Things to Do in Vancouver This Weekend

Here it is – the last weekend of August! It looks like we’ll be getting some much needed showers, so get out and enjoy the refreshing summer rain with a 5K run in a park, a festival on nearby Bowen Island, a walk along the waterfront to the Bird Expo, or watch the skies at the beach and then stroll through one of Vancouver’s many neighbourhoods.

 

Friday | Saturday | Sunday | Ongoing

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Friday August 24

Bird Expo
Where: Vancouver Convention Centre
What: The largest showcase of birds and nature in Canada, including speakers, art, science exhibits, yoga, collectors items, and poets.
Runs until: Saturday August 25, 2018

DOTA 2 Championships
Where: Rogers Arena
What: Do you like watching other people play video games? Have I got an event for you. Actually if you like watching sports this is kind of the same – except it’s mostly on screens and it looks like there might be some pyrotechnics involved, and non-human creatures (again, on screens).
Runs until: Saturday August 25, 2018

Vancouver Latin American Film Festival
Where: The Cinematheque
What: An 11-day annual festival encourages dialogue among cultures, and explores and celebrates the art of contemporary Latin American and Latin-Canadian filmmaking.
Runs until: Sunday September 2, 2018

Vancouver Canadians vs. Boise Hawks
Where: Nat Bailey Stadium
What: It’s a baseball game. Footlong hotdogs, peanuts, and a sushi run is all there for you when you watch the local minor league Vancouver Canadians.

Patrick Maliha (show 2 of 3)
Where: The Comedy Mix
What: Patrick Maliha is the world record holder for most impressions in one minute- beating out the previous record holder, Dana Carvey. His act has been described as Ray Romano meets a 21st Century Don Rickles.

The Night is Short, Walk On Girl
Where: VanCity Theatre
What: Undoubtedly the booziest movie of the year, this deliriously alcohol-sodden dream-film by the director of Mind Game and Lu Over the Wall free associates on infatuation, inebriation, and the imagination (emphasis on “gin”). Over the course of one night in Kyoto, Otome encounters a series of oddball characters, and one repeatedly: a young man intent on impressing her with a sense of romantic destiny, even if it kills him.
Runs until: Tuesday August 28, 2018

Is it a Print?
Where: Kimoto Gallery
What: The husband & wife team of Katie & Paul from London are well known internationally for their fresh printed textiles in contemporary art and fashion.
Runs until: Friday September 14, 2018

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Saturday August 25

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Family Fuse Weekend: Listen to the Land
Where: Vancouver Art Gallery
What: Adults and kids alike are invited to indulge their creativity with workshops on sketching, weaving, do-it-yourself cabin-making, spoken-word poetry, DJing, soundscape-creating,  a family-friendly film screening and interactive exhibition tours.
Runs until: Sunday August 26, 2018

Family Day at the Contemporary Art Gallery
Where: Contemporary Art Gallery
What: Join CAG CMA-RBC Indigenous Curatorial Assistant Emily Dundas Oke for an afternoon of storytelling inspired by the work of Jeneen Frei Njootli. After hearing stories told by Dundas Oke, families are invited to express their own stories through material in a printmaking workshop.

BC Lions vs. Saskatchewan Roughriders
Where: BC Place Stadium
What: It’s a football game. The Lions played their first season in 1954, and have played every season since. As such, they are the oldest professional sports franchise in the city of Vancouver and in the province of British Columbia. They have appeared in the league’s Grey Cup championship game 10 times, winning six of those games, with their most recent championship occurring in 2011.

Preparing Indigenous Infused Oils
Where: Bill Reid Gallery
What: Learn about traditional Indigenous plant medicines of the Salish Territory and make your own devil’s club infused roll-on with Quw’utsun’ artist, Arianna Johnny-Wadsworth.

Bowfest
Where: Bowen Island
What: A parade (locally called the “candy parade” due to the abundance of confection thrown from the floats) followed by a full day of live music, activities, a country fair, art, vendors, food, a beer garden and general good times. If dancing barefoot in the grass all day long on an island sounds like a dream, this is the place to be.

Tomato Festival: East Vancouver
Where: Trout Lake
What: Discover heirloom tomato varieties along with over 100+ varieties of tomatoes, try tomato samples at a tasting station and pickup a new tomato recipe.

BC Wildfire Benefit Concert
Where: The Rickshaw
What: Rock, punk and groove to help those affected by the BC wildfires.

This Gun For Hire
Where: The Fox Cabaret
What: Post hardcore with guests STASIS, Castles, and I Get Bye.

Railtown Tailgate Barbecue
Where: 397 Railway Street
What: Railtown chefs and co-owners Dan Olson and Tyler Day will fire up their custom-built, 12-foot smoker/barbecue barrel to heap plates high with mouthwatering, slow-smoked brisket and pork shoulder and beer-brined chicken and brats, as well as a choice of made-from-scratch sides.

Passion Portal Enchanted Forest Party
Where: The Waldorf
What: A multi-room, enchanted forest theme party, full of sensual & electric dance vibes galore, showcasing 20+ local DJs & producers, with live art & forest decor installations, circus, magic and dance stage performances, along with special and unusual party services to ignite inspiration.

Patrick Maliha (show 3 of 3)
Where: The Comedy Mix
What: Patrick Maliha is the world record holder for most impressions in one minute- beating out the previous record holder, Dana Carvey. His act has been described as Ray Romano meets a 21st Century Don Rickles.

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Sunday August 26

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Pet-a-polooza
Where: 1100 Mainland Street
What: See dogs with short little legs race, get in the way of a puppy stampede, and just go ahead and delight in adorable pet things. This is a free event – and it’s cool to bring your friendly pups!

MEC Vancouver Trail Race Five
Where: Central Park (Burnaby)
What: A race that is aimed at all those who want to seek out a fun new running location, getting on the trails and who are all about getting active and staying fit.

 

Tomato Festival: Kitsilano
Where: Kitsilano Community Centre
What: Discover heirloom tomato varieties along with over 100+ varieties of tomatoes, try tomato samples at a tasting station and pickup a new tomato recipe.

Support the Girls
Where: VanCity Theatre
What: The latest comedy from prolific writer-director Andrew Bujalski (Results, Computer Chess) is situated in Double Whammies, a “sports bar wtih curves”. Here, over the course of a day, general manager Lisa (Regina Hall) will see her essentially optimistic outlook tested on all fronts, by the sad. horny customers, her obnoxious boss, and her scantily-clad waitress staff, for whom Lisa is as much a den mother as a manager.
Runs until: Thursday August 30, 2018

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Ongoing

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Theatre Under the Stars
Where: Stanley Park
What: Enjoy a delightful dose of family-friendly outdoor entertainment this summer with two Broadway musicals. Cinderella and 42nd Street will be performed live at the Malkin Bowl – a beloved Vancouver tradition since 1940.
Runs until: Saturday August 25th, 2018

Bird Expo
Where: Vancouver Convention Centre
What: The largest showcase of birds and nature in Canada, including speakers, art, science exhibits, yoga, collectors items, and poets.
Runs until: Saturday August 25, 2018

FlyOver Canada’s Sounds of Summer Series
Where: FlyOver Canada deck
What: Every Saturday in July and August, talented local artists will perform on the FlyOver Canada flight deck from 12:30 – 3 PM.
Runs until: Saturday August 25, 2018 (Saturdays)

DOTA 2 Championships
Where: Rogers Arena
What: Do you like watching other people play video games? Have I got an event for you. Actually if you like watching sports this is kind of the same – except it’s mostly on screens and it looks like there might be some pyrotechnics involved, and non-human creatures (again, on screens).
Runs until: Saturday August 25, 2018

Vancouver International Bird Festival
Where: Various locations
What: Bird talks, bird art, a bird photography contest, workshops, and an expo with a bunch of stuff to help you get a better view of the many birds who make their way through Vancouver and beyond.
Runs until: Sunday August 26, 2018

Family Fuse Weekend: Listen to the Land
Where: Vancouver Art Gallery
What: Adults and kids alike are invited to indulge their creativity by exploring ways of learning from the land through visual art, music, film and performance.
Runs until: Sunday August 26, 2018

Support the Girls
Where: VanCity Theatre
What: The latest comedy from prolific writer-director Andrew Bujalski (Results, Computer Chess) is situated in Double Whammies, a “sports bar wtih curves”. Here, over the course of a day, general manager Lisa (Regina Hall) will see her essentially optimistic outlook tested on all fronts, by the sad. horny customers, her obnoxious boss, and her scantily-clad waitress staff, for whom Lisa is as much a den mother as a manager.
Runs until: Thursday August 30, 2018

Mountain Music Series
Where: Grouse Mountain
What: Listen to music and meet other hikers, music-lovers and beer enthusiasts, or get a group of your buddies together to switch up your regular routine.
Runs until: Friday August 31, 2018 (Fridays)

Avocado Toast
Where: Vancouver Improv Centre
What: Vancouver is known internationally for its spectacular beauty, friendly citizens, and vibrant multicultural milieu. Beneath the glossy surface lies a complicated and eccentric city ripe for parody. In a series of vignettes, VTSL’s quick-witted improvisers lampoon such local stereotypes as our obsession with fitness (Grouse Grind and yoga, anyone?), quirky neighbourhoods (The Drive, Main St., Kits, Gastown), and foodie scene (coffee culture, craft breweries/distilleries, avocado toast).
Runs until: Saturday September 1, 2018

Vancouver Latin American Film Festival
Where: The Cinematheque
What: An 11-day annual festival encourages dialogue among cultures, and explores and celebrates the art of contemporary Latin American and Latin-Canadian filmmaking.
Runs until: Sunday September 2, 2018

The Fair at the PNE
Where: The PNE
What: Daily live performances by musicians, adorable dogs, racing pigs, and other talented beings; a full park of rides, rollercoasters and carnival games; weird and delicious foods; a marketplace of wonders and oddities; magicians, mermaids… There’s a lot going on here.
Runs until: Monday September 3, 2018

Emily Carr in Dialogue with Mattie Gunterman
Where: Vancouver Art Gallery
What: The work of two women artists practicing in British Columbia in the early twentieth century. This exhibition draws on the Vancouver Art Gallery’s deep holdings of Carr’s work to reflect her direct engagement with and great affection for British Columbia’s landscape. Like Carr, much of Gunterman’s oeuvre reflected her engagement with the wilderness around her which she documented with images of friends, campsites, trappers, prospectors, miners and the day to day of pioneer life.
Runs until: Monday September 3, 2018

Gurrumul
Where: VanCity Theatre
What: Using mesmerizing concert footage and intimate home videos, director Paul Damien Williams delivers a poignant portrait of a complex artist who left us just as the rest of the world was about to embrace him.
Runs until: Monday September 3, 2018

Summer Treat Booth
Where: Park Royal Mall
What: Stop by the outdoor treat booth for swag, snacks, and a chance to win gift cards.
Runs until: Monday September 3, 2018

Home Away from Home
Where: Bill Reid Gallery
What: In a new gallery space dedicated to highlighting community and emerging artists, this exhibit highlights stories of the Cultural Sharing Program at the Carnegie Community Centre as represented by the individuals who participate.
Runs until: Sunday September 9, 2018

David Milne: Modern Painting
Where: Vancouver Art Gallery
What: David Milne (1882 – 1953) enjoyed a career that spanned half the twentieth century, taking him from the bustling cityscape of New York, to the battlefields of Northern France and Belgium, and back to the wilderness of the Canadian and US landscape. During his progression as a painter, he carved out a distinguished place among Canada’s most original artists.
Runs until: Sunday September 9, 2018

Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival
Where: Vanier Park
What: What do you say to watching a live production of Macbeth, Timon of Athens, As You Like It or Lysistrata in a custom-built tent on the beach while sipping wine, beer, and munching on a picnic lunch themed to the play? Yes! Right? And don’t even get us started on the amazing costumes.
Runs until: Saturday September 22, 2018

Is it a Print?
Where: Kimoto Gallery
What: The husband & wife team of Katie & Paul from London are well known internationally for their fresh printed textiles in contemporary art and fashion.
Runs until: Friday September 14, 2018

BC Sports Hall of Fame All-Access
Where: BC Place Stadium
What: Get behind the scenes of BC Place Stadium. Walk out onto the field, check out the team locker rooms, and even stroll through the premium lounges.
Runs until: Thursday August 30, 2018

Cabin Fever
Where: Vancouver Art Gallery
What: This exhibition traces the tradition of the cabin in Canada and the United States—from the settlement of the frontier to depictions showing how this humble architectural form has been appropriated for its symbolic value and helped shape a larger cultural identity.
Runs until: Sunday September 30, 2018

Sea Snaps
Where: Vancouver Maritime Museum
What: A display of work by Maria Steernberg. This exhibition highlights the beauty of Vancouver’s maritime setting and our beautiful coast line through a series of themes; the working waterfront, cruising, nature and disaster.
Runs until: Sunday October 7, 2018

Mount Pleasant Farmers Market
Where: Dude Chilling Park
What: Vancouver’s easy-going Sunday market located on the east side of Dude Chilling Park – the gathering place for a diverse crowd of young families, artists, dog owners, and quirky neighbourhood personalities.
Runs until: Sunday October 7, 2018

Arts of Resistance: Politics and The Past in Latin America
Where: UBC Museum of Anthropology
What: This premiere exhibition illustrates how Latin American communities use traditional or historic art forms to express contemporary political realities. Featuring art and multi-sensory installations from Mexico, Guatemala, Peru, Honduras, Ecuador and Chile, with special attention to marginalized communities.
Runs until: Sunday September 30, 2018

Culture at the Centre
Where: UBC Museum of Anthropology
What: Five Indigenous-run cultural centres in BC will be showcased representing six communities: Musqueam Cultural Education and Resource Centre (Musqueam), Squamish-Lil’wat Cultural Centre (Squamish, Lil’wat), Heiltsuk Cultural Education Centre (Heiltsuk), Nisga’a Museum (Nisga’a), and Haida Gwaii Museum (Haida). Covering a wide geographic expanse from Vancouver to the Nass River Valley, this marks the first time the participating communities will come together to share their diverse cultures in one space.
Runs until: Monday October 8, 2018

Trout Lake Farmers Market
Where: Trout Lake
What: This is where you’ll find the vendors who have been doing it since the beginning; what started as 14 farmers ‘squatting’ at the Croatian Cultural Centre back in 1995 has grown into Vancouver’s most well-known and beloved market. Visitors come from near and far to sample artisan breads & preserves, stock up on free-range and organic eggs & meats, get the freshest, hard-to-find heirloom vegetables and taste the first Okanagan cherries and peaches of the season.
Runs until: Saturday October 20, 2018 (Saturdays)

Kitsilano Farmers Market
Where: Kitsilano Community Centre
What: At Kitsilano Farmers Market, shoppers will find a great selection of just-picked, seasonal fruits & vegetables, ethically raised and grass fed meat, eggs, & dairy, sustainable seafood, fresh baked bread & artisanal food, local beer, wine, & spirits, and handmade craft.
Runs until: Sunday October 21, 2018 (Sundays)

Riley Park Farmers’ Market
Where: Riley Park
What: 30+ vendors each week – a fresh selection of just-picked seasonal fruits & veggies, ethically-raised meats & sustainable seafood, artisanal bread & prepared foods, craft beer, wine, & spirits, handmade craft, and coffee & food trucks.
Runs until: Saturday October 27, 2018 (Saturdays)

The Really Gay History Tour
Where: Downtown Vancouver
What: Guests will visit the sites of police raids, bookstore bombings, the “kiss-ins” of Granville Street, Imperial Court coronations, and the gayest beer parlour in town. It’s a 2.5 hour long adventure into the stories of a community that fought back against oppression, police brutality and media hate campaigns to make Vancouver today one of the most queer friendly cities in North America.
Runs until: Sunday October 28, 2018

Ayumi Goto and Peter Morin: How do you carry the land?
Where: Vancouver Art Gallery
What: This exhibition seeks to bridge the experiences of artists with diverse ancestries in dialogue. Long-time collaborators and friends, Goto and Morin, have created a performance art practice informed by their perspectives as a Japanese diasporic woman and Tahltan First Nations man.
Runs until: Sunday October 28, 2018

Kevin Schmidt: We Are the Robots
Where: Vancouver Art Gallery
What: An exhibition of innovative installations on view both within and outside of the Gallery spotlighting British Columbia-based artist Kevin Schmidt, who draws on aspects of conceptual and performance art while embodying the DIY sensibilities of an amateur inventor.
Runs until: Sunday October 28, 2018

Body Language: Reawakening Cultural Tattooing of the Northwest
Where: Bill Reid Gallery
What: Explore the rich history and artistry of Indigenous tattooing, piercing and personal adornment on the Northwest Coast. These five contemporary Indigenous artists are at the forefront of the revival of Indigenous tattooing in BC. They are reclaiming traditional techniques and traditional rights to be tattooed, and building awareness of the significance and protocols around the tattooing traditions.
Runs until: January 13, 2019

In a Different Light
Where: Museum of Anthropology
What: More than 110 historical Indigenous artworks and marks the return of many important works to British Columbia. These objects are amazing artistic achievements. Yet they also transcend the idea of ‘art’ or ‘artifact’. Through the voices of contemporary First Nations artists and community members, this exhibition reflects on the roles historical artworks have today. Featuring immersive storytelling and innovative design, it explores what we can learn from these works and how they relate to Indigenous peoples’ relationships to their lands.
Runs until: Spring 2019

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

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: September 9, 2019

What are you up to this weekend? Tell me and the rest of Vancouver in the comments below.

 

 

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