This weekend you can still catch Fringe Festival performances around Granville Island, there’s local music throughout the city as part of the Westward Music Festival and the Accordion Noir Festival, and don’t forget to ready your bicycles and glowsticks for a night bike ride with thousands of bright cyclers.
Friday | Saturday | Sunday | Ongoing
Friday September 14
Westward Music Festival
Where: Various locations
What: Celebrating the Vancouver music scene, shows will feature multi-genre line ups that will all take place within a 2.5km radius of one another at venues such as the Vogue Theatre (open to all ages), Biltmore Cabaret, Rio Theatre, The Orpheum Theatre and Fox Cabaret. See Blood Orange, Kali Uchis, Metz, We Are The City and many more.
Runs until: Sunday September 16, 2018
Ms. Lauryn Hill
Ms. Lauryn Hill
Where: Deer Lake Park
What: Celebrating 20 years since her debut solo album, listen to her lovely vocal stylings in the scenic outdoor setting of Deer Lake Park.
Jim Jefferies
Jim Jefferies
Where: Queen Elizabeth Theatre
What: Jim created, wrote, produced, and starred in the critically acclaimed FX series, Legit, which ran for two seasons and has since gained a cult following. He is a regular guest in the late night circuit and has garnered success in feature world, most recently appearing in Killing Hasselhoff and Punching Henry.
Accordion Noir Festival
Where: The Wise Hall
What: Vancouver’s annual celebration of the a misunderstood instrument. With Jason Webley, Geoff Berner, Tsunami Piñata, and more fabulously dark, celebratory and playful sounds.
Runs until: Sunday September 16, 2018
Chris Gordon
Chris Gordon
Where: The Comedy Mix
What: In his first year of comedy Chris hit the airwaves nationally, as he was selected as the “#1 Pick in the Country” on CBC’s “So You Think You’re Funny?” Chris Gordon’s originality continues to make an impact with performances at the Just For Laughs Festivals in Montreal and Toronto, the Seattle International Comedy Competition and Vancouver’s NorthWest Comedy Festival.
Cliffhanger
Where: The Metro Theatre
What: In this humorous 1980’s thriller, a mild mannered philosophy professor hits a colleague with a bust of Socrates. This sets off a series of exciting twists as he and his wife try to hide from the college police. Complications arise from a spying undergraduate, who just wants a better grade.
Runs until: Saturday October 6, 2018
Women’s Wellness Retreat
Bowen Island Women’s Wellness Retreat
Where: Bowen Island
What: This women-only retreat gives you the opportunity to think, reflect, relax, and create in an inspiring setting. Enjoy daily yoga sessions, delicious nourishing meals, and artistic workshops that include mandala meditation painting, mixed-media art techniques, and the ever popular eat, drink and paint evening.
Runs until: Sunday September 16, 2018
Saturday September 15
Bike The Night
Bike The Night
Where: Downtown Vancouver
What: City streets will be opened up for thousands of riders to experience Vancouver’s most iconic roadways after dark. Deck out your bike in lights and spread good cycling vibes with over 5000 other riders of all ages on this 10 kilometre slow roll.
Ackery’s Alley Public Disco | Image by Rachel Wong/CBC intern
Ackery’s Alley Public Disco
Where: Ackery’s Alley (next to the Orpheum Theatre between Smithe and Robson)
What: An outdoor alleyway dance party complete with DJs and adult beverages with photo-ready colourfully painted walls.
Vancouver Whitecaps vs. Seattle Sounders | Photo by Bob Frid
Vancouver Whitecaps vs. Seattle Sounders
Where: BC Place Stadium
What: It’s an all-Cascadian soccer game.
Blitzen Trapper
Blitzen Trapper
Where: Commodore Ballroom
What: Portland, Oregon-based experimental country/folk/rock.
Scotiabank Dance Centre Open House
Scotiabank Dance Centre Open House
Where: Scotiabank Dance Centre
What: From ballet and contemporary to flamenco and swing, this event is an opportunity to sample a host of exciting dance styles in a day of open classes, studio showings and events.
Sunday September 16
FEDtalks
Where: Vancouver Playhouse
What: Jewish Federation’s Annual Campaign kick-off event with four dynamic speakers.
Leon Bridges
Where: PNE Amphitheater
What: Leon, a trained choreographer, has long been celebrated for his live show, which couples both his and his full scale band’s musicianship with his use of dance and motion. Since the release of his debut album, Leon has performed all over the globe, including at The White House for President Obama, The Library of Congress, The Museum of Modern Art and multiple major festivals.
Minding the Gap
Minding the Gap
Where: VanCity Theatre
What: For years, Bing Liu filmed his friends Zack and Keire on their boards, performing stunts. sometimes falling flat on their faces, on the streets and parking lots of impoverished Rust Belt town Rockford, Illinois. Then something strange happened: they grew up. Troubled sons became troubled fathers, uncles, and, in Bing Liu’s case, a troubled filmmaker, increasingly concerned about how cycles of abuse repeat even in the people you think you know best. With its up close and personal take on the pressures of breaking out from poverty, violence and despair, Minding the Gap is one of the key American movies of the year.
West Side Story Sing-Along
West Side Story Sing-Along
Where: The Rio Theatre
What: As part of the world-wide celebration of the centenary of legendary composer, conductor, educator, musician, cultural ambassador, and humanitarian Leonard Bernstein, the Rio Theatre is pleased to present a celebratory, sing-along screening (with lyrics provided).
Ongoing
Is it a Print?
Is it a Print?
Where: Kimoto Gallery
What: The husband & wife team of Katie & Paul from London are well known internationally for their fresh printed textiles in contemporary art and fashion.
Runs until: Friday September 14, 2018
Vancouver Fringe Festival
Where: Various locations
What: This boundary-pushing performance arts festival returns featuring some of the best (and weirdest) in live performance from across Canada and around the world. The action centers on downtown’s Granville Island, where acts take the stage in multiple theaters, as well as far less traditional venues (including, in past years, a blow-up raft and a bicycle).
Runs until: Sunday September 16, 2018
Westward Music Festival
Where: Various locations
What: Celebrating the Vancouver music scene, shows will feature multi-genre line ups that will all take place within a 2.5km radius of one another at venues such as the Vogue Theatre (open to all ages), Biltmore Cabaret, Rio Theatre, The Orpheum Theatre and Fox Cabaret. See Blood Orange, Kali Uchis, Metz, We Are The City and many more.
Runs until: Sunday September 16, 2018
Accordion Noir Festival
Where: The Wise Hall
What: Vancouver’s annual celebration of the a misunderstood instrument. With Jason Webley, Geoff Berner, Tsunami Piñata, and more fabulously dark, celebratory and playful sounds.
Runs until: Sunday September 16, 2018
Eight Hours Don’t Make it a Day
Eight Hours Don’t Make a Day
Where: The Cinematheque
What: Rainer Werner Fassbinder, the late, great German wunderkind, was the very definition of a prolific artist. In a brief but brilliant 13-year career — cut short by his sudden death from a drug overdose in 1982, at age 37 — Fassbinder directed more than forty feature-length works for cinema and TV. Made with members of Fassbinder’s regular troupe of actors, Eight Days is an ambitious, stylish melodrama of working-class family life.
Runs until: Monday September 17, 2018
Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival
Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival
Where: Vanier Park
What: What do you say to watching a live production of Macbeth, Timon of Athens, As You Like It or Lysistrata in a custom-built tent on the beach while sipping wine, beer, and munching on a picnic lunch themed to the play? Yes! Right? And don’t even get us started on the amazing costumes.
Runs until: Saturday September 22, 2018
Free Orpheum Tours
Where: The Orpheum
What: A 90-minute tour of The Orpheum, a designated National Heritage Site, which was built in 1927. Each year the theatre hosts international musicians, popular concerts and unique events; it is also home to the beloved Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.
Runs until: Saturday September 29, 2018
Cabin Fever | Image from the Series “Ice Huts” by Richard Johnson (cropped)
Cabin Fever
Where: Vancouver Art Gallery
What: This exhibition traces the tradition of the cabin in Canada and the United States—from the settlement of the frontier to depictions showing how this humble architectural form has been appropriated for its symbolic value and helped shape a larger cultural identity.
Runs until: Sunday September 30, 2018
Kim’s Convenience
Where: Pacific Theatre
What: It’s the play that inspired the TV show. Mr. Kim is proud of his store, Kim’s Convenience. After thirty years of selling lottery tickets, catching petty thieves, and reporting illegally parked cars, he tries desperately – and hilariously – to convince his artist daughter Janet to take over the store.
Runs until: Saturday October 6, 2018
Cliffhanger
Where: The Metro Theatre
What: In this humorous 1980’s thriller, a mild mannered philosophy professor hits a colleague with a bust of Socrates. This sets off a series of exciting twists as he and his wife try to hide from the college police. Complications arise from a spying undergraduate, who just wants a better grade.
Runs until: Saturday October 6, 2018
The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time
The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time
Where: Arts Club Theatre
What: 15-year-old Christopher Boone has a unique perspective. He is incredibly talented at math, but never ventures beyond his street and strongly distrusts strangers. When his neighbour’s dog is killed, Christopher challenges his own barriers to uncover the truth about the dog, his family, and himself.
Runs until: Sunday October 7, 2018
Sea Snaps
Where: Vancouver Maritime Museum
What: A display of work by Maria Steernberg. This exhibition highlights the beauty of Vancouver’s maritime setting and our beautiful coast line through a series of themes; the working waterfront, cruising, nature and disaster.
Runs until: Sunday October 7, 2018
Vancouver Farmers Market – Dude Chilling Park
Mount Pleasant Farmers Market
Where: Dude Chilling Park
What: Vancouver’s easy-going Sunday market located on the east side of Dude Chilling Park – the gathering place for a diverse crowd of young families, artists, dog owners, and quirky neighbourhood personalities.
Runs until: Sunday October 7, 2018
Arts of Resistance: Politics and The Past in Latin America
Arts of Resistance: Politics and The Past in Latin America
Where: UBC Museum of Anthropology
What: This premiere exhibition illustrates how Latin American communities use traditional or historic art forms to express contemporary political realities. Featuring art and multi-sensory installations from Mexico, Guatemala, Peru, Honduras, Ecuador and Chile, with special attention to marginalized communities.
Runs until: Sunday September 30, 2018
Back to School TheatreSports
Back to School TheatreSports
Where: The Improv Centre
What: It’s classic TheatreSports short form improv games adapted to parody classroom clichés and cliques (some things never change). Instead of the traditional TheatreSports referee, the action will be overseen by a very stern principal. Scenarios may see a team of nerds vie against jocks, or cool kids against academics for instance. Rule infractions will result in player “detentions”.
Runs until: Saturday October 6, 2018
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
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 20, 2018 (Saturdays)
Kitsilano Farmers Market
Where: Kitsilano Community Centre
What: At Kitsilano Farmers Market, shoppers will find 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 handmade craft.
Runs until: Sunday October 21, 2018 (Sundays)
Wild Things Interactive Weekend Stations
Where: Museum of Vancouver
What: MOV and Nature Vancouver have scheduled a series of interactive stations for people of all ages to enjoy alongside their newest exhibition, Wild Things: The Power of Nature in Our Lives. Informed nature enthusiasts and educators will offer in-depth information about the natural world.
Runs until:Saturday October 22, 2018 (select dates)
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)
The Really Gay History Tour
Where: Downtown Vancouver
What: Guests will visit the sites of police raids, bookstore bombings, the “kiss-ins” of Granville Street, Imperial Court coronations, and the gayest beer parlour in town. It’s a 2.5 hour long adventure into the stories of a community that fought back against oppression, police brutality and media hate campaigns to make Vancouver today one of the most queer friendly cities in North America.
Runs until: Sunday October 28, 2018
Ayumi Goto and Peter Morin: How do you carry the land?
Ayumi Goto and Peter Morin: How do you carry the land?
Where: Vancouver Art Gallery
What: This exhibition seeks to bridge the experiences of artists with diverse ancestries in dialogue. Long-time collaborators and friends, Goto and Morin, have created a performance art practice informed by their perspectives as a Japanese diasporic woman and Tahltan First Nations man.
Runs until: Sunday October 28, 2018
Kevin Schmidt: We Are the Robots
Kevin Schmidt: We Are the Robots
Where: Vancouver Art Gallery
What: An exhibition of innovative installations on view both within and outside of the Gallery spotlighting British Columbia-based artist Kevin Schmidt, who draws on aspects of conceptual and performance art while embodying the DIY sensibilities of an amateur inventor.
Runs until: Sunday October 28, 2018
Naked Napi
Where: Sum Gallery
What: New work by Siksika artist Adrian Stimson – the first solo exhibition since winning the Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Arts earlier this year. In this site-specific installation of sculpture, drawings, and paintings, Stimson re-imagines the traditional Siksika (Blackfoot) tales of Napi in the present and challenges the colonial erasure of Indigenous bodies, power, and sexual histories.
Runs until: Saturday December 8, 2018
Body Language: Reawakening Cultural Tattooing of the Northwest
Body Language: Reawakening Cultural Tattooing of the Northwest
Where: Bill Reid Gallery
What: Explore the rich history and artistry of Indigenous tattooing, piercing and personal adornment on the Northwest Coast. These five contemporary Indigenous artists are at the forefront of the revival of Indigenous tattooing in BC. They are reclaiming traditional techniques and traditional rights to be tattooed, and building awareness of the significance and protocols around the tattooing traditions.
Runs until: January 13, 2019
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
Wild Things: The Power of Nature in Our Lives
Wild Things: The Power of Nature in Our Lives
Where: Museum of Vancouver
What: This exhibition delves into the life stories of local animals and plants—how they relate to each other and how they connect people to nature in the city. Scenic design, videos, taxidermy, crowd-sourcing technologies, and the display of natural specimens breathe life into these tales of co-habitation. The immersive nature of the exhibition, including hands-on activities, encourages visitors to examine their relationship with nature, think about momentarily disconnecting from their devices, and find equilibrium with the natural world around them.
Runs until: July 2019
Making Waves: The Story and Legacy of Greenpeace
Where: Vancouver Maritime Museum
What: With humble beginnings in Vancouver, Greenpeace has grown into a large organization with offices in 40 countries. The NGO has protested numerous causes: whaling, deforestation, mining, genetic testing, and nuclear testing. Explore this exhibit that goes from their first voyage from Vancouver to Amchitka to protest Nuclear testing on an old fishing vessel to how cities, government, and industry today are developing new policies, technologies, and sustainable practices to ensure the preservation of our environment.
Runs until: September 9, 2019
What are you up to this weekend? Tell me and the rest of Vancouver in the comments below.
