Things To Do in Vancouver This Weekend

Kicking off with International Dance Day, Vancouver offers some creative inspiration this weekend. Enjoy new outdoor public presentation REBO(U)ND, explore Crafted Vancouver, check out the addition of two new artworks at Bill Reid Art Gallery and appreciate the variety of virtual events from the comfort of your home. Here are some things you can do this weekend to make it more exciting.

Until further notice, in line with the public health order, non-essential travel into, within, and out of BC is not recommended. BC residents, let’s do our part by continuing to stay small and support local with your immediate household, in accordance with the latest guidelines.

Photo credit: Dance House

REBO(U)ND

Where: on Denman St, between Pendrell St and Morton Ave.
What: DanceHouse presents the Vancouver premiere of Montreal choreographer Caroline Laurin-Beaucage’s multimedia work REBO(U)ND, projected nightly in English Bay, on an East-facing tower building at Denman and Davie St. In a year of creative pivots, this latest innovation will see DanceHouse moving art outdoors and broadcasting the striking architectural video projection on a loop, commencing 30 minutes past sunset until 10:30pm nightly. Launching in celebration of International Dance Day (April 29), the free outdoor public presentation offers passers-by an opportunity to engage with the larger-than-life artform in a manner suitable to the COVID-19 era.
Runs until May 8, 2021

Crafted Vancouver 2021

Where: Various Venues
What: Each May craft-based work is featured & exhibited in a 25-day festival through a variety of events at dozens of venues throughout Metro Vancouver & Fraser Valley. As the only month-long festival in North America designed to celebrate the vitality of our hand-crafted world, we are dedicated to enhancing appreciation of fine craft and our crafted environment from across a continuum, including the ancestral, tribal & traditional to leading-edge contemporary.
Runs until May 25, 2021

Photo credit: Burnaby Village Museum

Summer Season at Burnaby Village Museum

Where: Burnaby Village Museum
What: Stroll through the 1920’s village and stop by the Burnaby Lake General Store to learn about popular store purchases in the 1920s or visit the newly renovated Way Sang Yuen Wat Kee & Co. herbalist shop to discover the role Chinese medicine has played in shaping communities like Burnaby. Returning to the museum as this year’s feature exhibit is Across the Pacific, featuring stories, photographs and artifacts illustrating the history and legacy of Chinese Canadians in Burnaby. The exhibit is presented in three written languages – English as well as traditional and simplified Chinese – and includes audio components featuring several Cantonese dialects.
Open Tuesday-Sunday until September 6, 2021

Photo credit: UBC Botanical Garden

Where: UBC Botanical Garden
What: The Greenheart TreeWalk will spark your adventurous spirit as you navigate suspended walkways and tree platforms high above the forest floor. Located in the heart of UBC Botanical Garden, the 310 metre-long tree top canopy walkway hangs from huge Douglas firs, cedars and grand firs, many of which are over 100 years old. Reaching a height of nearly 20 metres above the forest floor, the walkway will give you a bird’s eye view of Vancouver’s magnificent coastal temperate rainforest.

Photo credit: Chilliwack Tulip Festival

Chilliwack Tulips

Where: Tulips of the Valley
What: Chilliwack’s beloved annual floral attraction is back for 2021 and are looking forward to welcoming Fraser Valley residents to the fields this year (with health and safety protocols in place). Launched in 2006, Chilliwack Tulips is the first attraction of its kind in the Fraser Valley — and it’s still the largest in BC, with millions of Tulip bulbs blooming each year!
Runs until May 2, 2021

Photo credit: BC Bird Trail

The BC Bird Trail

Where: Fraser Valley, Richmond, Delta
What: British Columbia’s super, natural landscapes provide a safe haven to thousands of migratory birds every year. The BC Bird Trail is your guide to exploring BC’s Pacific Flyway, offering a series of self-guided itineraries showcasing the regions our feathered friends seek out year after year. The birders of all levels are encouraged to Look Up and Stay Grounded as they explore vibrant communities and outdoor experiences providing new opportunities to engage, learn, and grow.

Poutine with Purpose

Where: Various Restaurants
What: Every poutine sold during Poutine Week at any of the participating restaurants provides a simple, healthy meal to youth in need through our Mealshare charity partners. Since 2013, Calgary, Vancouver and Victoria Poutine With Purpose have sold over 35,000 poutines in support of Mealshare. Find a poutine or restaurant you would like to try at poutinewithpurpose.com, eat poutine and help a local youth in need!
Runs until May 1, 2021

Photo credit: Vancouver’s Farmers Markets

Kitsilano Farmers Market

Where: Kitsilano Community Centre
What:50+ farms and producers, food and coffee trucks
Runs on Sundays until October 31, 2021

Riley Park Summer Farmers Market

Where: 50 E 30th Avenue & Ontario Street
What: 25+ farms and producers, food and coffee trucks
Runs on Saturdays until October 30, 2021

Trout Lake Farmers Market

Where: Lakewood Dr. & E 13th Ave.
What: 60+ farms and producers, food and coffee trucks
Runs on Saturdays until October 30, 2021

Photo credit: Imagine Van Gogh

Imagine Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience

Where: Vancouver Convention Centre West
What: In this exhibition, visitors of all ages discover a new way of reconnecting with the work of this great master. The very concept of Imagine Van Gogh is grandiose: visitors wander amongst giant projections of the artist’s paintings, swept away by every brushstroke, detail, painting medium and colour. Immersed in an extraordinary experience where all senses become fully awakened, viewers will be truly moved by such spectacular beauty. Visitors discover more than 200 of Van Gogh’s paintings, including his most famous works, painted between 1888 and 1890 in Provence, Arles and Auvers-sur-Oise.
Runs until August 29, 2021

Photo credit: Science World

Arctic Voices

Where: Science World
What: Arctic Voices takes visitors on a riveting journey over the tundra and into the world’s northernmost biome. Enjoy an immersive experience of the fascinating, changing Arctic through its many voices: its people, ecology, wildlife and way of life. Dance with auroras, hop on ice floes and learn just how deeply connected we are to the Arctic through this feature exhibition that will leave you awestruck and inspired.
Runs until September 6, 2021

Photo by Robert Keziere

To Speak With A Golden Voice

Where: Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art
What: Launched in July 2020, the exhibition is a centennial birthday celebration of Bill Reid, who was born in 1920. The exhibition tells the story of Reid’s creative journey through four distinct sections: Voice, Process, Lineage, and Legacy. Curated by Gwaai Edenshaw—considered to be Reid’s last apprentice—the exhibition includes audio narratives, literary excerpts, rarely seen sketchbooks and casting molds, and short films, as well as newly commissioned works by Haida artist Cori Savard and singer-songwriter Kinnie Starr. It also includes the addition of two new artworks—the Eagle and Beaver Pole (1980) by Haida carver Reg Davidson and an exquisitely carved cedar door, designed by Bill Reid and carved by James Hart in 1980—as well as the anticipated commemorative book: Bill Reid, To Speak With a Golden Voice.
Runs until September 6, 2021

Photo credit: Bill Reid Gallery

Indigenous History in Colour

Where: Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art
What: This solo exhibition by Luke Parnell is a powerful exploration of the relationship between Northwest Coast Indigenous oral histories, conceptual art, and traditional formline design. Indigenous History in Colour’s playful juxtapositions and bold commentary are inspired by history, pop culture, and Bill Reid. Parnell’s multidisciplinary analysis of the shifting perspectives of Northwest Coast art in modern history challenges contemporary discourse on notions of reconciliation, repatriation and representation today.
Runs until May 9, 2021

Photo credit: Polygon Gallery

A Feast for the Eyes

Where: Polygon Gallery
What: Feast for the Eyes explores the rich history of food as one of photography’s most prevalent and enduring subjects. In an age where sharing images of food has emerged as a unique facet of contemporary culture, this exhibition offers a look at the timeless ways in which things we eat shape us and our perceptions of the world.
Runs until May 30, 2021

Photo credit: The BC Sports Hall of Fame and Museum

Paddles Up! The Canadian International Dragon Boat Festival Exhibit

Where: The BC Sports Hall of Fame and Museum
What: Paddles Up! The Canadian International Dragon Boat Festival Exhibit explores the festival’s history since the sport’s arrival at Expo 86. Discover unique artifacts, including two full-sized dragon boats, hear stories from athletes of all backgrounds, and learn about the festival’s cultural heritage.
Runs on Fridays and Saturdays until May 31, 2021

Photo credit: Stefano Benazzo

Silent Witness

Where: Vancouver Maritime Museum
What: Silent Witness features a collection of photographs by Italian photographer and artist Stefano Benazzo who has spent decades seeking shipwrecks from some of the most remote locations around the globe. His work narrates the scenes of these wrecks with light and portrays the soul of the abandoned vessels. The photographs in Silent Witness tell the story of decay for these ships, capturing their architecture and presenting them as sculptures embedded in the landscape.
Runs until July 18, 2021

Photo credit: Museum of Anthropology

A Future for Memory: Art and Life After the Great East Japan Earthquake

Where: Museum of Anthropology at UBC
What: The exhibition coincides with the 10th anniversary of the 2011 triple disaster that saw a 9.0 magnitude earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdown hit the eastern region of Japan. A Future for Memory highlights nature’s destructive impact on humans and its regenerative potential, and explores how humans live in harmony with nature. It also examines how new connections and relationships have developed in the aftermath of this tragic event.
Runs until September 5, 2021

Photo credit: Vancouver Art Gallery

Sun Xun: Mythological Time

Where: Vancouver Art Gallery
What: Sun Xun is a mid-career Chinese artist who works in a range of mediums including painting, drawing, animation, video and installation. In his highly imaginative video installation Mythological Time (2016), Sun takes viewers on a journey through his hometown of Fuxin in northern China, a coal-mining centre facing the depletion of its economic lifeblood. Sun’s video installation from the Gallery’s collection will be presented alongside a major 30-metre ink painting, being shown for the first time.
Runs until September 6, 2021

Photo credit: Museum of Vancouver

A Seat at the Table

Where: Museum of Vancouver
What: The Museum of Vancouver and the University of British Columbia proudly present a new feature exhibition, A Seat at the Table, Chinese Immigration and British Columbia. This exhibition explores historical and contemporary stories of Chinese Canadians in BC and their struggles for belonging. It looks to food and restaurant culture as an entry point to feature stories that reveal the great diversity of immigrant experience and of the communities immigrants develop.
Runs until January 2022

New West Craft Artisan Exhibition

Where: The Gallery at Queen’s Park
What: New West Craft is pleased to present an intimate and COVID-friendly gallery experience showcasing the work for five local artisans and makers. New West Craft is a collective of local artists, artisans and makers. The New West Craft Exhibition at The Gallery at Queen’s Park will feature the work of five local artisans. Each of the participating artisans showcase the diverse range of products, mediums and artistic styles of the New West Craft collective. Visit The Gallery at Queen’s Park and discover locally made art, jewellery, textiles, greeting cards and more. Lots of great gift ideas for Mother’s Day!
Runs until May 2, 2021

Photo credit: Surrey Art Gallery

I Spy a City

Where: Surrey Art Gallery
What: Riffing on the children’s game of “I spy,” Flavourcel’s project for UrbanScreen captures different sights from across Whalley and the broader Surrey region in animated form. The collective invites you to “spy” the things that connect with you: nearby shop facades, local ingredients, Surrey wildlife, popular sports, and more.
Runs until May 2, 2021

Artwork by Sheila Letwiniuk

Spirituality, Art, and Community: An exhibition of artworks from members of our community

Where: Christ Church Cathedral
What: Partnership of Christ Church Cathedral, posAbilities & Outsiders and Others to “bring light and hope to our community in a time of panic and isolation.” This show includes artwork by 19 members of the Christ Church community. Displayed in the Cathedral windows, it can be seen at any time. Also viewable online (see website).
Runs until May 2, 2021

Photo credit: Griffin Art Projects

Whose Chinatown? Examining Chinatown Gazes in Art, Archives, and Collections

Where: Griffin Art Projects
What: Whose Chinatown? Examining Chinatown Gazes in Art, Archives, and Collections,” brings together an art history of Chinatowns and their communities by historical and contemporary Canadian artists such Emily Carr, Unity Bainbridge, Yucho Chow, Fred Herzog, Paul Wong, Mary Sui Yee Wong, Morris Lum, and aiya哎呀, among others.
Runs on Saturdays until May 1, 2021

Photo credit: Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden

Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden: Tea Appreciation Workshop – Online

This virtual workshop is specially designed for everyone who loves tea and wishes to learn more about its origin, culture and why its consumption it is so commonly associate with a mindful and healthy lifestyle. Hosted by senior trainer of traditional Chinese tea ceremony and former in-house tea artist at Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden, Lillian Li, this series of 3 weekly sessions was designed to introduced you to the unique properties of Chá 茶(the Chinese word of tea), its history and cultural relevance. You will also learn about tea tasting, aesthetics and tea etiquette. In each 60-minute session, we will reserve a place at the end for Q&A, where Lillian can share her expertise.
Saturday, May 1, 2021

Photo credit: Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden

Meditation Class with Cassandra Lee – Online

Cassandra Lee is a Chinese Canadian who grew up in the Strathcona/Chinatown area in the 1970’s. She is glad to be, once again, connected to this historic area of town. She has completed the Meditation Teacher Training with Moment, which is rooted in contemporary teachings. Currently, she is enrolled in the Meditation Teacher Training with Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield, which is embedded in Buddhist philosophy. Cassandra is drawn to meditation as the practice has guided and continues to guide her along the path of self-discovery and authenticity. She looks forward to sharing these blends of teachings with you.
Friday, April 30, 2021

Shakespeare Beyond the Proscenium – Online

For many, a night of Shakespeare is the archetypical Western theatre experience – but these artists draw from a variety of inspirations to take the classics beyond the proscenium.  We hear from Eva Barrie (former co-Artistic Director of Toronto’s Shakespeare in the Ruff), Rodrigo Beilfuss (Artistic Director of Winnipeg’s Shakespeare in the Ruins), and Christopher Gaze (founding Artistic Director of Bard on the Beach) about accessibility, art, and making art in the great outdoors.
Friday, April 30, 2021

Image courtesy of the artist

Musical Show L’École buissonnière (Skipping school) – Online

Skipping school is an original production created by Ghislaine Doté. A theatrical rendition of French classics from 1920 to 1970 (Edith Piaf, Josephine Baker, Charles Aznavour…). We follow the journey of a schoolgirl and her most unexpected interest in literature and poetry. The show “Skipping school” is supported by le théâtre la Seizième as part of its artistic micro-residencies program.
Saturday, May 1, 2021

Festival du Bois – Online

Come get your French Canadian On(line)! This year, experience the amazing music, dance and joyful spirit of Festival du Bois at home, in your own cabane. See exclusive concerts by brilliant music-makers from across Canada – everything from traditional Québécois podorythmie to fiddle and accordion tunes to a renowned Innu singer/songwriter and an electrifying Zydeco dance band – and so much more.
Runs until April 30, 2021

Talking Stick Festival: Spring Awakening – Online

Join Talking Stick around the warming fire of Spring Awakening – a call to the stories, songs, and dances that sustain and renew us, that birth a spirit of hope and healing. This weekend the Talking Stick Industry Series presents a variety of workshops, panels, discussions, videos and teachings on subjects of use and interest to both up-and- coming and veteran Indigenous artists in a range of disciplines. Topics include writing for the stage, artists’ personal and community development-related issues, legacy building, songwriting and music publishing.
Friday, April 30-Saturday, May 1, 2021

Kawaguchi + Takase 2014, Photo credit: Chris Randle

Vancouver International Dance Festival – Online

The Vancouver International Dance Festival celebrates its 21st season with 18 livestream contemporary dance performances. Broadcast from the KW Production Studio, the 2021 VIDF presents cinematic perspectives of contemporary dance streamed live to wherever you are. This weekend Vancouver’s Company 605 will present Brimming (April 29-30 & May 1). The new solo investigating the body as a container was created and performed by its co-artistic director Josh Martin.
Streaming until June 19, 2021

Carmen: Up Close and Personal – Online

Inspired by French arthouse film, stage director Brenna Corner adds a non-traditional lens to Bizet’s beloved masterpiece. Playing with the conflicting ideas of fate and choice, Carmen: Up Close and Personal is an alluring, intimate and stripped-down cinematic adaptation, focused on the four principal characters, with a few twists and turns along the way. Starring members of the Yulanda M. Faris Young Artists Program with members of the Vancouver Opera Orchestra.
Saturday, May 1, 2021

Photo credit: Cherry Blossom Festival

Haiku Invitational – Online

The Haiku Invitational presented by Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel Ltd. is an online contest with six main categories receiving submissions from all over the world.  Submit up to two unpublished and original works on the theme of cherry blossoms! The top poems in six main categories (Vancouver, BC, Canada, United States, International, and Youth (age 17 and younger) will receive celebrity readings and be featured in creative ways during the 2021 festival.
Runs until June 1, 2021

Photo credit: Chan Centre

Chan Centre’s Spring 2021 Dot Com Series – Online

The Chan Centre’s Spring 2021 Dot Com Series features eight all-new performances which will be delivered 100% online and recorded around the globe—from Mexico to Montreal to our very own Chan Centre stage. Additional Performances launched every two weeks.
Runs until May 31, 2021

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