Moon Vancouver
Page 17
So stay alert to your surroundings as you arrive at or depart from YVR. Beyond the typical coffee shops, baggage carousels, and departure gates, there’s a world of native art to explore.
MAP 6: 4470 Main St., 604/876-6138; 7pm 1st Wed. Jan.-June and Sept.-Nov.; by donation
COMEDY
The Sunday Service
No, it’s not like going to church. Held in the Fox Cabaret, a former adult theater turned alternative club, The Sunday Service, by the comedy group of the same name, is a weekly improv show. The five performers typically mix short improv games with a longer comedic improvisation. Guest comedians occasionally share the stage with the regular troupe.
MAP 6: Fox Cabaret, 2321 Main St., www.thesundayservice.ca; 9pm Sun.; $7
Yuk Yuk’s Vancouver Comedy Club
At this local branch of a national chain of comedy venues, you can chuckle through stand-up shows by local and visiting comedians in this 170-seat cabaret-style club. The two weekend evening shows generally run 90 minutes to two hours and include a warm-up host, an opening act, and the featured performer. Wednesday evenings at 8pm are amateur nights, where newer comics can get their start.
MAP 6: 2837 Cambie St., 604/696-9857, www.yukyuks.com; show times vary; $7-20
Commercial Drive Map 7
THEATER
S Vancouver East Cultural Centre
The Vancouver East Cultural Centre, known locally as “The Cultch,” hosts an eclectic season of theater, dance, and musical events, showcasing local, Canadian, and international performers. Among their recent shows are The Daisy Theatre, provocative puppetry by Toronto-based Ronnie Burkett and his 40-plus marionettes; The Elephant Wrestler, a drama set in present-day India by New Zealand’s Indian Ink Theatre Company; and Empire of the Son, a solo show written and performed by former CBC radio host Tetsuro Shigematsu. Their main East Side building houses two performance spaces: the 200-seat Historic Theatre and the small black-box Vancity Culture Lab, which can be configured for 72 to 102 seats. Off-site, they also produce shows at the nearby York Theatre.
MAP 7: 1895 Venables St., 604/251-1363, http://thecultch.com; prices vary
York Theatre
The Vancouver East Cultural Centre produces music, dance, theater, and other events at the restored 355-seat York Theatre, down the street from their main building. Built in 1913, the York started life as the Alcazar Theatre, and over the years, it was home to a movie house, the Vancouver Little Theatre Association, a concert venue (Nirvana played here), and an Indian cinema. More recent productions have included Elbow Room Café: The Musical, an original musical based on a Vancouver breakfast joint; Children of God, a world premiere about an Oji-Cree family, whose children are sent to a residential school in northern Ontario; and a show from storyteller Edgar Oliver, often featured on the U.S. public radio show The Moth.
MAP 7: 639 Commercial Dr.; 604/251-1363, http://thecultch.com; prices vary
Festivals and Events
WINTER
Festival of Lights
The VanDusen Botanical Garden marks the holiday season with its annual Festival of Lights, illuminating its garden paths with thousands of sparkling lights. The festival runs from early December until the beginning of January.
Cambie Corridor: VanDusen Botanical Garden, http://vandusengarden.org; Dec.
Dine Out Vancouver
More than 250 restaurants offer special menus, and you can join in food events, from chef dinners and wine-tastings to food tours, during Dine Out Vancouver, the city’s annual celebration of dining that has grown into one of Canada’s largest food and drink festivals. The festival runs for two and a half weeks from late January into early February. Organizers publish the event schedule and list of participating restaurants on the Dine Out website in the second week of January. Make reservations right away, since many restaurants and events sell out.
Various locations: www.dineoutvancouver.com; Jan.-Feb.
PuSh International Performing Arts Festival
An eclectic selection of theater, music, dance, and multimedia events brighten up the winter nights at the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival, featuring local and international performers. Taking place at theaters and performance spaces across Vancouver, the festival begins in mid-January and runs for three weeks.
Various locations: http://pushfestival.ca; Jan.-Feb.
Lunar New Year
With its large Asian population, Vancouver hosts plenty of festivities to mark the Lunar New Year, including parades, lion dances, music, fireworks, and other special events in Chinatown and throughout Richmond. Chinatown’s Spring Festival Parade draws crowds of nearly 100,000 spectators every year, and nearby, the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden organizes more New Year’s festivities. In Richmond, Aberdeen Centre hosts a week of performances and New Year’s events, and on the eve of the Lunar New Year itself, many people welcome the coming year at the International Buddhist Temple.
Chinatown and Richmond: www.cbavancouver.ca, http://vancouverchinesegarden.com, and www.visitrichmondbc.com; Jan.-Feb.
Vancouver International Wine Festival
Wine-tastings, seminars, and dinners show off more than 1,500 wines from around the world at the Vancouver International Wine Festival, a weeklong event that usually takes place in mid-February. Many events are held downtown at the Vancouver Convention Centre’s West Building, but restaurants and other venues host festivities as well.
Various locations: http://vanwinefest.ca; Feb.
Talking Stick Festival
The 10-day Talking Stick Festival, in late February, typically produces more than two dozen theater, dance, storytelling, and music events by aboriginal performers or featuring aboriginal themes. The Roundhouse Community Arts & Recreation Centre (181 Roundhouse Mews) in Yaletown, the Goldcorp Centre for the Arts at Simon Fraser University (Woodward’s Building, 149 W. Hastings St.) in Gastown, and the Vancouver East Cultural Centre (1895 Venables St.) near Commercial Drive stage many of the productions.
Various locations: http://fullcircle.ca; Feb.
Chutzpah! Festival
At the monthlong Chutzpah! Festival, which showcases contemporary and traditional Jewish arts and culture, internationally recognized theater artists, dancers, musicians, and comedians perform in a diverse collection of shows from mid-February through mid-March. The Norman Rothstein Theatre at the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver (950 W. 41st Ave.) is the festival’s home base, although events take place at venues around the city.
Various locations: http://chutzpahfestival.com, Feb.-Mar.
SPRING
Vancouver Sun Run
Close to 50,000 runners and walkers take to the streets for the Vancouver Sun Run, a fun-for-all 10K that starts and ends downtown, usually on the third Sunday in April.
Downtown and the West End: www.vancouversun.com/sunrun; Apr.
Vancouver International Children’s Festival
Bring the kids to Kitsilano’s Vanier Park when the weeklong Vancouver International Children’s Festival offers family-friendly concerts, circus performers, crafts, and other activities in late May and early June.
Kitsilano: Vanier Park, Whyte Ave., www.childrensfestival.ca; May-June
Vancouver Craft Beer Week
A good introduction to the region’s growing microbrewery scene, the annual Vancouver Craft Beer Week, normally held the last week of May into the first week of June, includes tasting events and other activities that showcase small brewers and their products.
Various locations: http://vancouvercraftbeerweek.com; May-June
SUMMER
TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival
With nearly two weeks of concerts around the city, from big-name big-ticket shows to free music in the park, the TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival has tunes for any jazz, Latin, funk, and world music lover. The festival runs during the last two weeks of June and early July at venues downtown, in Yaletown, on Granville Island, and elsewhere across town, with popula
r outdoor concerts in Yaletown’s David Lam Park (Pacific Blvd. at Drake St.).
Various locations: www.coastaljazz.ca; June-July
Canada Day
Vancouver celebrates Canada’s birthday, Canada Day, with a parade, outdoor concerts, and celebratory fireworks over Burrard Inlet. Canada Place is the center of the festivities. The fireworks, which start at 10:30pm, draw big crowds. You’ll need tickets to watch from the outdoor Fireworks Viewing Zone (adults $15) at Canada Place, but you can see them anywhere along Burrard Inlet, including Harbour Green Park on the Coal Harbour Seawall and in Stanley Park near the Nine O’Clock Gun, east of the Brockton Point totem poles.
Downtown and the West End: Canada Place, www.canadaplace.ca; July 1
Vancouver Folk Festival
It’s not just folk music at the long-established Vancouver Folk Festival. This musical extravaganza draws world beat, roots, blues, and yes, folk musicians from across Canada and around the world to Jericho Beach for three days of always-eclectic music on multiple outdoor stages. Held the third weekend of July, it’s great fun for all ages.
Vancouver Folk Festival at Jericho Beach
UBC and Point Grey: Jericho Beach, http://thefestival.bc.ca; July
Indian Summer Festival
A unique celebration of South Asian, Canadian, and international culture, the Indian Summer Festival serves up two weeks of films, lectures, food events, theater, and other thought-provoking programming in mid-July. SFU’s Goldcorp Centre for the Arts (Woodward’s Building, 149 W. Hastings St.) in Gastown hosts many events, as do other venues downtown and elsewhere in the city.
Various locations: http://indiansummerfest.ca; July
Celebration of Light
Fireworks displays over English Bay bring thousands of Vancouverites and visitors out for the Celebration of Light that takes place on three summer evenings. The best viewing spots are at English Bay Beach, but you can see them from Kitsilano Beach and other points around False Creek. Held the last week of July and the first week of August on Wednesday and Saturday evenings, the fireworks start at 10pm. Try to arrive no later than 9pm to find a place to sit; many people come early and bring picnic suppers to enjoy before the displays begin.
Downtown and the West End: http://hondacelebrationoflight.com; July-Aug.
S Vancouver Pride Festival
The Vancouver Pride Festival features more than 20 events celebrating the city’s large gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community. Several days of parties, cruises, picnics, and other celebrations culminate in a festive parade through the downtown streets on the Sunday before B.C. Day (the first Monday in August).
Downtown and the West End: http://vancouverpride.ca; July-Aug.
FALL
Vancouver Fringe Festival
For two weeks in the first half of September, the Vancouver Fringe Festival takes over Granville Island and other stages around town with innovative, quirky, and often surprising theater, comedy, puppetry, and storytelling performances. The Waterfront Theatre and Performance Works on Granville Island host some of the larger performances.
Various locations: www.vancouverfringe.com; Sept.
Vancouver International Film Festival
Movie lovers line up at the Vancouver International Film Festival to see the latest releases from Canadian, American, and international filmmakers. Yaletown’s Vancity Theatre (1181 Seymour St.) is the festival’s main venue, but films are shown at other theaters downtown, in Gastown, and elsewhere around the city. The two-week festival begins in late September and runs until mid-October.
Various locations: www.viff.org; Sept.-Oct.
Vancouver Writers Fest
The Vancouver Writers Fest, a week of readings, lectures, and other literary events, features more than 100 authors from across Canada and abroad. Most of the festival events, held the third week of October, take place on Granville Island.
Granville Island: www.writersfest.bc.ca; Oct.
EAT! Vancouver Food + Cooking Festival
Dinners featuring chefs from across Canada, cooking workshops, a food expo, and lots of other delicious events draw foodies to the week-long EAT! Vancouver Food + Cooking Festival.
Various locations: http://eat-vancouver.com; Oct.-Nov.
Eastside Culture Crawl
East Vancouver artists open their studios to visitors during the popular Eastside Culture Crawl. Whether you’re in the market for artwork or just like to browse, most artists are interested in chatting with visitors during this mid-November weekend. Most of the open studios are located between Gastown and Commercial Drive.
Various locations: www.culturecrawl.ca; Nov.
SPORTS AND ACTIVITIES
Highlights
Downtown and the West End
Yaletown and False Creek
Granville Island
Kitsilano
UBC and Point Grey
Cambie Corridor
Commercial Drive
Richmond
The North Shore
Ringed with beaches, crisscrossed with walking and biking paths, and dotted with parks large and small, Vancouver is an active city. Locals take every opportunity to get outside—rain or shine.
In downtown Vancouver, wander amid the towering evergreens in Stanley Park, jog or cycle the Seawall path, or simply enjoy the sunset on the beach. You can kayak or go stand-up paddleboarding on False Creek or from English Bay, Kitsilano, and Jericho Beaches. Whale-watching outfitters make day trips from Granville Island and Richmond’s Steveston Wharf.
cyclists in Stanley Park
The North Shore mountains serve up even more recreational opportunities. Hike the Grouse Grind, explore the rainforest at the Capilano or Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridges or at Lighthouse Park, or kayak from scenic Deep Cove. In winter, when it’s raining in the city, it can be snowing on the North Shore peaks, where you can ski, snowboard, snowshoe, or go tubing. Winter tires are recommended on the roads that climb up to the mountains from October to April, particularly at Cypress and Mount Seymour.
If your idea of getting sporty is watching the action from the stands, there’s still plenty to do. Join the locals cheering on their National Hockey League team, check out the city’s professional soccer or football leagues, or bring the family to see the city’s minor league baseball team play at historic Nat Bailey Stadium.
HIGHLIGHTS
S BEST PLACE TO GET SANDY DOWNTOWN: The busiest of the city-center beaches, English Bay Beach is a prime spot for people-watching, swimming, or enjoying the sunset (click here).
S BEST WAY TO BECOME A TRUE CANADIAN: Do as the locals do and cheer for the Vancouver Canucks, the city’s National Hockey League team, who take to the ice at Rogers Arena from October through April (click here).
S SPORTIEST STRETCH OF SAND: Appealing to volleyball players, swimmers, kayakers, and stand-up paddleboarders, Kitsilano Beach is a hub for all sorts of activities (click here).
S MOST SCENIC SPOT TO SWIM: For stellar vistas of the ocean, mountains, and city skyline while you splash around, head for Kitsilano Pool (click here).
S BEST BEACH FOR WATER SPORTS AND A BEER: Besides its quiet curve of sand, Jericho Beach has kayak rentals and tours, windsurfing rentals, and a popular laid-back pub overlooking the sea (click here).
S WHERE TO WANDER IN THE RAINFOREST: Explore the many miles of hiking trails that wind between the tall trees, verdant ferns, and mossy rocks of Pacific Spirit Regional Park, a dense rainforest that’s even larger than Stanley Park (click here).
S MOST SCENIC PADDLE: At North Vancouver’s Deep Cove Kayaks, you can paddle through the forest-lined coves and majestic fjords of Indian Arm (click here).
S MOTHER NATURE’S STAIRMASTER: You’ll earn bragging rights when you hike The Grouse Grind, a trail with 2,830 steps that takes you to the summit of Grouse Mountain (click here).
S WHERE TO FIND ANCIENT TREES AND SKYLINE VIEWS: Explore old-growth forests on easy wooded trails at West Vancouver’s Lighthouse Park, and enjoy s
pectacular views across the water toward downtown Vancouver (click here).
Downtown and the West End Map 1
BEACHES
S English Bay Beach
You don’t have to leave downtown Vancouver to go to the beach. English Bay Beach, in the West End, is the busiest of the city-center beaches, fun for people-watching, swimming, or enjoying the sunset. A landmark on English Bay is the Inukshuk, made of granite boulders. This type of traditional Inuit sculpture was used as a trail marker or symbol of welcome. Carver Alvin Kanak, of Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, crafted the 20-foot (six-meter) English Bay Inukshuk, which weighs nearly 70,000 pounds (31,500 kilograms).
English Bay Beach