Things to Do in Vancouver This Weekend

It’s a beautiful spring weekend! You can surround yourself with petals at a tulip festival, immerse yourself in a ballet performance or get social at an art party–and don’t forget the moms in your life; it’s also a weekend to celebrate them! 

Friday | Saturday | Sunday | Ongoing

Friday May 10

FUSE: Gestures Where: Vancouver Art Gallery What: It’s the city’s best-loved, late-night art party! For this signature event, guests will step into an electrifying evening of visual art, music and performance harnessing the power of gesture in various creative forms and expressions. Adults only.

Riot Rock Rattle Workshop Where: Bill Reid Gallery What: A “Riot Rock” is a rock that is hand-held and can be perceived as a threat. Creating your own Riot Rock Rattle is a metaphor for human potential – both for resistance and ceremony – and for the resonance of human activity on the land and water. In this workshop, you will make your own contemporary hide rattle using traditional techniques. This two-part workshop is presented as part of the Womxn and Waterways exhibition at the Bill Reid Gallery. Ballet BC Program 3 Ballet BC Program 3 Where: Queen Elizabeth Theatre What: Revel in spring with an evening of dynamic works. Collaborators Sharon Eyal and Gai Behar return to captivate audiences with the North American premiere of Bedroom Folk, an electric mix of music, dance and light. The program continues with a world premiere by Vancouver-based artist Serge Bennathan—a significant voice in Canadian dance. We end this celebratory season with the much-anticipated return of Ohad Naharin’s playful Minus 16. Runs until: Sunday May 12, 2019

Richmond Night Market Where: Richmond, BC What: Opening night for this summer weekend staple! Stop by for authentically Asian snacks, street food and retailers selling unique accessories and knick-knacks at street-side prices. Some merchants are willing to bargain, so channel your inner negotiator and you’ll leave with a haul. There’s a diverse array of nightly live entertainment ranging from music and dance performances to carnival games and rides Runs until: Friday October 4, 2019 Crafted Vancouver Where: Various locations What: An annual 25-day festival celebrating multiple craft disciplines. The festival features exceptional contemporary and traditional craftsmanship and craft-based work from official event partners who make, feature or sell fine craft. Runs until: Thursday May 30, 2019

Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. Portland Timbers Where: BC Place Stadium What: Take part in the roaring atmosphere at this Major League Soccer game. Hunch Fest Where: Red Gate Revue Stage What: Vancouver’s only festival dedicated entirely to the development and presentation of solo performance work. Runs until: Saturday May 11, 2019 James and the Giant Circus Peach Where: PNE Garden Auditorium What: James and the Giant Circus Peach is a story of a young boy who befriends a colony of eccentric giant bugs who live inside a gigantic peach, and chronicles their travels around the world. The show is filled with surreal challenges as James and his newfound friends embark on a circus journey to escape his troubled past and build a bright new future. Along the way, James witnesses daring acrobatics, stunning aerials, mesmerizing object manipulation, and feats of balance that astound and amaze. Runs until: Sunday May 12, 2019

Bloom Abbotsford Tulip Festival Where: 36737 North Parallel Road, Abbotsford, BC What: Spring is here and thousands of tulips are in bloom. Pack a tasty picnic basket, or visit one of our convenient food trucks on-site and enjoy a fun filled day with family and friends. Besides a covered picnic area, Bloom is also home to photo cut out boards and a children’s play area. That’s on top of acres upon acres of rainbow-coloured fields that are every bit as impressive as they are decorative. Runs until: Friday May 17, 2019

Nassim Where: Historic Theatre What: From Iranian playwright Nassim Soleimanpour comes an audacious new theatrical experiment. Each night a different performer joins the playwright on stage, while the script waits unseen in a sealed box…Touchingly autobiographical yet powerfully universal, it is a striking theatrical demonstration of how language can both divide and unite us. Runs until: Sunday May 19, 2019

Royal Canadian Family Circus Where: Lansdowne Centre, Richmond, BC What: Explosive live entertainment bringing tradition and thrilling acts featuring the Flying Cortes Trapeze family, acrobatics, death-defying Wheel of Destiny, xtreme Chinese acrobats including chair balancing, contortion, diablo, and towering feats of balancing strength, comedy,  a motorcycle globe, hula hoops and aerialists. Runs until: Monday May 20, 2019

The Tea Party Where: Commodore Ballroom What: Black River, the first single from The Tea Party in four years, put the band back on the map. With a career spanning over twenty years and nine major-label releases, The Tea Party, composed of Jeff Martin, Jeff Burrows, and Stuart Chatwood, have successfully gained the attention of fans on a worldwide level, selling over 1.8 million records worldwide.

Vancouver Symphony Orchestra: Otto Tausk Where: Orpheum Theatre What: Maestro Otto Tausk takes the podium in a concert all about love. The spotlight shines on VSO musicians Julia Lockhart and Jeanette Jonquil in the lovely Duet Concertino for Clarinet and Bassoon by Richard Strauss, and Maestro Tausk presents Prokofiev’s Romeo & Juliet in a way that Vancouver audiences have never heard before. Runs until: Saturday May 11, 2019

Jesse – I <3 Tour Where: The Biltmore What: Jesse Rutherford, most commonly known as the lead singer of The Neighbourhood, takes on his first solo tour joined by Goody Grace and Hearts.

Saturday May 11

top of page

La Cenerentola Where: Vancouver Playhouse What: In Rossini’s masterpiece, La Cenerentola (Cinderella), the evil stepmother trades places with a malevolent stepfather, the fairy godmother is a philosopher, and the legendary glass slipper is replaced with a bracelet. Nonetheless, the essence of the fairy-tale remains: a magical journey from rags to riches Runs until: Sunday May 12, 2019

Michal Menert Where: Fortune Sound Club What:Michal Menert, electronic music producer and founder of Super Best Records, and Exmag, American downtempo electronic and soul and funk band, come together for an early show at 6:30pm. Point Grey Village Spring Festival of Hope Where: Sasamat Street and West 10th Street What: Local businesses and entrepreneurs are invited to showcase their offerings to the timeless community of Point Grey. Participants can expect various exhibitors, vendors, food trucks and interactive games and activities for all ages.

Maple Ridge Art Studio Tour Where: Various locations, Maple Ridge, BC What: On Mother’s Day weekend, talented artists open their studios for visitors to browse their artwork. Enjoy a unique opportunity to meet some world-class artists at work, hear the stories behind their art and gain insight into their creative process. The self-guided tour features potters, jewelers, painters, sculptors and more. Runs until: Sunday May 12, 2019

Tom Odell Where: Commodore Ballroom What: This Ivor Novello-winning songwriting sensation is at the very top of his game with multiple awards and 1.8 million sales under his belt.

Sunday May 12

top of page

MOM=WOW – The Mother of All Mother’s Day Shows Where: The Improv Centre What: Mom will laugh ‘til her sides hurt with vignettes such as ‘Movie Moms,’ “Momvolution – from new Mom to Grandmom”, “Mom Myths” or ‘Mommy Dearest’ to name a few of the endless possibilities that could arise. As in all VTSL shows, the plot, characters and action are co-developed with the audience – utilizing their suggestions to drive the action and create on-the-spot, unscripted comedy

Mother’s Day Remembrance Where: Seasons in the Park What: If you would like to celebrate Mother’s Day, but your Mother has passed or you are otherwise estranged, join others for an enjoyable brunch + walk. Optional: bring a photo and/or story about your Mother to share. Bookings taken up to May 10.

Mother’s Day Afternoon Tea Where: Notch 8 at the Hotel Vancouver What: Don your best fascinator and celebrate the amazing women in your life. The stunning boardroom is transformed with fresh blooms inspired by a classic English garden party. Indulge in Lot 35 tea blends, delectable scones, finger sandwiches and sweet treats. For more Mother’s Day dining, have a look at our Inside Vancouver list, and WestCoastFood for Metro Vancouver brunch spots. twenty one pilots Where: Rogers Arena What: twenty one pilots consists of vocalist, pianist, bassist, and ukulele player Tyler Joseph and his best friend Josh Dun, who plays the drums and trumpet. The band’s genre is difficult to define, but best described as indie pop, with elements of rap and rock.

Ongoing

top of page Hunch Fest Where: Red Gate Revue Stage What: Vancouver’s only festival dedicated entirely to the development and presentation of solo performance work. Runs until: Saturday May 11, 2019

Vancouver Symphony Orchestra: Otto Tausk Where: Orpheum Theatre What: Maestro Otto Tausk takes the podium in a concert all about love. The spotlight shines on VSO musicians Julia Lockhart and Jeanette Jonquil in the lovely Duet Concertino for Clarinet and Bassoon by Richard Strauss, and Maestro Tausk presents Prokofiev’s Romeo & Juliet in a way that Vancouver audiences have never heard before. Runs until: Saturday May 11, 2019

DOXA Documentary Film Festival Where: Various locations What: International documentaries give you the opportunity to see through someone else’s eyes, into other worlds, and you might even learn something along the way. Genres such as activism, sexuality, race, sports, war, science, art, docudrama and animation weave through shows you may not get to see on the big screen anywhere else. Runs until: Sunday May 12, 2019

Ballet BC Program 3 Where: Queen Elizabeth Theatre What: Revel in spring with an evening of dynamic works. Collaborators Sharon Eyal and Gai Behar return to captivate audiences with the North American premiere of Bedroom Folk, an electric mix of music, dance and light. The program continues with a world premiere by Vancouver-based artist Serge Bennathan—a significant voice in Canadian dance. We end this celebratory season with the much-anticipated return of Ohad Naharin’s playful Minus 16. Runs until: Sunday May 12, 2019

La Cenerentola Where: Vancouver Playhouse What: In Rossini’s masterpiece, La Cenerentola (Cinderella), the evil stepmother trades places with a malevolent stepfather, the fairy godmother is a philosopher, and the legendary glass slipper is replaced with a bracelet. Nonetheless, the essence of the fairy-tale remains: a magical journey from rags to riches Runs until: Sunday May 12, 2019

Alana Paterson Where: Polygon Gallery What: Direct, authoritative and empowering, images of a Squamish Nation youth basketball team by photojournalist Alana Paterson give voice to an emerging generation of Indigenous women and reveals the sense of strength, perseverance, and passion. This exhibition is produced in collaboration with the Capture Photography Festival. Runs until: Sunday May 12, 2019 James and the Giant Circus Peach Where: PNE Garden Auditorium What: James and the Giant Circus Peach is a story of a young boy who befriends a colony of eccentric giant bugs who live inside a gigantic peach, and chronicles their travels around the world. The show is filled with surreal challenges as James and his newfound friends embark on a circus journey to escape his troubled past and build a bright new future. Along the way, James witnesses daring acrobatics, stunning aerials, mesmerizing object manipulation, and feats of balance that astound and amaze. Runs until: Sunday May 12, 2019 VAMP: A Supernatural Musical Burlesque Where: Performance Works What: The world you once knew is about to be stripped away as creatures of the night come alive in a new, body-positive and hilarious burlesque musical inspired by classic horror movies and everything that goes hump in the night. Runs until: Saturday May 18, 2019

Nassim Where: Historic Theatre What: From Iranian playwright Nassim Soleimanpour comes an audacious new theatrical experiment. Each night a different performer joins the playwright on stage, while the script waits unseen in a sealed box…Touchingly autobiographical yet powerfully universal, it is a striking theatrical demonstration of how language can both divide and unite us. Runs until: Sunday May 19, 2019 The Great Leap Where: Goldcorp Stage at the BMO Theatre Centre What: It’s 1989, and for a man with a past and one teen with a future, an exhibition basketball game in Beijing is a chance at something greater. Chinese coach Wen Chang is a quiet Party supporter and Manford is a kid with hustle from San Francisco’s Chinatown who makes up for his short stature with tenacious baller skill. As the story jumps back and forth in time, tensions rise right up to the final buzzer and history collides at the leap for a 3-point shot. Runs until:Sunday May 19, 2019

French Moderns: Monet to Matisse, 1850-1950 Where: Vancouver Art Gallery What: Sixty paintings and sculptures from the Brooklyn Museum’s renowned European permanent and long-term loan collections. Identifying France as the artistic centre of international modernism from the mid-nineteenth to mid-twentieth centuries, these works—which are diverse in subject matter, style and scale—were created by leading artists of the period, intended both for private collections and public display. Runs until: Monday May 20, 2019

Affinities: Canadian Artists and France Where: Vancouver Art Gallery What: Looking at the significance that French art and culture has held for Canadian artists over the past 120 years, this exhibition of works from the Vancouver Art Gallery’s Collection focuses on influences of Impressionism, Post-Impressionism and Surrealism on Canadian artists during the first half of the twentieth century. Runs until: Monday May 20, 2019

Royal Canadian Family Circus Where: Lansdowne Centre, Richmond, BC What: Explosive live entertainment bringing tradition and thrilling acts featuring the Flying Cortes Trapeze family, acrobatics, death-defying Wheel of Destiny, xtreme Chinese acrobats including chair balancing, contortion, diablo, and towering feats of balancing strength, comedy,  a motorcycle globe, hula hoops and aerialists. Runs until: Monday May 20, 2019 Communicating Doors Where: Metro Theatre What: In this thrilling time-travel comedy, three women attempt to save themselves and each other at the hands of the same man but in three different time periods. In the present is a dominatrix who has been hired to witness a murder confession. Twenty years earlier, the second wife of the tycoon is about to be murdered and twenty years before that the first wife is also about to be murdered. All that can prevent these events and re-shape the lives of these three women is their own ingenuity and a good bit of luck. Runs until: Saturday May 25, 2019 Crafted Vancouver Where: Various locations What: An annual 25-day festival celebrating multiple craft disciplines. The festival features exceptional contemporary and traditional craftsmanship and craft-based work from official event partners who make, feature or sell fine craft. Runs until: Thursday May 30, 2019

Counternarratives: Paintings by Archibald Fairbairn Where: Bill Reid Gallery What: The watercolour paintings of Archibald Fairbairn (1888 – 1979) document the beauty of totem poles and communities during the early 20th century. This exhibition juxtaposes an idealistic painter’s postcolonial gaze with critical discourse from contemporary Indigenous voices. Runs until: Sunday June 2, 2019

Displacement Where: Vancouver Art Gallery What: This exhibition comprises internationally acclaimed Victoria-based artist Mowry Baden’s work from the late 1960s to the present. Baden is known for producing intricate, sometimes humorous sculptural works and installations that borrow from the fields of perceptual psychology, science and architecture, and often solicit the audience’s participation. Runs until: Sunday June 9, 2019 Throne and Games – The Last Laugh Where: The Improv Centre What: Loosely based on HBO’s popular TV series, this improv laugh-letting features myriad unexpected plot twists – all suggested by the audience. No two performances can ever be the same because of this key element. Like its TV inspiration, the audience has no idea what to expect next, and, neither do the cast. VTS improvisers are master actors – creating the plot line, developing characters and dialogue all on the spot based on audience involvement and suggestions. Warning–there may be spoilers! Runs until: Saturday June 15, 2019

Deanna Bowen: A Harlem Nocturne Where: Contemporary Art Gallery What: Deanna Bowen’s artistic practice concerns itself with overlooked histories of Black experience, often connected to her own family in Canada and the US. Mining archives and forgotten documents, she makes use of a repertoire of artistic gestures to bring traces of a complex, deeply personal and often violent past into public visibility. Bowen’s solo exhibition A Harlem Nocturne comprises two separate trajectories of new research that follow the artist’s maternal lineage in Canada. Runs until: Sunday June 16, 2019 The Late Show – Adult Only Improv Comedy Where: The Improv Centre What: Are you a grown-up? If you are, join us! This show takes the furry hand-cuffs off our improvisers to present edgy, uncensored improv comedy. With the aid of audience suggestions, our quick-witted improvisers create scenarios that explore mature themes, content and language. You never know how far this show will go and the audience are willing accomplices. Runs until: June 29, 2019 (Saturdays) 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

Moving Still: Performative Photography from India Where: Vancouver Art Gallery & Annex Theatre What: A major exhibition of works by thirteen artists based in India whose photographic practices focus on constructing and reconstructing realities. The exhibition and will showcase more than one hundred works, dating from the 1800s to the present, and examines themes of gender, religion and sexual identity using photography, an important medium in India since the mid-nineteenth century. Runs until: Sunday September 2, 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: Monday September 9, 2019

Rolande Souliere: Frequent Stopping IV and V Where: Contemporary Art Gallery What: The multi-media practice of Australia-based Anishinaabe artist Rolande Souliere entangles the visual language of hard-edged geometric abstraction with that of contemporary traffic signage to consider how colonial infrastructures mark both spaces and the people inhabiting them. Her solo exhibition Frequent Stopping IV and V presents new large-scale, site-specific work at the Contemporary Art Gallery’s two public sites: its street level façade and the nearby Yaletown-Roundhouse Station. This exhibition draws from Souliere’s ongoing body of work that creates interventions using caution tape and street barrier patterns in immersive, muscular installations. Runs until: Friday September 20, 2019

Shipyards Night Market Where: The Shipyards, North Vancouver What: Fresh food, locally made products, musicians, art and entertainment. The festivities in the Square kick off at 5pm on Friday nights where you will find 100+ vendors selling fresh food and locally made products. The Friday Night Market also includes a beer garden serving local craft beer and cider as well as Betty’s Vodka Iced Tea. You must me 19+ to enter the beer garden. On the Shipbuilders’ Stage there is live music until 10pm, showcasing talent from all over BC. Runs until: Friday September 27, 2019 Womxn and Waterways Where: Bill Reid Gallery What: Explore the unique connection between womxn and water in the matriarchal societies of the Northwest Coast, with special attention to the roles of child-bearers, healers, and doulas. Artists Richelle Bear Hat (Blackfoot/Cree), Krystle Coughlin (Selkirk), Lindsay Katsitsakataste Delaronde (Mohawk), Alison Marks (Tlingit), Dionne Paul (Nuxalk/Sechelt), Kali Spitzer (Kaska Dena), Marika Echachis Swan (Nuu-chah-nulth), Carrielynn Victor (Sto:lo), Veronica Rose Waechter (Gitxsan) and Water Keeper, Audrey Siegl (Musqueam) will explore water as a crucial element of creation, its historical uses for survival, and contemporary over-consumption as a threat to sensitive coastal ecosystems. Runs until: Wednesday October 2, 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

Richmond Night Market Where: Richmond, BC What: Stop by for authentically Asian snacks, street food and retailers selling unique accessories and knick-knacks at street-side prices. Some merchants are willing to bargain, so channel your inner negotiator and you’ll leave with a haul. There’s a diverse array of nightly live entertainment ranging from music and dance performances to carnival games and rides. Runs until: Friday October 4, 2019

How Far Do You Travel Where: Select B-Line TransLink busses What: Five Canadian artists — Diyan Achjadi, Patrick Cruz, Rolande Souliere, Erdem Tasdelen and Anna Torma — are being commissioned to graphically wrap the exterior of a series of articulated buses traveling on major routes in Metro Vancouver. Runs until: Tuesday December 31, 2019 What are you up to this weekend? Tell me and the rest of Vancouver in the comments.