Inside Vancouver

Burr, Gadsby, Bamford among headliners at 2020 JFL Northwest comedy festival

by Shawn Conner in Events, Insider on December 4, 2019

Bill Burr is one of the headliners at the 2020 JFL Northwest comedy festival.

JFL Northwest, Vancouver’s Just for Laughs Festival, has announced its headliners for 2020. Now in its fifth year, the festival has lined up Bill Burr, Hannah Gadsby, Patton Oswalt, Margaret Cho, Maria Bamford, and many more.

The festival runs Feb. 13-25 at various venues. Pre-sale tickets began Dec. 3 at 10 a.m. General tickets go on sale this Friday, Dec. 6, at 10 a.m. at JFLNorthWest.com. For more about the fest and performers, including selected highlights, see below.

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Burr, Gadsby, Bamford among headliners at 2020 JFL Northwest comedy festival

New Big Fun comedy festival breaks up the November blahs with laughs a-plenty

by Shawn Conner in Events, Insider on November 13, 2019

Jena Friedman.

Big Fun is a new week of comedy and drag. (The media release also promises music, art and food, though details are scarce). The inaugural event takes place Nov. 20-24 with over 15 events at various Vancouver venues.

Headliners include Eugene Mirman and Jena Friedman. Other performers include Trixie Mattel, Zack Fox, Puppyteeh, Claude von Stroke, Mixed Gems, and more. Special events include a “flipped script” show in which drag performers read the script for an episode of the TV series Friends. For more info, see below.

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New Big Fun comedy festival breaks up the November blahs with laughs a-plenty

True crime and dark tales from Canadian history part of this year’s Vancouver Podcast Festival

by Shawn Conner in Events, Insider on November 5, 2019

Folks from the Allusionist will be at this year’s Podcast Festival. Baranduin Briggs photo.

Podcast hosts from The Allusionist, Dark Poutine, Secret Life of Canada and more will be at this year’s Vancouver Podcast Festival, Nov. 7-10.

Along with performances, the second annual edition will feature classes. Do you dream of having your own podcast? Who doesn’t? Sign up now.

See below for more info on some of the folks coming to town with the festival.

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True crime and dark tales from Canadian history part of this year’s Vancouver Podcast Festival

DIY lantern workshops lead up to the 17th annual Renfrew Ravine Moon Festival

by Carrie Leslie in Events on September 3, 2019

Image from Still Moon Arts Society | Facebook.com

The annual Renfrew Ravine Moon Festival is back for its 17th year this upcoming Saturday, September 14th!

This popular, family-friendly event is held in the Renfrew Park neighbourhood in east Vancouver. The event itself will feature tons of live music, entertainment, beautiful art displays, food, and other surprises.

Each year, the festival attracts around 5,000+ locals and visitors to enjoy the fantastic displays of colour, light, and music that pay homage to the Renfrew Ravine: one of the last vestiges of both open stream and urban forest in the city.

Leading up to the event, there are multiple DIY lantern workshops that will lead you in the creation of your own beautiful illuminating lantern for the event itself. If you’re planning on taking part in the 2019 Renfrew Ravine Moon Festival, make sure to check out one of these lantern workshops ahead of time.

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DIY lantern workshops lead up to the 17th annual Renfrew Ravine Moon Festival

Five acts to see at this year’s Powell Street Festival

by Shawn Conner in Events, Family Friendly on July 26, 2019

Seishun Youth Academy, a Vancouver version of a Japanese idol group, returns for a second year.

This year’s Powell Street Festival takes place Aug 3 and 4, from 11:30 am – 7:00 pm. The street festival celebrates Japanese-Canadian culture and takes place in the historic Japanese-Canadian neighbourhood known as Paueru Gai (literally translated as Powell Street area). This area is centred at Alexander Avenue and Jackson Street, while the festival spans six city blocks.

The festival features sumo wrestling and martial arts demonstrations, theatre, dance, calligraphy, food (including yakisoba, takoyaki, sushi, matcha ice cream, ramen, and Japanese style hot dogs), music, and taiko drumming—lots and lots of taiko drumming. All events are free.

Here are five acts worth checking out.

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Five acts to see at this year’s Powell Street Festival

Six acts to see at this year’s Vancouver Folk Music Festival

by Shawn Conner in Events, Insider on July 11, 2019

Sarah Shook. Cowtown Chad photo.

Locals know that one of the city’s best summer weekends is the weekend of the Vancouver Folk Music Festival. Thousands gather in Jericho Beach Park, near the beach, to watch hundreds of performers in a variety of genres. Here are a few acts we think are worth checking out during the festival, July 19-21 (click on band names for video link). For a full schedule and ticket info visit thefestival.bc.ca.

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Six acts to see at this year’s Vancouver Folk Music Festival

Gladwell, Donoghue and Klein among guests at this year’s Vancouver Writers Fest

by Shawn Conner in Events on June 26, 2019

Giller Prize winner Lynn Coady is a guest at this year’s Vancouver Writers Festival.

Malcolm Gladwell, Naomi Klein, and Emma Donoghue are among the featured guests just announced by the Vancouver Writers Fest. They are among more than 100 authors from around the world that will attend the event, which runs Oct. 21-27.

For more on these and other VWF guests, see below.

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Gladwell, Donoghue and Klein among guests at this year’s Vancouver Writers Fest