Things to Do in Vancouver This Weekend

Happy Solstice, Yule, Dongzhi Festival and Yaldā, and a merry upcoming Christmas! This year the full moon will brighten the longest nights of the year, and so will a beach bonfire, a lantern festival and thousands of holiday lights in parks, up mountains and strung across canyons.

Friday | Saturday | Sunday | Ongoing

---

Friday December 21

Goh Ballet’s Nutcracker
Where: Queen Elizabeth Theatre
What: Goh Ballet’s rendition features an intricate cast of over two hundred and fifty dancers, actors, gymnasts and guest artists, including homegrown talent and principal dancers of international acclaim. Under the baton of Maestro Leslie Dala, the Vancouver Opera Orchestra will bring Tchaikovsky’s iconic score to life.
Runs until: Sunday December 23, 2018

Winter Solstice Lantern Festival
Where: Granville Island and Yaletown
What: Illuminate the darkest night of the year with lanterns, fire, singing, drumming, music and dancing.

Vivaldi’s Four Seasons
Where: The Chan Centre
What: Hailed as one of the most significant artists of his generation, young American violinist Benjamin Beilman makes his VSO debut leading a performance of Vivaldi’s timeless classic, The Four Seasons.
Runs until: Sunday December 23, 2018

Calpurnia (show 1 of 2)
Where: The Vogue
What: Local Canadian indie rock. And yes, that is Finn Wolfhard from Stranger Things.

Solstice Greetings
Where: Firehall Arts Centre
What: An evening of seasonal stories and songs from many cultures and experiences. Join in celebrating the return of the light.
Runs until: Saturday December 22, 2018

The Funk Hunters
Where: Commodore Ballroom
What: Electronic music that is influenced by old school soul, funk and hip-hop.

Tokyo Godfathers
Where: VanCity Theatre
What: Shinjuku, Tokyo, Christmas Eve. Middle-aged has-been Gin, aging trans Hana, and teenage runaway Miyuki are three homeless friends who stumble across an abandoned baby and do their best to care for the infant over the course of a long and perilous night.
Runs until: Monday December 24, 2018

 

---

 

Saturday December 22

top of page

Christmas Wassail and Bonfire Night
Where: Dundarave Beach
What: Music, a bonfire, caroling and lights on the beach.

Calpurnia (show 2 of 2)
Where: The Vogue
What: Local Canadian indie rock. And yes, that is Finn Wolfhard from Stranger Things.

The Magic Flute
Where: The Cinematheque
What: Bergman once declared that he would rather lose his sight than lose his hearing, so great was his love of music. His sumptuous screen version of Mozart’s The Magic Flute(a project he long dreamed of realizing) is a pure joy — and one of the great opera films. Sung in Swedish (here with English subtitles), and shot in an impressive studio reconstruction of Stockholm’s historic Drottningholm Palace Theatre.
Runs until: Friday December 28, 2018

CoexistDance
Where: Scotiabank Dance Centre
What: Improvised dance and music meet on stage in an evening of live improvisational duets featuring local dancers and musicians. Six pairs of dance artists and musicians who will share short improvised duets in an intimate evening of performances which culminates in a group jam.

Cirque Musica: Wonderland
Where: Abbotsford Centre (Abbotsford, BC)
What: Holiday songs accompanied by a live symphony orchestra with acrobats, aerialists, hijinks and holiday cheer. 

Vancouver Canucks vs. Winnipeg Jets
Where: Rogers Arena
What: It’s a hockey game!

Vancouver Cantata Singers presents Christmas Reprise XVI
Where: Queens Avenue United Church (New Westminster)
What: A matinee performance of uninterrupted traditional and contemporary music to celebrate the season.

---

 

Sunday December 23

top of page

IIHF World Junior Championship 2019
Where: Vancouver and Victoria
What: Watch Canada’s National Junior Team go for gold at the IIHF World Junior Championship.
Runs until: Saturday January 5, 2018

Medicine Wheel Ceremony
Where: VanDusen Botanical Garden
What: The Medicine Wheel is a symbol of holistic teachings based on the cycles of nature. People from varying backgrounds and spiritual traditions are invited to gather to celebrate the beginning of a new season.

Fanny and Alexander
Where: The Cinematheque
What: The three-hour theatrical cut of Bergman’s Fanny and Alexander that won four Academy Awards in 1983 was the truncated version. The Cinematheque is pleased to present, in a new restoration, the Vancouver premiere of the complete, uncut, five-hour version of Bergman’s late-career triumph — the “original” edit intended for television and preferred by Bergman.

---

 

Ongoing

top of page

Daisy Theatre: Little Dickens
Where: The Cultch
What: A raucous, adults-only holiday treat, Little Dickens combines Burkett’s mastery of marionette puppetry, playful songs, and improvisation.
Runs until: Saturday December 22, 2018

The Vancouver Symphony: A Traditional Christmas
Where: Various locations
What: Heartwarming music associated with Christmas, carols, and plenty of audience sing-alongs.
Runs until: Saturday December 22, 2018

Solstice Greetings
Where: Firehall Arts Centre
What: An evening of seasonal stories and songs from many cultures and experiences. Join in celebrating the return of the light.
Runs until: Saturday December 22, 2018

Goh Ballet’s Nutcracker
Where: Queen Elizabeth Theatre
What: Goh Ballet’s rendition features an intricate cast of over two hundred and fifty dancers, actors, gymnasts and guest artists, including homegrown talent and principal dancers of international acclaim. Under the baton of Maestro Leslie Dala, the Vancouver Opera Orchestra will bring Tchaikovsky’s iconic score to life.
Runs until: Sunday December 23, 2018

Vivaldi’s Four Seasons
Where: The Chan Centre
What: Hailed as one of the most significant artists of his generation, young American violinist Benjamin Beilman makes his VSO debut leading a performance of Vivaldi’s timeless classic, The Four Seasons.
Runs until: Sunday December 23, 2018

Merry Kiss-mas – an Improvised Parody
Where: 1502 Duranleau Street
What: An improvised parody romantic comedy that celebrates all the inane clichés and funny awkward moments you’d expect to see in any popular TV holiday-themed special or films. The improvised ‘plot’ and characters are driven by suggestions from you, the audience.
Runs until: Monday December 24, 2018

Vancouver Christmas Market
Where: Jack Poole Plaza
What: Celebrate a German-inspired Christmas market with a very Vancouver ocean side mountain view. Wander the market’s winding alleys and discover authentic German delicacies: sizzling sausages, two warming Glühwein (mulled wine) locations, old world confections and handcrafted gifts.
Runs until: Monday December 24, 2018

Tokyo Godfathers
Where: VanCity Theatre
What: Shinjuku, Tokyo, Christmas Eve. Middle-aged has-been Gin, aging trans Hana, and teenage runaway Miyuki are three homeless friends who stumble across an abandoned baby and do their best to care for the infant over the course of a long and perilous night.
Runs until: Monday December 24, 2018

The Magic Flute
Where: The Cinematheque
What: Bergman once declared that he would rather lose his sight than lose his hearing, so great was his love of music. His sumptuous screen version of Mozart’s The Magic Flute(a project he long dreamed of realizing) is a pure joy — and one of the great opera films. Sung in Swedish (here with English subtitles), and shot in an impressive studio reconstruction of Stockholm’s historic Drottningholm Palace Theatre.
Runs until: Friday December 28, 2018

Trolley Karaoke Christmas Lights Tour
Where: Stanley Park
What: Get in a trolley and sing karaoke Christmas carols while touring holiday lights. I don’t think you can get any more festive than this.
Runs until: Saturday December 29, 2018

The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
Where: Pacific Theatre
What: The Pacific Theatre’s signature production of the C.S. Lewis classic is back and, like Aslan, it’s on the move. A splendidly theatrical invention that captivates the adult imagination as powerfully as a child’s with its rich themes and unforgettable images.
Runs until: Saturday December 29, 2018

Aurora Winter Festival
Where: Concord Pacific Place
What: Escape into a mythical village by the North Pole filled with captivating light displays and magical characters. There are market huts, food gardens, amusement rides, live entertainment, a frozen river to skate on, and a Santa Clause to visit.
Runs until: Sunday December 30, 2018

Blood From Stone
Where: Scotiabank Dance Centre
What: This performance is nspired by past and present stories of Vancouver’s Blood Alley. Tales of the alley’s past are woven together with its present day lived experiences and perceptions to create a hybrid reality where fact and fiction become blurred.
Runs until: Sunday December 30, 2018

Miss Bennet
Where: Arts Club Theatre
What: A holiday confection filled with classic Jane Austen charm, Miss Bennet is a modern sequel about the bookish middle child of the Bennets. While Mary starts to dream of a new life beyond her boisterous family, an unexpected visitor at the Darcy household could spell romance.
Runs until: Sunday December 30, 2018

A Charlie Brown Holiday Double Bill
Where: Waterfront Theatre
What: The holiday sell-out,A Charlie Brown Christmas, is back and playing in a special double bill feature withYou’re a Good Man Charlie Brown. Both of these lively musical adaptations feature a live jazz trio.
Runs until: Sunday January 6, 2019

Blind Date
Where: BMO Theatre Centre
What: Mimi goes on a blind date with a different man every night—plucked right out of the audience. Straight from sold-out runs in New York, London’s West End, and Toronto, this is a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants fusion of clown, improv, theatre, and social experiment.
Runs until: Sunday December 30, 2018

Fashionably Bowen Bears
Where: Bowen Island Museum and Archives
What: They’re cute, fuzzy, cuddly and look so sweet all dressed up for the holidays.
Runs until: Sunday January 6, 2018

Bacio Rosso
Where: Queen Elizabeth Park
What: An intimate, fully immersive evening of cirque, comedy and cuisine. Guests are seated in the heat of the action with jugglers, contortionists, trapeze artists, magicians, singers and clowns weaving together an evening of magic and laughter. The entertainment is all combined with a delicious 4-course gourmet menu designed by local award winning chef Adam Pegg of La Quercia.
Runs until: Monday December 31, 2018 

Roma
Where: VanCity Theatre
What: Mexico’s Alfonso Cuaron’s thrillingly diverse career encompasses everything from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of AzkabantoY Tu Mama Tambien. Roma is his masterpiece. An evocation of middle-class household in Mexico City in 1970, this scintillating black and white film focusses on Cleo, a live-in maid, who tends to the two children, cleans and cooks, and observes, discreetly, as her employers’ marriage falls apart. But Cleo’s own love life is just as fraught.
Runs until: Monday December 31, 2018

It’s a Wonderful Life
Where: Gateway Theatre (Richmond, BC)
What: Set to soaring songs from the 20s, 30s, and 40s, this is a holiday classic. With a little help from his guardian angel, George Bailey is brought back from despair on Christmas Eve to see how he has truly touched all the people in his life.
Runs until: Monday December 31, 2018

Heritage Christmas
Where: Burnaby Village Museum
What: Romp through heritage-themed old fashioned decorations of wreaths with red bows,  seasonally decorated eco-sculptures and the challenge of a Twelve Days of Christmas scavenger hunt.
Runs until: Friday January 4, 2019

IIHF World Junior Championship 2019
Where: Vancouver and Victoria
What: Watch Canada’s National Junior Team go for gold at the IIHF World Junior Championship.
Runs until: Saturday January 5, 2018

Grouse Mountain Peak of Christmas
Where: Grouse Mountain
What: See how elves have transformed Grouse Mountain into Vancouver’s own North Pole where you can have breakfast with Santa, visit his workshop, go skating on a pond, snowshoeing through lights, and night skiing or snowboarding.
Runs until: Sunday January 6, 2019

VanDusen Garden Festival of Light
Where: VanDusen Garden
What: Wander through an enchanted garden alight for the holidays. There are dancing lights, a carousel, warm food and drinks, and more to spark imaginations of all ages.
Runs until: Sunday January 6, 2019

Christmas at FlyOver Canada
Where: FlyOver Canada
What: Fly like Santa this Christmas on a magical flight across Canada. After meeting some of Santa’s elves, Chestnut and Pinecone, you’ll join them as they take flight across Canada looking for their fellow elves. You may even get a sneak peek of Santa’s Workshop as you soar over the North Pole.
Runs until: Sunday January 6, 2019

Lights of Hope
Where: St. Paul’s Hospital
What: Since 1998, St. Paul’s Foundation has illuminated the streets with a breathtaking display of Christmas lights in support of Lights of Hope.
Runs until: Sunday January 6, 2019

Bubbles by Tangible
Where: Vancouver Aquarium
What: The Vancouver Aquarium is decorated for the season with a new interactive experience. Get playful surrounded by bobbing bubbles, glimmering lights, and soothing sounds of the deep blue in the Underwater Dolphin Gallery. Watch special guest, Scuba Claus, don his flippers and dive with the colourful cold-water creatures at 12:30 p.m. daily until Dec. 24.
Runs until: Sunday January 6, 2019

Holiday Heights at Bloedel
Where: Bloedel Conservatory
What: Experience a winter wonderland inside the Bloedel Conservatory with 150 free flying tropical birds, magical lights, holiday plant displays, festive music, photo ops, and a scavenger hunt.
Runs until: Sunday January 6, 2018

East Van Panto: The Wizard of Oz
Where: York Theatre
What: When a pipeline bursts, Dorothy and Toto are flung to the magical Land of Oz – Nanaimo and Hastings. There, Dorothy is pursued by a Wicked Witch, meets a trio of new friends, and embarks on a magical journey to the World’s Greenest City in search of brains, heart, courage…and yoga pants! Remember: there’s no place like Poco, there’s no place like Poco!
Runs until: Sunday January 6, 2019

Beauty and the Beast
Where: Arts Club Theatre
What: Can Belle teach the Beast to love, before it is too late? Discover the magic behind the castle walls in this adaptation of the Academy Award–winning animated film. This beloved fairy-tale has show-stopping musical numbers, stunning sets, and lavish costumes.
Runs until: Sunday January 6, 2018

In/Flux: Art of Korean Diaspora
Where: Museum of Vancouver
What: The exhibition will feature selected works of Jin-me Yoon, Junghong Kim, and Jin Hwa Kim, artists originally from the Republic of Korea now based in the Vancouver area. Carefully curated selections of photography, traditional calligraphy, and ceramics will be on display, all telling the stories of the complexities of Canadian identity and belonging.
Runs until: Sunday January 6, 2019

Interface: The Woven Artwork of Meghann O’Brien
Where: Bill Reid Gallery
What: Known for her ability to work in miniature and with very fine stitching, Kakwaka’wakw and Haida artist Meghann O’Brien uses her artwork to both explore her Northwest Coast cultural heritage, and rebuild and maintain bonds with her community. She disrupts what is often seen as a distinct order between the contemporary and traditional by looking at how they are in conversation with each other in a non-linear way.
Runs until: January 9, 2019

Guo Pei: Couture Beyond
Where: Vancouver Art Gallery
What: In her theatrical, extravagant creations, Guo Pei combines contemporary aesthetics, production methods and materials with ancient tradition, evoking Chinese history and mythology in her craft techniques, fabric selection and imagery. The exhibition provides a comprehensive overview of her evolution as a designer as well as her contribution to global fashion culture.
Runs until: January 20, 2019

Canyon Lights
Where: Capilano Suspension Bridge Park
What: The suspension bridge, Treetops Adventure, Cliffwalk, the rainforest and canyon are transformed into a world of festive lights and visual enchantment, high up above the canyon. You can also go on a “Snowy Owl Prowl”, decorate gingerbread cookies (by donation) and sing-along carols with a holiday band.
Runs until: January 27, 2019

Dana Claxton: Fringing the Cube
Where: Vancouver Art Gallery
What: The first-ever survey of the work of provocative Vancouver-based Hunkpapa Lakota (Sioux) artist Dana Claxton, featuring photography, film, video and performance documentation that traces nearly thirty years of Claxton’s career and her investigations into Indigenous identity, beauty, gender and the body.
Runs until: February 3, 2019

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: March 17, 2019

The Metamorphosis
Where: Vancouver Art Gallery
What: This exhibition ties together provocative themes and ideas of change undertaken in more than forty remarkable contemporary works selected from the Gallery’s collection. With its title inspired by Franz Kafka’s 1915 novella, The Metamorphosis invokes a compelling human and creative desire to explore oneself and the world. Kafka’s literary classic follows the experience of a man who, upon waking up, finds himself transformed into a giant insect. This exhibition looks at Kafka’s themes by way of visual art that addresses physical, spiritual and cultural transformation.
Runs until: March 17, 2019

A Curator’s View: Ian Thom Selects
Where: Vancouver Art Gallery
What: A showcase of the span of the gallery’s rich permanent collection through an exhibition of nearly ninety works including paintings, drawings, photographs, and sculptures. Since the Gallery’s establishment in 1931, its permanent collection has become the most comprehensive resource for visual culture in British Columbia. Building on the collection’s historical and contemporary strengths, the Gallery continues to steward acquisitions through donation and purchase.
Runs until: March 17, 2019

Marking the Infinite: Contemporary Women Artists from Aboriginal Australia
Where: Museum of Anthropology
What: Showcasing for the first time in MOA’s history a presentation of all-women artists, this exhibition features the artworks of nine Aboriginal women, who are all celebrated artists from tiny remote communities across Australia’s deserts and tropical north. Encompassing a wide range of subjects from the natural to sublime and from minute organisms to vast celestial bodies, the exhibition invites visitors to explore the immutable tension between the universal and the specific, and discover the power of traditional Indigenous knowledge in an increasingly digital world.
Runs until: March 31, 2019

Fitness For All
Where: 1100 West Georgia Street
What: Chinese contemporary art collective Polit-Sheer-Form Office (PSFO) has produced a five-piece set of exercise equipment specially designed for the Vancouver public. The artists’ decree suggests that establishing a more collective self-awareness fosters inclusivity and collaboration within a community.
Runs until: March 31, 2019

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

Hastings Park Farmers Market
Where: Hastings Park
What: Find a weekly selection of locally grown fruit and veggies, farm fresh meat, eggs and dairy products, fresh baked sourdough bread and treats, craft beer, wine and spirits, artisanal prepared food, local crafts, hot coffee and food trucks.
Runs until: April 28, 2019 (Sundays)

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

Shake Up: Preserving What We Value
Where: Museum of Anthropology
What: The exhibition will bring to light the convergence of earthquake science and technology with the rich Indigenous knowledge and oral history of the living cultures represented in MOA’s Northwest Coast collection. Beyond scientific discoveries, knowledge of earthquakes and natural disasters has been passed down through generations throughout many cultures, including those of the Northwest Coast First Nations. Also as part of the exhibition, visitors will have the opportunity to see the majestic poles of the Great Hall undergo conservation, many for the first time in 40 years.
Runs until: Fall 2019

What are you up to this weekend? Tell me and the rest of Vancouver in the comments below.