Things to Do in Vancouver this Weekend: Dec. 15, 2016

‘Twas the weekend before Solstice and all through the night, Vancouver started looking forward to the idea of the sun not setting at 3:30 in the afternoon! Hey, it could be worse, – we’ve got pretty lights, and a comfortable dusting of snow (maybe it didn’t feel comfortable last week, but we’ve gotten used to the white stuff now, yes?) and snow happens so rarely around here, let’s just enjoy it before it melts completely. There are a lot of things to get out to this weekend in between the mulled wine and the snow angels.

 

Friday | Saturday | Sunday | Ongoing

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Friday December 16

Goh Ballet’s The Nutcracker
Where: The Centre in Vancouver for Performing Arts
What: This heart-warming production is sure to delight audiences of all ages with more than 200 glittering costumes, dramatic sets and valuable lessons. Experience Clara’s dream come to life as she embarks on a magical journey through the Land of Snow to the Kingdom of Sweets where she is greeted by the enchanting Sugar Plum Fairy.
Runs until: Tuesday December 20, 2016

Music for Winter Solstice
Where: Heritage Hall on Main St.
What: This concert will delight with a program of music to illuminate the darkest of nights, featuring a line up of new and returning artists including Caroline Shaw, Veda Hille, Rachel Kiyo Iwassa, and Adrian Verdejo.

Potted Potter
Where: The Vogue
What: Playing to sold out houses all over the world, this production takes on the ultimate challenge of condensing all seven Harry Potter books (and a real life game of Quidditch) into 70 hilarious minutes. This fantastically funny show features all your favorite characters, a special appearance from a fire-breathing dragon, endless costumes, brilliant songs, ridiculous props and a generous helping of Hogwarts magic.
Runs until: Saturday December 24, 2016

Cirque du Soleil: Toruk the First Flight
Where: Pacific Coliseum
What: Inspired by James Cameron’s Avatar, Cirque du Soleil transports you to the world of Pandora in a visually stunning live setting. Experience a storytelling odyssey through a new world of imagination, discovery and possibility.
Runs until: Sunday December 18, 2016

East Side Flea Holiday Markets
Where: 1024 Main
What: Shop local from Vancouver’s makers & collectors. Over 50 vendors, 3 food trucks, a live DJ, artisan showrooms, seasonal drink specials, and pinball.
Runs until: Sunday December 18, 2016

A Sumner Brothers Xmas
Where: 1024 Main
What: One half of the East Side Flea will transform into a winter wonderland dance hall filled with the sounds of 10 of Vancouver’s best Country/Folk & Rock bands including The Wild North and Viper Central. There will also be a photo booth where you can get your pic taken with Vancouver’s favorite and longest running Santa.

Vivaldi’s Four Seasons
Where: Chan Centre for the Performing Arts
What: Former VSO Concertmaster Mark Fewer returns to perform Vivaldi’s classic, in one of Vancouver’s most enduring and beloved music traditions.
Runs until: Saturday December 17, 2016

Solstice Market
Where: The Toast Collective (648 Kingsway)
What: Handcrafted goods from local witchy artists and craftspeople.
Runs until: Sunday December 18, 2016

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Saturday December 17

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Life-Sized Snow Globe Experience
Where: Stanley Park
What: Get in a giant snow globe – AND eat cheese. I cannot understand why anyone would miss this.
Runs until: Sunday December 18, 2016

Heritage Holiday at Fort Langley
Where: Fort Langley
What: Taste chestnuts by the open fireplace, craft a handwritten letter with pen and ink for a loved one, then relax with coffee or lunch at lelem’ at the fort Café. Watch hourly barrel-making and blacksmithing demonstrations, and at 12 pm and 2 pm, laugh along with a holiday-themed fur trade wedding.
Runs until: Saturday December 31, 2016

Christmas Reprise XIV
Where: Holy Rosary Cathedral
What: In this matinee concert, the warmth and beauty of the holiday season will envelop performance-goers, providing a refuge amidst a mix of traditional carols and a few more contemporary holiday compositions. The unaccompanied choir, guided by Vancouver Cantata Singers Artistic Director, Paula Kremer, welcomes lovers of choral music and revelers of the season to join them in celebrating through song.

OC/DC A Tribute to AC/DC
Where: Venue
What: A holiday charity fundraiser – bring cash, a non-perishable food donation or a toy.

Après over the Holidays
Where: Sea to Sky Gondola
What: Wrap up a day of snowshoeing, tubing, exploring the backcountry or a headlamp hike tour by gathering with friends and family at the top of Sea to Sky Gondola for cocoa or a wintery stew as you cozy up and drink in the views from our Summit Lodge.
Runs until: Sunday January 1, 2017

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Sunday December 18

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Indigenous Solstice Dinner
Where: Lost Lagoon Nature House
What: Warm up with mulled wine, indigenous song, and a full-course dinner to celebrate the longest night of the year with a Coast Salish flourish. This fundraiser evening’s narratives tell the story of solstice through a First Nations perspective.

 

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Ongoing

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Sell Out (ends this weekend)
Where: Hot Art Wet City
What: A fun and twisted collection of new and old works by the mysterious Vancouver street artist, iHeart. As a work sells, a new piece will replace it. Leaving you wondering what will be next. It’s the perfect gift for the street art lover in your life
Runs until: Saturday December 17, 2016

The Santaland Diaries (ends this weekend)
Where: Presentation House Theatre (North Vancouver)
What: Based on the true chronicles of celebrated humour writer and commentator, David Sedaris’ experience working as a Christmas elf in a Macy’s department store in New York City. A side-splitting send-up of Christmas and Sedaris’ brief, misguided career move.
Runs until: Saturday December 17, 2016

Vivaldi’s Four Seasons (this weekend only)
Where: Chan Centre for the Performing Arts
What: Former VSO Concertmaster Mark Fewer returns to perform Vivaldi’s classic, in one of Vancouver’s most enduring and beloved music traditions.
Runs until: Saturday December 17, 2016

East Side Flea Holiday Markets (this weekend only)
Where: 1024 Main
What: Shop local from Vancouver’s makers & collectors. Over 50 vendors, 3 food trucks, a live DJ, artisan showrooms, seasonal drink specials, and pinball.
Runs until: Sunday December 18, 2016

Solstice Market (this weekend only)
Where: The Toast Collective (648 Kingsway)
What: Handcrafted goods from local witchy artists and craftspeople.
Runs until: Sunday December 18, 2016

Cirque du Soleil: Toruk the First Flight (ends this weekend)
Where: Pacific Coliseum
What: Inspired by James Cameron’s Avatar, Cirque du Soleil transports you to the world of Pandora in a visually stunning live setting. Experience a storytelling odyssey through a new world of imagination, discovery and possibility.
Runs until: Sunday December 18, 2016

Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol (ends this weekend)
Where: Jericho Arts Centre
What: The story of Jacob Marley’s heroic behind-the scenes efforts to save the soul of Scrooge, everyone’s favorite curmudgeon, and in the process save his own. Aided by a Bogle, a malicious little hell-sprite with an agenda of its own, Marley’s hilarious journey takes them from the Jaws of Death to the Mouth of Hell. There will be a live-description performance for people with vision loss on December 11, and an ASLinterpreted
performance for the Deaf on December 14. Vocal Eye will provide live-description services, and two ASL interpreters will provide American Sign Language interpretation for the Deaf.
Runs until: Saturday December 18, 2016

Alice in Wonderland (ends this weekend)
Where: Studio 1398 (Granville Island)
What: This colourful production combines moments and characters from both of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There. This night out can be enjoyed by typical a family of four for under $80.
Runs until: Sunday December 18, 2016

Life-Sized Snow Globe Experience (this weekend only)
Where: Stanley Park
What: Get in a giant snow globe – AND eat cheese. I cannot understand why anyone would miss this.
Runs until: Sunday December 18, 2016

Goh Ballet’s The Nutcracker
Where: The Centre in Vancouver for Performing Arts
What: This heart-warming production is sure to delight audiences of all ages with more than 200 glittering costumes, dramatic sets and valuable lessons. Experience Clara’s dream come to life as she embarks on a magical journey through the Land of Snow to the Kingdom of Sweets where she is greeted by the enchanting Sugar Plum Fairy.
Runs until: Tuesday December 20, 2016

The Violin Teacher (ends this week)
Where: VanCity Theatre
What: Based on a true story. After failing to be admitted into the renowned São Paulo Symphonic Orchestra, Laerte, a talented violinist, is forced to give music classes to teenagers in a public school in Heliopolis, the biggest favela of Brazil. His path is full of difficulties but the transforming power of music and the friendship arising between the professor and his students open the doors into a new world.
Runs until: Tuesday December 20, 2016

Sacred Intentional Gifts Pop Up Shop (ends this week)
Where: Dharma Temple Yoga Studio
What: There will be goods from Andrea Wong, Drifter Brand, Kundalini Gowns, and many other gems.
Runs until: Wednesday December 21, 2016

The Holiday Giftshop in SPACE (ends this week)
Where: 552 Clark Drive
What: Showcasing 25-30 different local producers, visitors can expect to find a selection of quality BC-made products; everything from artwork, leather goods, jewelry to ceramics and things made from wood.
Runs until: Wednesday December 21, 2016

Christmas Queen 3: Bachelorette Edition
Where: The Improv Centre (Granville Island)
What: This episode of The Christmas Queen saga sees HRM (Her Royal Meanness) as the star of her own reality show. She insists that the finale be filmed and aired live on Christmas Eve and her poor, brow-beaten director Bob Matchit can’t talk her out of it. Not only will his Christmas be ruined but her plan is to ruin the Christmas of all her suitors.
Runs until: Friday December 23, 2016

The Day Before Christmas
Where: Arts Club Theatre
What: Alex is a perfectionist who is desperately holding fast to her Christmas traditions. While juggling family and work—and a movie star—she loses control of her holiday plans, and her home becomes a disaster zone. Can she save the turkey from the dog and salvage a broken-down tree? Find out in this infectious comedy.
Runs until: Saturday December 24, 2016

Potted Potter
Where: The Vogue
What: Playing to sold out houses all over the world, this production takes on the ultimate challenge of condensing all seven Harry Potter books (and a real life game of Quidditch) into 70 hilarious minutes. This fantastically funny show features all your favorite characters, a special appearance from a fire-breathing dragon, endless costumes, brilliant songs, ridiculous props and a generous helping of Hogwarts magic.
Runs until: Saturday December 24, 2016

Vancouver Christmas Market
Where: Jack Poole Plaza
What: A new location this year right on the harbor front. Get in there with a mix of traditional food and beverage, wood carvings and toys, knitted goods, nutcrackers, pottery and other crafty gifts. The kids (and maybe childish adults?) can make Christmas gifts and ride a Christmas carousel.
Runs until: Saturday December 31, 2016

Enchant Christmas Light Maze
Where: Olympic Village
What: What may be the world’s largest Christmas light maze is made up of over 55,000 sq. ft. of illuminated sculptures arranged to create the an atmosphere of evening adventure. Along with the maze, Enchant features a market with over 40 local vendors, 12 food trucks and a licensed eating area where you can eat, drink, and get merry.
Runs until: Saturday December 31, 2016

Heritage Holiday at Fort Langley
Where: Fort Langley
What: Taste chestnuts by the open fireplace, craft a handwritten letter with pen and ink for a loved one, then relax with coffee or lunch at lelem’ at the fort Café. Watch hourly barrel-making and blacksmithing demonstrations, and at 12 pm and 2 pm, laugh along with a holiday-themed fur trade wedding.
Runs until: Saturday December 31, 2016

Avenue Q
Where: Arts Club Theatre
What: The musical story of Princeton, a bright-eyed college graduate who arrives in New York City looking for love, a job, and his purpose in life. The only neighbourhood he can afford is the multicultural Avenue Q, where Sesame Street-esque puppets rub shoulders with humans. Part felt, part flesh, Avenue Q contains full puppet nudity and other vulgarities that will induce laughter.
Runs until: Saturday December 31, 2016

A Charlie Brown Christmas
Where: Carousel Theatre
What: Good grief! A lively musical adaption that also features a live jazz trio. Join Charlie Brown on his quirky journey as he tries to direct the school Christmas pageant.  With some help from his friends and a ragged little tree, Charlie Brown discovers the true meaning of the season.
Runs until: Saturday December 31, 2016

Holy Mo! A Christmas Show
Where: Pacific Theatre
What: Folly, Guff, and Buffoona are back! And this time, it’s Christmas. A reverently irreverent re-imagining of the Nativity told with gusto and a questionable commitment to accuracy by Pacific Theatre’s three favourite fools.
Runs until: Saturday December 31, 2016

The Music Man
Where: Gateway Theatre
What: This beguiling and nostalgic family musical begins when fast-talking con man Harold Hill arrives in small town Iowa, singing empty promises about starting a glorious marching band to organize the local youth. Although all the townsfolk seem eager to follow his lead, the prim local librarian, Marian, threatens to reveal him as a fraud.
Runs until:  Saturday December 31, 2016

East Van Panto: Little Red Riding Hood
Where: York Theatre
What: Little Red Riding Hood is bombing down the Adanac bike trail to deliver a basket of goodies to her sweet little granny. Cheer Little Red along as she battles everything from bike thieves to distracted drivers to The Big Bad Wolf. Suitable for kids 5 and up.
Runs until: Saturday December 31, 2016

Mary Poppins
Where: Arts Club Theatre
What: Watch Mary Poppins fly over the rooftops of London, and feel like a kid again! Remember, anything can happen if you let it. This family musical featuring the unforgettable songs from the popular Disney film—A Spoonful of Sugar, Chim Chim Cher-ee, and Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious—is practically perfect in every way.  
Runs until: Sunday January 1, 2017

Untangled Figures by Guillaume Leblon
Where: Contemporary Art Gallery
What: Creating fictional landscapes or altering an existing space has long been Leblon’s favoured technique for fuelling uncertainty and doubt in order to undermine the stark purity and perfect finish of the museum.
Runs until: Sunday January 1, 2016

Après over the Holidays
Where: Sea to Sky Gondola
What: Wrap up a day of snowshoeing, tubing, exploring the backcountry or a headlamp hike tour by gathering with friends and family at the top of Sea to Sky Gondola for cocoa or a wintery stew as you cozy up and drink in the views from our Summit Lodge.
Runs until: Sunday January 1, 2017

Peak of Christmas
Where: Grouse Mountain
What: It’s mountaintop holiday time. Bring your family to Santa’s workshop and meet reindeer, or take a sleigh-ride through a mystical alpine forest. You can also experience the tranquil beauty of skating on an 8,000 square foot mountaintop ice skating pond, surrounded by snow-topped trees or wander through an outdoor holiday lights display.
Runs until: Monday January 2, 2016

Christmas at Flyover
Where: Flyover Canada
What: FlyOver Canada will transform into a magical winter wonderland this Christmas season. Guests will have fun helping Santa search for his missing elves during an exhilarating flight across Canada and onto the North Pole.
Runs until: Monday January 2, 2016

Holiday Heights at the Bloedel Conservatory
Where: The Bloedel Conservatory
What: Experience a (warm) winter wonderland inside the Conservatory with lights, festive music, a holiday scavenger hunt, and more. Go to new heights with a holiday ferris wheel outside. Only $6.75 for adults, less for kids.
Runs until: Monday January 2, 2017

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 in the trees, over bridges, and in the little village.  See the world’s tallest living Christmas tree (153 feet) go on a Snowy Owl Prowl, decorate gingerbread cookies and make your own Christmas card.
Runs until: Sunday January 8, 2016

All Together Now: Vancouver Collectors and Their Worlds
Where: The Museum of Vancouver
What: 20 beautiful, rare, and unconventional collections, with something for everyone including corsets, prosthetics, pinball machines, taxidermy, toys, and much more. In this exhibition both collector and collected are objects of study, interaction, and delight.
Runs until: Sunday January 8, 2016

White, Steel, Slice, Mask
Where: Contemporary Art Gallery
What: Working together for over a decade, the duo’s interdisciplinary practice typically instigates community-based models of participation in order to re-imagine a material record of the present. They investigate tactics of cultural representation while utilizing the methods of anthropology to examine various forms of collecting, interpretation and display.
Runs until: Sunday January 8, 2016

STOMP Out Hunger
Where: Red Truck Brewery
What: Everyone who drops off a cash or non-perishable food donation at the Red Truck Brewery before January 13th will receive a coupon good for $5 off a ticket to see the touring production of STOMP during its January 13th-15th run at Queen Elizabeth Theatre. In addition, Red Truck Beer will donate $1 from each pint of its seasonal beers sold in the Truck Stop during the month of December to the Vancouver Food Bank.
Runs until: January 13, 2016

Walker Evans: Depth of Field
Where: Vancouver Art Gallery
What: The American photographer Walker Evans (1903–1975) is among the most influential artists of the 20th century. Covering the full arc of his career, Walker Evans: Depth of Field presents the most comprehensive look at Evans’ work ever mounted in Canada.
Runs until: January 22, 2017

Alexine McLeod
Where: Monte Clark Gallery
What: The artist presents wall-mounted abstract compositions that combine everyday materials including plastic, fabric, found objects, and light.
Runs until: January 30, 2016

In the Footprint of the Crocodile Man
Where: UBC Museum of Anthropology
What: The Sepik River of Papua New Guinea is one of the largest river systems in the world, extraordinarily beautiful, but seldom visited. It is here that the Iatmul people, who live along its banks, have created internationally renowned works of art primarily inspired by stories of the majestic crocodile as the primordial creator. This unique exhibition will showcase the most comprehensive collection of contemporary Sepik art in North America for the first time. In addition to highlighting the exquisite carvings of Papua New Guinea’s latmul people, the exhibition will delve into their economic, cultural, and spiritual connections to the river system, drawing urgent attention to the logging and mining operations that pose environmental threats to the region.
Runs until: January 31, 2017

Juxtapoz x Superflat
Where: Vancouver Art Gallery
What: A manifesto for new creative practices that can no longer be adequately described by the traditional categories of art and production. Presenting the work of more than 30 artists from Japan, China, Korea, Europe and the United States this remarkable exhibition offers a unique insight into contemporary art and its place in cultural life.
Runs until: February 5, 2016

As Heavy as a Feather
Where: Centre A
What: Indigenous Taiwanese artist Chang En Man is having her first exhibition in North America. Chang’s practice is characterized by a dynamic interplay between story, tradition, and the struggles of indigenous peoples in the face of ongoing experiences of colonization.
Runs until: February 11, 2016

Robson Square Ice Rink
Where: Robson Square
What: Ice skate for free or rent a pair for $4 on this outdoor, covered public rink right downtown.
Runs until: February 14, 2017

Judy Chartrand, What a Wonderful World
Where: The Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art
What: Her beautiful and provocative work presents her own personal history and insights into life in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, and commentary on racism and post–colonial relations between Indigenous and non–Indigenous cultures.
Runs until: February 19, 2016

Layers of Influence
Where: UBC Museum of Anthropology
What: This stunning exhibition will explore clothing’s inherent evidence of human ingenuity, creativity and skill, drawing from MOA’s textile collection — the largest collection in Western Canada — to display a global range of materials, production techniques and adornments across different cultures and time frames.
Runs until: April 9, 2017

Vancouver Special
Where: Vancouver Art Gallery
What: The first iteration of this series and it features works by 40 artists produced within the last five years—Vancouver’s post-Olympic period. The exhibition includes many emerging artists as well as those who are more established but whose ideas were prescient. Some are recent arrivals to Vancouver, while others are long-term residents who have already made significant contributions. Others are nomadic, less settled in one place and are working energetically between several locations.
Runs until: April 17, 2016

Nat Bailey Stadium Winter Farmers Market
Where: Nat Bailey Stadium
What: Don’t fret the summers Farmers markets packing up – winter is here, and you can still shop local for fresh produce, preserves, baked goods, and crafts.
Runs until: April 22, 2017

Hastings Park Farmers Market
Where: Hastings Park (near the PNE)
What: The Hastings Park Farmers Market features a great selection of local produce; nursery items, fish, meat & dairy; artisan prepared foods, baking and treats; local crafts, and of course, food trucks.
Runs until: April 30, 2017

What are you up to this weekend? Tell me and the rest of Vancouver in the comments below or tweet me directly at @lextacular

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