Archive | May, 2019

What’s On East Van: May 31st Edition

31 May

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Our weekly feature What’s On East Van sets out some cool events for the upcoming weekend.  Beyond the weekend, we invite you to check out our Event Listing which is updated daily and features events for the month and beyond.

Storytelling With Drag Queens – Café Deux Soleils – May 31st

You are invited for an evening of sexy readings about love this Friday night at Café Deux Soleils when they host Storytelling with Drag Queens.  Entertaining and fun is what we expect this night to be. Fun kicks off at 8:00 pm. Admission is by donation.

Custom Cocktail Class – Everything Wine Vancouver – May 31st

Want to learn how to make some top notch cocktails?  This Friday night, Everything Wine Vancouver in the new River District is hosting a class using Roots & Wings Distillery line up. You will learn how to make an Old Fashioned, Gin Sour, Whiskey Sour, Last Word, Dark Angel, Vodka Martini. Cost is $25. Class gets under way at 6:30 pm.

Ritchie’s Bakery Pop Up Les Amis Du Fromage (East Van) – June 1st

Ritchie’s Bakery celebrates it’s 1st birthday ‘popping up’ at les amis du fromage’s East Van location 843 East Hastings Street from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm or until they sell out.

Container & Small Space Gardening – Trout Lake Community Centre – June 1st

Want to do some gardening but don’t have oodles of space, maybe just your balcony? Trout Lake Community Centre is offering a new program this Saturday ‘Balcony, Container & Small Space Gardening’ from 2:00pm – 4:00 pm.

Historical Walk Cedar Cottage – Trout Lake Community Centre – June 1st 

If you didn’t already know Cedar Cottage is rich with Vancouver history.  This Saturday, local historian Peter Finch, will take you on a Historical Walk and learn about the Lakeview Disaster, Vancouver’s first transit accident, forgotten street names along with local folklore.  Cost is $2. Meeting spot is the Lobby of the Trout Lake Community Centre. Walk runs from Noon to 1:00 pm.

rEvolver Festival – The Cultch – Until June 2nd

It’s the last weekend to catch The rEvolver Festival on at The Cultch, 1895 Venables Street. The festival that brings a wide variety of contemporary theatre from emerging companies and artists wraps up Sunday. To see the full line up and for tickets, visit The Cultch.

The Plant Market – The Garden Strathcona – June 1st & 2nd

If you are looking for plants or plant based items, The Garden in Strathcona has an upstairs studio with a Plant Market happening this Saturday & Sunday from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm.  Plants will be available along with plant based skin care products, flowers by some local florists, handmade ceramics and woven textiles and fiberglass planters.  The Garden is located at 868 East Hastings St. in Strathcona.

Landscape & Planting Party – Lord Selkirk Elementary School – June 2nd

If you love gardening and/or beautifying the streets of East Van, then you may wish to come out and join the All Ages Landscaping & Planting Party this Sunday, June 2nd.  The location is the roadside garden in front of Lord Selkirk Elementary School, 22nd Avenue and Commercial Street from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.  All experience levels welcome whether you have 10 minutes or a few hours to help. All hands welcome.  If you want more info, email t_scaman@yahoo.com.

Carrot Cake Ice Cream Sandwiches – Earnest Ice Cream (Frances St.)

Love carrot cake?  Love ice cream? If you answered yes to both, we recommend heading down to Earnest Ice Cream’s Frances Street location (1485 Frances Street) for a Caramel Carrot Cake Ice Cream Sandwich.  How amazing does this sound?!  This location is open daily Noon to 10:00 pm.  Get your fix while they are available.

LIVE MUSIC, ENTERTAINMENT & COMEDY

Looking for more live music, did you know The Heatley in Strathcona regularly features live music?  Every Sunday they offer bluegrass music with brunch 11 am – 3 pm.

Also 7 days a week, you will find live music at the Libra Room on The Drive. Tangent Café hosts live jazz Sunday nights  from 6:00 to 8:30 pm. Saturday, Pat’s Pub has live jazz Saturday afternoons from 3:00 pm – 7:00 pm, no cover.

Looking to shop local? Be sure to check out one of the farmer markets happening this weekend. Saturday is Riley Park Farmers Market at 30th & Ontario from 10 am – 2 pm and Trout Lake Farmers Market from 9 am – 2 pm at John Hendry Park. Sunday, Mount Pleasant Farmers Market is back in Dude Chilling Park from 10:00 am – 2 pm. To see more of What’s On in East Vancouver,  check our Event Listing.  We also have a separate listing of Free Events for those on a budget and in Vancouver, who isn’t.

Image Credit: June Hunter

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Vancouver City Council Washing Their Hands Of Notre Dame Debacle

30 May

 

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

For those that follow us regularly, you will know we are big fans of East Van artist, June Hunter.  We have a mutual love, admiration and respect for urban nature and wildlife that call East Van home.  June and her Notre Dame Neigbours organized a peaceful group last Fall to oppose a large stadium being built at Notre Dame Secondary School in Hastings Sunrise.  If you are not up to speed on the issue, check out our last post What Does Community Really Mean? for some background. A big part of the quest is to save a small piece of urban nature, some poplar trees that line the City street next to Notre Dame Secondary School.  Today, we provide you with an update. It was learnt that an error was made in respect of this development application (admitted as such by City staff), but alas Vancouver City Council appears to have washed their hands of this issue and passed the matter to the Development Permit Board for decision which will be made on June 10th. No consultation has been done with the community, no traffic impact studies, noise implications addressed or environmental concerns, nothing.  So this is a Council that was elected to ‘do things differently’, so they say to get your vote.   But are they really doing things differently?  You be the judge.

We now share Notre Dame Neighbour’s letter to elected members of Vancouver City Council and Mayor Kennedy on this issue:

“While the fate of our neighbourhood is a relatively small municipal matter, the character of a city is made up of these “small” issues and how they are dealt with. The principles that are being ignored in this situation are vital ones. Allowing them to slide says something disturbing about our city.

The permit process has been unfair from the start. Front line Permit staff were not correctly briefed on the content of the original permit (DE410128) and went on to treat the matter, in error, as a minor permit amendment for months. Although they were forced to admit the mistake in late March 2019, the process has still not been amended in any meaningful way. Now there is a rush to get it over the finish line by June 10, only weeks after it was “discovered” to be a new permit application at all.

Because of all this confusion, no independent studies have been done on safety, traffic, parking, noise and environmental problems posed by the stadium. A 2018 one-sided “Tree Risk Assessment” has been allowed to supersede an earlier, far more complete, Arborist report that said the trees on Kaslo could be saved by setting the field back by 5.5 metres.

While this may seem a minor matter,  is top of mind for many of the people living in our neighbourhood. 360 of us signed a petition to that effect, and many people wrote letters to the City of Vancouver on the topic. As Vancouver taxpayers, we stand to have our lives turned upside down by this project. Beneficiaries of the stadium are students, parents, staff, alumni of a private school, many of whom do not live in Vancouver, let alone close enough to the school to be affected.

We accept that our area is becoming denser as more people need housing. Housing people is a necessity and a  moral issue. A recreational facility for people who drive here and leave is not.

 This issue could well come back to haunt Council later. Notre Dame School insists that their stadium will be used very occasionally for school games, drawing negligible traffic. If you look at the cases of St. Patrick’s School in Toronto and Immaculata High School in Ottawa the potential problems are made crystal clear. In each example the sports fields there are rented extensively, causing traffic and noise problems sufficient to destroy local quality of life. Legal action is pending in Toronto, and City officials in both cities are left scrambling to retroactively solve the problem. 

Once a permit is issued, there will, as far as we can tell, be nothing preventing Notre Dame School from emulating the revenue-gathering practices of these Ontario schools, in spite of current  assurances to the contrary. 

Vancouver Council has a chance to get in front of this issue now and take a greater interest in what it really means for our neighbourhood — and for other Vancouver neighbourhoods where similar issues will no doubt be arising soon.

This council was recently elected on the promise to do business differently than the previous Vision Council, with more listening to, and consulting with, citizens.

I have asked them look at this matter again. Live up to the promise: halt the rubber stamping Development Permit Board meeting, and subject this project to proper scrutiny.” 

So is it the same old same old at City Hall?  The talk of being more open and transparent and having community consultations seems a line only intended for the election news cycle.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Got Fruit? Vancouver Fruit Tree Project Wants You!

29 May

FruitTreeProjectThe Vancouver Fruit Tree Project Society is a local non-profit in operation since 1999. Since it’s inception they have picked more than 68,000 pounds of produce and redistributed it throughout the community to social service organizations.  The Society works with over 300 volunteers including tree fruit pickers as well as those offering trees for a backyard harvest.  The program benefits some 8,000 people.  Do you have a fruit tree to offer or have some time to volunteer this summer?  You can learn more at the Season Kick Off happening Tuesday, June 11th at The Hive, #210 – 128 West Hastings Street from 6:30 to 8:30 pm.  The evening includes a zero waste event, potluck, prizes, games and a beeswax wrap workshop. The Season Kick Off is a free event and everyone is welcome.  If you’d like more information, drop them a note at info@vancouverfruittreeproject.com.

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Custom Cocktail Class At Everything Wine Vancouver Friday May 31st

28 May

 

Looking for something fun to do this Friday night?  How about learning to make some top notch cocktails.  Everything Wine Vancouver in the new River District has an amazing space for workshops and this Friday it’s all about cocktails.  You will learn to make an Old Fashioned, Gin Sour, Whiskey Sour, Last Word, Dark Angel and a Vodka Martini, apparently with some of the BEST vodka you’ve ever had. The event will be featuring spirits from the Roots and Wings Distillery and not only will you learn to make the cocktails, but you will of course be tasting them as well.  Cost is $25 and there are a few spaces left. To register, call t: 604.416. 1672.

Tags: , , , , ,

34th Annual TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival Hits The Imperial June 21st to July 1st

27 May

JazzFest

Coastal Jazz & Blues Society announced the Imperial Series performances taking place at The Imperial, 319 Main Street, during the 2019 TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival which runs this summer from Friday, June 21st to Monday, July 1st.  There is an amazing line up of talent coming to Vancouver.  We’ve run  listed the artists coming to The Imperial. If you wish to see the full list of performances during the festival including free ones, visit TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival.

The Comet Is Coming June 21 • The Imperial @ 9pm • $28

“Powered by Arkestral cosmic forces, The Comet Is Coming. Brace for impact”—The Guardian. Debuting music from their Impulse! Records release, The Comet is Coming is the soundtrack to an imagined apocalypse. In the aftermath of widespread sonic destruction, what sounds remain? Who will lead the survivors to new sound worlds? Who will chart the new frontier? In a London warehouse circa 2013, three musical cosmonauts built a vessel powerful enough to transport any party into outer space. It’s after the end of the world, the stage is a spacecraft, and the mic is an accelerator — brace yourself for The Comet is Coming, featuring King Shabaka saxophone, Danalogue keyboards, Betamax Ohm drums.

Jonathan Wilson (with guest Ben Rogers) June 22 • The Imperial @ 9pm • $35

Jonathan Wilson has had a busy couple of years, producing Father John Misty’s Grammy- nominated Pure Comedy, touring the globe as a guitarist and vocalist for Pink Floyd legend Roger Waters, and releasing his sublime new album, Rare Birds. “Dizzying in ambition, dazzling in execution” (All Music), it diverges from his 70s-Laurel Canyon-inflected work and takes cues from the high density 80s British production of early Peter Gabriel and mid- career Kate Bush. Regardless of what era his influences come from, Wilson’s richly detailed and sprawling music hits like an emotional tidal wave. “He’s an utterly original and irreverent thinker who’s evolving with blinding speed” (NPR).

The Suffers June 24 • The Imperial @ 9pm • $28

“The sort of neo-retro group you never knew music was so badly missing” (Spin Magazine), eight-piece wonder-band The Suffers are a fired-up, contemporary version of the great R&B/funk bands of ‘70s and ‘80s like Earth, Wind & Fire, Rufus, and Kool & The Gang. Coming in hot out of Houston, Texas, The Suffers pack elements of reggae, jazz, salsa, rock, and hip hop into their trademark Gulf Coast soul. Brimming with contagious grooves, combustible energy and Kam Franklin’s powerhouse voice, this is “soul, straight from horn to heart” (NPR).

Makaya McCraven (with guests Eli Davidovici’s Shapes) June 26 • The Imperial @ 9pm • $28

“Jazz is dance music again.”—Rolling Stone Makaya McCraven is a beat scientist. The bleeding edge drummer, composer, producer, and sonic collagist is one of Chicago’s savviest cultural players and a multi-talented force whose inventive process and intuitive, cinematic style defies categorization. Blurring the boundaries of jazz and electronic music, his “hypnotic, wholly new and radically communal” (Pitchfork) Universal Beings—featuring collaborations with Shabaka Hutchings, Tomeka Reid, Jeff Parker, and other greats—made “’Best Jazz Albums of 2018” lists in the New York Times, Billboard, NPR, The Guardian, Pitchfork, and more.

Thus Owls, Jo Passed, and Unnatural Ways featuring Ava Mendoza June 27 • The Imperial @ 9pm • $25

Blending artful chamber pop with “swirling, forceful and textured modern rock” (Wall Street Journal), Montreal’s ever-morphing, Polaris Prize-nominated Thus Owls’ “mystical and enchanting” (Huffington Post) sound finds Simon Angell’s charismatic guitar meeting the urgency of Erika Angell’s voice, stretching their already unusual indie-pop/avant-jazz compositions into new and surprising shapes. With Samuel Joly drums.

What would happen if Lennon and McCartney somehow got really into Sonic Youth, Neu!, and XTC? Vancouver’s Jo Passed have a pretty good idea. With a knack for dreamy melodies, chord progressions that sound like they’re from a land far, far away, and philosophical lyrics with counterculture bite, Jo Passed is “rich in bombast and noise on the one hand and clever musicality on the other” (Under The Radar).

Ava Mendoza is “a wizard on a semi-circle of effects pedals, but equally adept with FX-less technique” (NPR). The Brooklyn-based experimental guitarist/vocalist/composer has collaborated with Carla Bozulich, Nels Cline, Mike Watt, Matana Roberts, the Violent Femmes, and more. She brings next-level shredding and waves of jagged visceral expression to the heavily deconstructed jazz, metal, blues, and post-punk of her trio Unnatural Ways, with Tim Dahl (Lydia Lunch Retrovirus, Child Abuse) bass and Ches Smith (Marc Ribot, John Zorn, Secret Chiefs 3) drums.

Anteloper, Ilhan Ersahin’s Istanbul Sessions, and Gordon Grdina’s Haram June 29 • The Imperial @ 9pm • $25

“What if tribal music was from space?”—TinyMixTapes Anteloper is trumpeter Jaimie Branch (“Fly or Die”) and drummer Jason Nazary (Little Women), two musicians who have been collaborating with each other for years, both playing their chosen instrument plus synthesizer. With deep rhythmic passages, telepathic improvisations, and effortless melodic negotiations, Anteloper bounds freely over the grassy plains of jazz, electro, and free music.

New York-based Swedish/Turkish saxophonist, impresario and general scene-maker Ilhan Ersahin’s exploration of his Turkish roots began in the ‘90s and continues to this day with this Istanbul-based creative take on dance music. Eschewing electronics, this super funky band gets people up and dancing with “real playing.” With Alp Ersonmez bass, Turgut alp Dekoglu drums, Izzet Kizil percussion.

“The music’s backbone is traditional, but wild outbursts of free improvisation and subtle injections of noise make it quite unlike anything you’d hear in the shisha dens of Cairo or Baghdad,”—Georgia Straight. A phenomenal culture-mashing juggernaut led by JUNO Award winner Gordon Grdina on Iraqi oud, Haram pays homage to traditional Arabic music while mixing elements of noise, electronic soundscape, and western free improv into their explosively self-expressive sound. With creative heavy-hitters JP Carter trumpet, Jesse Zubot violin, Kenton Loewen drums, Tommy Babin bass, Emad Armoush vocals, François Houle clarinet, Chris Kelly saxophone, Tim Gerwing, and Liam MacDonald percussion.

Jacob Collier June 30 • The Imperial @ 9pm • $42

“This is serious music that puts a massive grin on your face – and Collier should rightly have the world at his feet in years to come,”—JazzWise. Quincy Jones, Herbie Hancock, and k.d. lang are big fans of young phenom Jacob Collier, and once you hear his virtuosic, multi- layered sound, you’ll be hooked too. An omnivorous sponge for inspiration, the multiple GRAMMY-winning Londoner combines elements of jazz, funk, folk, classical, Brazilian music, gospel, and soul (to name a few). “Jazz’s new prodigy” (London Jazz News), Jacob’s tour de force live show sets his unbelievable vocal/piano/harmonizer/bass/guitar and percussion chops loose alongside MARO.

 

Tags: , , , , , , ,

What’s On East Van: May 24th Edition

24 May

 

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Our weekly feature What’s On East Van sets out some cool events for the upcoming weekend.  Beyond the weekend, we invite you to check out our Event Listing which is updated daily and features events for the month and beyond.

rEvolver Festival – The Cultch – Until June 2nd

The rEvolver Festival is now on at The Cultch, 1895 Venables Street until June 2nd. The festival brings a wide variety of contemporary theatre from emerging companies and artists. To see the full line up and for tickets, visit The Cultch.

11th Annual Cedar Cottage Community Garden Spring Fling – May 25th

You are invited to celebrate community and food security at the 11th Annual Cedar Cottage Community Garden this Saturday from 11:00 am – 3:00 pm. This is a free family friendly event. There will be some local vendors with items including art, plants along with live bluegrass music.   Stop by and celebrate community. This community garden is rich in local history.

Family Yoga – Trout Lake Community Centre – May 25th

Family Yoga is back at Trout Lake Community Centre this Saturday from 1:00 – 2:00 pm along with live music. Cost is $1.00.

Reclaimed Wood Market – 1278 East Hastings Street – May 25th

The Reclaimed Wood Market is doing some spring cleaning which means it’s 15% off all reclaimed wood and live edge slabs this Saturday.  Stop by between 9:00 am and 4:00 pm. They will be offering refreshments and hot dogs. Kids and pups welcome.

Collingwood Days – Gaston Park – May 25th

Collingwood Days Festival happens in Gaston Park this Saturday between 11:00 am – 4:00 pm. The event kicks off with a pancake breakfast between 9:00 am – 11:00 am followed by a parade at 10:30 am. The official kick off is at 11:00 am and features entertainment, arts and crafts, games, food and much more.  This is a free family friendly event.

Parker Art Salon – 1000 Parker Street – May 24th – 26th

If you love art, this is the place to be this weekend. The Parker Art Salon is happening with a paid preview  event Friday night for collectors and a free event Saturday and Sunday from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm at 1000 Parker Street. The halls of 1000 Parker Street are turned into a salon style exhibit by local artists. If you are interested in the Collector’s Night on Friday or a paid tour, visit Eventbrite.

21st Annual European Festival – The Alpen Club – May 26th

The 21st Annual European Festival happens this Sunday at the Vancouver Alpen Club (Victoria and 33rd Avenue).  The festival happens from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm and will feature  live music, dance performances, food, artisans and much more.  To see what performances they’ve got lined up, visit the Festival Schedule. Admission is $5. Tickets can be purchased at the door, the day of the event or  in advance through Eventbrite.

Mount Pleasant Farmers Market – Dude Chilling Park – May 26th

If you live in Mount Pleasant or close to, this sweet little farmers market kicks off the seasons this Sunday at Dude Chilling Park (8th Ave & Guelph St.) from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm.

Lucas Dubovik Quartet – Café Deux Soleils – May 26th

Looking to wind down towards the end of the weekend. The Lucas Dubovik Quartet is playing at Café Deux Soleils Sunday night. This group features four young talented musicians from the Vancouver area.  They are inspired by the sounds of the 1950s from some of the greats including John Coltrane, Hank Mobley and Sonny Rollins’ quartets. Doors are at 8:00 pm, show begins at 9:00 pm.

LIVE MUSIC, ENTERTAINMENT & COMEDY

Looking for more live music, did you know The Heatley in Strathcona regularly features live music?  Every Sunday they offer bluegrass music with brunch 11 am – 3 pm.

Also 7 days a week, you will find live music at the Libra Room on The Drive. Tangent Café hosts live jazz Sunday nights  from 6:00 to 8:30 pm. Saturday, Pat’s Pub has live jazz Saturday afternoons from 3:00 pm – 7:00 pm, no cover.

Looking to shop local? Be sure to check out one of the farmer markets happening this weekend. Saturday is Riley Park Farmers Market at 30th & Ontario from 10 am – 2 pm and Trout Lake Farmers Market from 9 am – 2 pm at John Hendry Park. Sunday, Mount Pleasant Farmers Market is back in Dude Chilling Park from 10:00 am – 2 pm. To see more of What’s On in East Vancouver,  check our Event Listing.  We also have a separate listing of Free Events for those on a budget and in Vancouver, who isn’t.

Image Credit: June Hunter

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Story Story Lie Championships June 12th

21 May

StoryStoryLieJune12thIt’s the end of the season for the folks at Story Story Lie. That means, Championships! Their season finale brings back the year’s biggest winners to compete for the biggest prize of the year, best storyteller. Each storyteller will bring their most unbelievable story, which is pretty remarkable considering their winning stories include armed robbery, bar fights, role play, accidentally becoming a gang member and boy scouts gone bad.  But in the end there can only be one BEST storyteller.  Who will it be? Can you spot the liar?

This year’s Championships pits some great local talent against each other. They include:

 

Greame Duffy (Actor and Improvisor)
Melanie Rose (Yuk Yuks, Heavy Metal Comedy)
Ashlee Ferral (Vancouver Theatre Sports Rookie League )
Andrew Lynch (VAMP and Geeks Vs Nerds)
Montana Roselle (Dyck Spacee)
Claire Pollock (The Dirty Betty Show)

This event will sell out. So if interested in attending, advance tickets are recommended and available for $10 at the Rio Theatre. Or you can try you luck and grab tickets at the door for $12.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

11th Annual Cedar Cottage Community Garden Spring Fling May 25th

20 May

CedarCottage3Do you know the community garden that many of us drive by where Victoria Drive and Commercial Drive intersect?  The Cedar Cottage Community Garden is a beautiful community space that is rich with local history.  At the bottom of the garden is a shed that has been built like a replica of one of the old shelters for the Interurban. The Interurban was the original Skytrain, Vancouverʼs first rapid transit. These shelters offered both protection from the elements and often a ticket agent to sell riders their fare. More importantly the shed has a plaque, placed there to remind passersby of the events of the Lakeview Disaster. In 1909 at the current location of the community garden, a BC Electric Interurban train collided with a runaway railcar loaded with timber. The collision resulted in 14 people killed and another 9 seriously injured. What happened at Lakeview became the worst transit accident in Vancouver history.

This Saturday, May 25th you are invited to come celebrate and support community and food security with the 11th Annual Cedar Cottage Community Garden Spring Fling happening from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm.  There will be a bake sale, plant sale, live bluegrass music, medicinal plant walk at 11:30 with Lori Synder, raffle prizes with donations from local businesses including Second Nature Home to help raise funds for the community garden. This is a free family friendly event.

Photo Credit: Cedar Cottage Community Garden

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

What’s On East Van: May 17th Edition

17 May

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Our weekly feature What’s On East Van sets out some cool events for the upcoming weekend.  Beyond the weekend, we invite you to check out our Event Listing which is updated daily and features events for the month and beyond.

The Day Trippers – Federico’s Supper Club – May 17th

The Day Trippers will be performing at Federico’s Supper Club, 1728 Commercial Drive, this Friday night.  If you love Beatles music, a great meal along with dancing, this Friday Federico’s Supper Club is the spot to be.

The Fitting Room – Havana Theatre – May 17th & 18th

The Victoria Fringe award winning production The Fitting Room finishes up it’s run this week at Havana Theatre. The play about four teens, a mom and a rabbi touch on the sudden death of a 13 year old after a dare. This poignant production received Victoria Fringe’s Best Overall Favourite and Bravest Awards. Tickets are $15-$20 and available through Showpass.com.

Nassim – The Cultch – May 17th & 18th

From Iranian playwright Nassim Soleimanpour has brought an audacious theatrical experiment to the stage.  Each night a different performer joins the playwright on stage, while the script waits unseen in a sealed box. The show is partly autobiographical yet we hear powerfully universal. The show is a striking theatrical demonstration of how language can both divide and unite us. This production is getting rave reviews, just a few more days to catch it. For tickets, visit The Cultch.

Cat Video Fest 2019 – Rio Theatre May 18th

Love cats and/or cat videos?  You will want to check out Cat Video Fest 2019 this Saturday afternoon.  The event features a compilation of the latest and best cat videos including animations, music videos and random submissions.  This is a perfect feel good event, who doesn’t need a bit of that. Added bonus, it’s a fund raiser for VOKRA – Vancouver Orphan Kitten Rescue Association based in East Vancouver that does amazing work in the community.  Advance tickets are $12.50, or you can purchase them at the door $14.50.

Zero Waste Vegan Market – 520 Alexander Street – May 18th 

If you want to learn more about how to implement a zero waste lifestyle, you are invited to this free public event being held this Saturday at 520 Alexander Street. The market is hosted by Peace People Project and runs from 11 am 4 pm. You are encouraged to bring your own reusable bags and containers.

Pop Up Bakery – les amis du fromage – May 18th

Ritchie’s Bakery is back at les amis du fromage, 843 East Hastings St. this Saturday. Beautiful artisan breads and sweet treats available surrounded by an amazing cheese selection.  Pretty perfect. Pop Up happens from 11 am – 3 pm.

Baby Face Brass – Café Deux Soleils – May 18th

If you wish to take in some energetic live music this long weekend, you may wish to check out BabyFace Brass performing at Café Deux Soleils this Saturday night. BabyFace Brass is billed as Vancouver’s premier street jazz and party band.  Doors  open at 8 pm and music kicks off at 9 pm. Admission $10.

Eastside Flea – 550 Malkin Avenue  – May 18th & 19th 

The Eastside Flea is happening Saturday and Sunday at 550 Malkin Avenue from 11 am to 5 pm. Lots of great vintage finds along side local makers, food trucks and cocktails will be available for purchase. Admission is $2.00.

Vancouver Postcard Show & Sale – Hastings Community Centre – May 19th

A good old fashioned paper collection of postcards will be on display this Sunday at the Hastings Community Centre from 10 am to 4 pm.  You can expect to find vintage posters, stamps, historical photographs and more. Sounds like a pretty cool event.

LIVE MUSIC, ENTERTAINMENT & COMEDY

Looking for more live music, did you know The Heatley in Strathcona regularly features live music?  Every Sunday they offer bluegrass music with brunch 11 am – 3 pm.

Also 7 days a week, you will find live music at the Libra Room on The Drive. Tangent Café hosts live jazz Sunday nights  from 6:00 to 8:30 pm. Saturday, Pat’s Pub has live jazz Saturday afternoons from 3:00 pm – 7:00 pm, no cover.

Looking to shop local? Be sure to check out one of the farmer markets happening this weekend. Saturday is Riley Park Farmers Market at 30th & Ontario from 10 am – 2 pm and Trout Lake Farmers Market from 9 am – 2 pm at John Hendry Park.  To see more of What’s On in East Vancouver,  check our Event Listing.  We also have a separate listing of Free Events for those on a budget and in Vancouver, who isn’t.

Image Credit: June Hunter

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Italian Day Happens Sunday June 9th On The Drive

15 May

ItalianDayThe much loved Italian Day returns to Commercial Drive Sunday, June 9th.  This 14 block vibrant street party takes place on The Drive from the Grandview Cut to Venables.  The day is filled with food, entertainment, things to do and see and experience.  Grab some friends and stop at one of the many outdoor patios set up for the day for a bite and refreshment. Or take in one of the many food trucks lined up and down the stretch.  You will certainly not go hungry whilst you wander and take in all the sights and sounds.

Each year, Italian Day, hosts a theme, this year’s is community an important piece of Italian culture and heritage. This year’s festival looks to celebrate community and the common ground we all share and how together we can make a positive difference in our community.

Britannia Community Centre is again hosting a free family friendly activity. This year, local artists will help host a Friendship Bracelet Workshop from Noon to 4:00 pm in the Napier Greenway.  All materials are supplied. Everyone is welcome to stop by and participate.

Italian Day kicks off at Noon and the party runs till 8:00 pm. Just a reminder that vehicle traffic on Commercial Drive is blocked off, so it is best to take transit, walk or cycle in. For those cycling to Italian Day, we expect a Bike Valet will be set up again at 1st Avenue & Commercial, but this hasn’t been confirmed yet. We invite you come out and celebrate all things Italian. Italian Day represents the largest one day cultural street festival in Vancouver – and perhaps in Canada – drawing over 200,000 attendees of all cultures and ages.  Stop by and see some of the magic of this great street festival.

 

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

← Older Entries