each week you can look forward to finding locally grown vegetables and fruit, meat and seafood from local ranchers and fishermen, artisan cheese and bread, herbs and seasonal nursery items, baked goods, prepared foods and artisanal craft.
Runs until: April 21, 2018 (Saturdays)

Kelp Forests and Sea Otters Are Way Cool Because…
Where: Beaty Biodiversity Museum
What: Join Jenn Burt, a marine ecologist at Simon Fraser University, to share in the scientific journey that explores the magical underwater world of kelp, sea urchins, sea stars and fish, and also hear some of the stories shared by coastal Indigenous people through a unique collaborative project that explores their relationship to sea otters and their experience of the rapid changes that sea otters bring to their coastal territories.

Intangible Curator’s Tour
Where: Bill Reid Gallery
What: A tour of Intangible: Memory and Innovation in Coast Salish Art by exhibition curators, Sharon Fortney and Beth Carter as part of the Heart of the City Festival.

The Dream of Gerontius
Where: The Orpheum
What: Elgar’s massive but deeply personal work, based on a Victorian poem by Cardinal John Henry Newman, follows a devout, dying everyman character on a journey through death to meet his maker, before being taken to Purgatory with the promise of everlasting life and glory to come.

East Van Opry
Where: The Rio
What: Local roots, country, old time, and bluegrass, as well as a few boundary pushers and local heroes. The Harpoonist & The Axe Murder will take the Opry stage for the first time, along with Yukon’s Kim Beggs, East Van’s own Geoff Berner, CR Avery, and many more.

Current Swell
Where: The Commodore Ballroom
What: Canadian indie rock band from Victoria.

Vancouver Health Show
Where: Vancouver Convention Centre
What: Learn about GMO vs. Non-GMO products, vegan lifestyle, gluten-free products, fitness, pain relief, heart & eye health, cholesterol, raw diets and more.
Runs until: Sunday November 5, 2017

East Side Flea
Where: The Ellis Building
What: 50+ local vendors, makers, vintage sellers, oddity finders. Play pinball and pool. All this, with a bar!
Runs until: Sunday November 5, 2017

Burnaby Shoreline Cleanup
Where: Burnaby, BC
What: A local Vancouver dads meet-up group is hosting a free event partnered with WWF and the Vancouver Aquarium to clean up a Burnaby shoreline. It’s open to all (not just dads) so singles, moms, dads, aunts and uncles + grandparents and everything and anyone in between is welcome to pick up trash and then join a BBQ.

$uicideboy$
Where: The Vogue
What: Hip hop from New Orleans.

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Sunday November 5

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CanZine
Where: 149 West Hastings
What: Broken Pencil Magazine’s festival of zines and underground culture.

Raffi
Where: Queen Elizabeth Theatre
What: Straight from our childhoods, singing about baby belugas and a bananaphone. I’m not sure who will love this show more, children or us adults who grew up with Raffi records and cassette tapes.

Guided Mushroom Walk
Where: Beaty Biodiversity Museum
What: Do you know where to look to find the dozens of mushrooms species that call our campus home? Beaty Museum Members are invited to join our Fungi Curator Mary Berbee to learn more about how to identify different mushroom types and where to look for them.

King Krule
Where: The Vogue
What: A British singer, rapper, songwriter, record producer, and musician.

The Vancouver Artists’ Guild 18^th Annual Show and Sale
Where: Jericho Hill Centre
What: The public is invited to browse over 500 original works of art by more than 30 talented local artists. Featured will be abstracts, landscapes and still life using a wide variety of media – from oils and acrylics to watercolour and mixed media.

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Ongoing

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Circle Craft Christmas Market Preview Exhibit
Where: Net Loft building on Granville Island
What: Circle Craft Gallery’s Fall exhibit is giving Circle Craft Christmas Market lovers a sneak peek. Exhibitors in the Preview exhibition are: East Van Jam, G Ceramic & Co, Ludviks Designs, Lulu Fiedler, Market Canvas Leather, Misheo, Rosewell Woodworking, Susie Benes, and Yifat Jovani.
Runs until: Thursday November 2, 2017

Ballet BC Program 1
Where: Queen Elizabeth Theatre
What: Ballet BC Resident Choreographer Cayetano Soto, a visionary of contemporary ballet, will premiere an original work. Highly-acclaimed choreographer Johan Inger has a legacy of work in major companies all over the world. Following the success of Walking Mad, Inger returns to Ballet BC with the North American premiere of B.R.I.S.A.
Runs until: Saturday November 4, 2017

Honour: Confessions of a Mumbai Courtesan
Where: The Cultch
What: A testament to the humanity and lives of sex workers; a mother’s plea for her daughter’s life and her honour; a story of the struggles of an unlikely family. See Mumbai’s red light district — the eunuch, priest, pimp, mother and daughter who call it home — come to life through the versatile and award-winning performance of Dipti Mehta.
Runs until: Saturday November 4, 2017

Thanks For Giving
Where: Arts Club Theatre
What: While Nan bastes the turkey and prepares the stuffing, her husband hides a freshly hunted bear in the garage and her troublesome daughter is raiding her purse again. To top it all off, her grandchildren have chosen this Thanksgiving to disclose some unexpected personal truths to the family. 
Runs until: Saturday November 4, 2017

Heart of the City Festival
Where: Vancouver’s Downtown East Side
What: Twelve days of music, stories, songs, poetry, cultural celebrations, films, theatre, dance, processions, spoken word, workshops, discussions, gallery exhibitions, mixed media, art talks, history talks and history walks.
Runs until: Sunday November 5, 2017

Vancouver Asian Film Festival
Where: Cineplex Odeon International Village Cinemas
What: The VAFF program continues to showcase the breadth and depth of Asian diaspora filmmaking beyond mainstream film festival offerings, with programming that reflects the increasingly borderless creative and industry sensibility of Canada’s west coast.
Runs until: Sunday November 5, 2017

Vancouver Tea Festival
Where: Chinese Cultural Centre
What: Explore the world of tea, interact with like-minded tea lovers, and taste extraordinary examples of one of the world’s most beloved beverages.
Runs until: Sunday November 5, 2017

ISCM World Music Days
Where: Various Locations
What: Each year this festival is hosted by a different city, and this year Vancouver is the place to be to hear new music from global musicians. There are talks, orchestra, percussionists, strings, and there might even be something unlike anything you’ve ever heard before.
Runs until: Wednesday November 8, 2017

Missing
Where: The York Theatre
What: With libretto by distinguished First Nations playwright Marie Clements, Missing addresses the national crisis and devastation of Canada’s missing and murdered aboriginal women and girls. Set between Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside and BC’s notorious Highway of Tears, this deeply-moving drama follows the fate of two young women, one Indigenous and one not, whose lives become tragically intertwined.
Runs until: Saturday November 11, 2017

The Lonesome West
Where: Pacific Theatre
What: Brothers Coleman and Valene can’t seem to co-exist without sudden outbreaks of violence over the pettiest concerns. When their doubt-ridden parish priest attempts to bring reconciliation, their confessions quickly turn from earnest offerings into weapons in a hilarious and dark race to the bottom.
Runs until: Saturday November 11, 2017

Diwali in BC
Where: Various locations
What: In it’s first year, Diwali in BC will explore the artistic theme of Shakti – feminine power – through theatre, dance, film, and culturally specific workshops. The programming will feature works primarily created by women, including Academy Award-nominated Canadian director Deepa Mehta, Dora Award-winning playwright Pamela Mala Sinha, Dr. Aparna Sindhoor along with her pioneering South Asian Contemporary Dance Theatre company Navarasa Dance Theater, rising South Asian award-winning actress Dipti Mehta, and classical dance theatre artist Arno Kamolika.
Runs until: Thursday November 16, 2017

Smart People
Where: Studio 16
What: On the eve of Barack Obama’s 2008 Presidential Election, four hyper-intelligent Cambridge residents find that, despite their best intentions upon broaching the subject, the topic of race is a treacherous one, full of stumbles and wrong turns.
Runs until: Saturday November 18, 2017

Revolutionary Rising: The Soviet Film Vanguard
Where: The Cinematheque
What: November marks the 100th anniversary of Russia’s October Revolution, an event that revolutionized the world of cinema. This creative explosion was both state sponsored and avant-garde. While it was undeniably intended to extol the virtues of the Revolution and advance the Soviet project, it was also, if not immune from official criticism or censorship, still relatively free of the creative shackles that would hamper (and imperil) artists after the early 1930s, when, under Stalin’s tightening grip, there was stricter enforcement of Socialist Realism, with its disdain for “formalism,” as the approved Soviet aesthetic.
Runs until: Sunday November 19, 2017

King Charles III
Where: Arts Club Theatre
What: His time has finally come. The queen is dead and Charles ascends the throne, at last. But is he ready for the monarchy or anarchy? When a single decision jeopardizes the trust of the prime minister and the people, revolt against the crown isn’t far behind—and Kate and William are always one step away, vying for their shot. This inventive story of a king under pressure is a clever imagining of a future not yet written.
Runs until: Sunday November 19, 2017

Abstract Design Showcase
Where: Kimoto Gallery
What: This exhibition features eleven of Kimoto Gallery’s most popular abstract artists; Scott Sueme, Christine Breakell-Lee, Sara Genn, Mark Ollinger, Claire Sarfeld, Yorke Graham, Veronica Plewman, Michael Soltis, Kari Kristensen Christian Nicolay and Katsumi Kimoto. Each driven by their own authentic styles and innovative art practices, this curated exhibition showcases artwork that was inspired by modern trends in design and contemporary interiors.
Runs until: Saturday November 25, 2017

Intangible
Where: Bill Reid Gallery
What: Contemporary Coast Salish art is embedded within a traditional cultural framework that includes community, ceremonial life, territory, history and innovation. Six artists challenge our expectations and illustrate Coast Salish art as a thriving art tradition – a dynamic one that demonstrates both continuity with the past and exploration of new ideas and technologies.
Runs until: Sunday December 10, 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

Cirque du Soleil: Kurios
Where: Under the tents, Downtown Vancouver
What: Step into the curio cabinet of an ambitious inventor who defies the laws of time, space and dimension in order to reinvent everything around him. Suddenly, the visible becomes invisible, perspectives are transformed, and the world is literally turned upside down.
Runs until: Sunday December 31, 2017

Site for Still Life
Where: Contemporary Art Gallery
What: Andrew Dadson’s practice engages with the notion of boundaries in relation to space and time, primarily through investigations with materials, process and abstraction. Comprising new, ambitious large-scale paintings, film and installation, this exhibition presents a major statement by this young artist of propositions core to his practice.
Runs until: Sunday December 31, 2017

Entangled: Two Views on Contemporary Canadian Painting
Where: Vancouver Art Gallery
What: An insight into two distinctly different modes of painting that have come to dominate contemporary painting in this country. The origins of both can be effectively traced back to the 1970s, to a moment when the continued existence of painting was hotly debated.
Runs until: January 1, 2018

Math Moves
Where: Science World
What: Visitors will investigate ratios and proportions, using their bodies, gestures, and words to set up, measure, describe and compare ratios and proportions. The exhibition encourages a collaborative approach to problem-solving, with open-ended activities that provide opportunities for visitors to talk about solutions to the challenges presented in the exhibition.
Runs until: Monday January 1, 2018

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

True Nordic: How Scandinavia Influenced Design in Canada
Where: Vancouver Art Gallery
What: This ground-breaking exhibition examines the significant influence of Scandinavian craft and industrial design on the development of Canadian culture. Spanning more than seven decades, True Nordic reveals how Scandinavian design was introduced in Canada and how its aesthetics and material forms were adopted, revised and transformed.
Runs until: Sunday January 28, 2018

Tin and Gold: A 10 Year Anniversary Show
Where: The Fall
What: Celebrate 10 years of alternative music, tattoo artistry, and multimedia events. The art show includes artists Megan Majewski, Jenn Brisson, Alison Woodward and more.
Runs until: February 1, 2018

Portrait of the Artist
Where: Vancouver Art Gallery
What: This exhibition brings together The Royal Collection’s paintings depicting self-portraits, portraits of artists and artists at work. Encompassing over eighty works, Portrait of the Artist is a rich survey of how artists have seen themselves and the role of the artist within society.
Runs until: February 4, 2018

Gordon Smith: The Black Paintings
Where: Vancouver Art Gallery
What: The exhibition features a body of work described as black paintings that Gordon Smith began producing in 1990. These densely painted, darkly abstracted paintings—punctuated with occasional colour, text and collaged elements—sometimes refer explicitly to this wartime experience. Smith was deployed with the Allied invasion at Pachino Beach, Sicily (code name Husky), in July 1943, when he was twenty-four.
Runs until: February 4, 2018

Carol Sawyer: The Natalie Brettschneider Archive
Where: Vancouver Art Gallery
What: Sawyer’s ongoing project that reconstructs the life and work of the genre-defying, fictional singer and artist Natalie Brettschneider. The works on view will connect Brettschneider to a community of mid-twentieth century artists and musicians in British Columbia.
Runs until: February 4, 2018

City on the Edge: A Century of Vancouver Activism
Where: Museum of Vancouver
What: A photo-based exhibition exploring how protest demonstrations have shaped Vancouver’s identity from the Vancouver Sun and The Province newspapers’ photo collection. These photographs are exceptional historical records of intense and transformative moments in the lives of Vancouverites.
Runs until: February 18, 2017

Tasting History: The Traveling Tales of Tea
Where: Roedde House Museum
What: Tea is one of the most consumed liquids in the world, second only to water. But the beverage that brings much pleasure and calm to our 21st century senses is steeped in a turbulent history of politics and society. The exhibit will also feature stories from Vancouver’s modern-day tea community.
Runs until: March 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

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: March 25, 2018

Chief Dan George: Actor and Activist
Where: North Vancouver Museum
What: An exhibition exploring the life and legacy of Tsleil-Waututh Chief Dan George (1899- 1981) and his influence as an Indigenous rights advocate and his career as an actor. The exhibition was developed in close collaboration with the George family.
Runs until: April 2018

Winter Farmers Market
Where: Nat Bailey Stadium
What: Each week you can look forward to finding locally grown vegetables and fruit, meat and seafood from local ranchers and fishermen, artisan cheese and bread, herbs and seasonal nursery items, baked goods, prepared foods and artisanal craft.
Runs until: April 21, 2018 (Saturdays)

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 or tweet me directly at @lextacular

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