Yes, it’s back! Trout Lake Community Centre is hosting a lantern procession on Wednesday, August 25th from 8:00 pm till dusk. The Carnival Band will lead the procession around Trout Lake and we are certain you can expect to see some circus performers join in on the fun for the evening. This is a free all ages event. All you need to participate is to bring a lantern(s) for a meandering walk around the lake. We expect the community centre will be leading some lantern making workshops, as they’ve done in the past, prior to the event. Contact them directly for further information.
The Firehall Arts Centre and the Vancouver Independent Music Centre present the 2021 Music in the Courtyard series from Friday, July 30th to Sunday, September 5th. The performances for the second edition of this series will take place outdoors in the courtyard at The Firehall Arts Centre at 280 East Cordova Street. The shows will mainly take place Wednesdays to Saturdays at 7:00 pm and Sundays at 3:00 pm. Tickets range from $20 to $40. It is strongly recommended that tickets be purchased in advance as tickets are expected to go quickly. The line up of talent is all over the map. You can expect to hear solo, duo and group performances. The sounds range from a string quartet to rock & roll to artists you might expect to find at the Vancouver Folk Festival to soulful blues. We invite you to check out the full rundown of talent and grab your tickets by visiting the Firehall Arts Centre.
Note: Each performance will be limited to 50 patrons. Patrons will be required to wear masks in public areas within the building, but may remove their masks once seated in the outdoor courtyard area.
The Havana Theatre on Commercial Drive will play host to a jaw dropping dance cabaret July 27 – August 7. Under the direction of creator and choreographer, Jen Oleksiuk, you can expect an evening of splendid awkwardness, joyous sexuality and wild seduction. The Smoke Show combines enticement and humour in the form of an interactive dance cabaret inspired by modern and classic genres. You can expect to see influences from Motown, fosse, jazz, rock and burlesque. We are hearing this cabaret is one of Vancouver’s best kept secrets. To purchase your ticket, visit Showpass.com. Note, this show is 18+ years of age.
You are invited to enjoy the sweet sounds of summer at Kafka’s beautiful space at 120-577 Great Northern Way this summer. In July and August, Kafka’s will be hosting weekly live outdoor concerts on Friday and Saturday afternoons between 3:00 and 5:00 pm. The free all ages outdoor music event is curated by co-artistic director of the Vancouver World Music Festival, Robin Layne. Come celebrate the sounds of summer with an eclectic mix of jazz, world and roots music. You can nosh on the patio and raise a glass to the weekend with craft beer, cider or BC wine. Kafka’s is fully licensed and offers a great selection products from local and BC makers including 33 Acres, Brassneck, Mission Hill and Cedar Creek. For those that might be driving, the parking lot will be cordoned off and car-free during all performances so they can maximize space for everyone to gather safely outdoors. As an added bonus, VCC Clark Skytrain Station is within walking distance. We’ve set out the current music line up for July. Stop by and enjoy the sweet sounds of summer.
July 16 Trad Jazz with Wynston Minckler and Josh Roberts
We are living through an unprecedented heat wave which should be no surprise to anyone on the WestCoast. We have not seen any rain in going on 6 weeks now. The trees in our City are important for so many reasons such as mitigating climate change, providing shade to keep us cool, the abundant urban wildlife and the list goes on. In my neighbourhood, each summer when we have a stretch of summer weather without rain, I make a point of watering some of the area’s boulevard trees. Two things happen when I do this, one people say thank you. Two, others get inspired to do the same. I personally would have liked to have seen some communication from the City of Vancouver to encourage Vancouver residents to water boulevard trees they were physically able to or within reach of their home by hose or watering can, but that hasn’t happened. With climate change and its affects being top of mind for so many with forest fires raging in our province, I think preserving the abundant tree canopy in the City where we can is important for human life and urban wildlife.
So with that, I encourage you to adopt a tree(s) on your street and water where you can. If you wish to read more on this, CBC has done a recent feature “Vancouver trees dry out as heat wave continues to take its toll.” And if you wish to read further on the disparity of tree cover between the East Side and the West Side, we invite you to check out this piece by Christopher Cheung in the Tyee Vancouver Shade Inequality. We’ve copied in a great image from Christopher’s piece from Urban Forest Strategy, 2018 update, City of Vancouver which highlights the importance of trees in our urban landscape.
The Britannia Plaza Market outside of the Britannia Community Centre and Britannia Library is back this summer. For the months of July and August, you can stop by on Thursdays between 3:00 pm and 7:00 pm to pick up some fresh produce, bread, eggs and baked goods. We hear Fractal Farms will be a regular staple on hand for Thursday’s market. On Saturdays, stop by between Noon and 4:00 pm to check out a variety of offerings from local artists and makers. The markets we understand will be held weekly throughout the summer months. We invite you to stop by and support your local artists, makers and growers.
Looking for something cool to sling over your shoulder when you head out for a bike ride or to the beach? If so, our Limited Edition Black Canvas Messenger Tote is on sale this week. They are hand screened locally by the good folks at Hive Printing. The bag itself is 12 1/2 inches in width and 16″ inches in height with a depth of 3″ inches. The handle is longer at 40″ inches, so perfect for slinging over your shoulder if heading out for a bike ride or just walking about town. To purchase, visit us online at Etsy, or message us directly for a local pick up to skip shipping charges at ILiveInEastVan@gmail.com.
The Still Moon Arts Society is planning the 19th Annual Renfrew Ravine Moon Festival this September. This is an amazing community event that celebrates the full moon, Autumnal Equinox as well as Renfrew-Collingwood’s diverse community and natural environment through interdisciplinary arts events. They are now recruiting artists, musicians and performers for their Harvest Fair and installation artists for their Streamside Lantern Installation. They are on the hunt for performers with a variety of backgrounds including visible minorities, persons with disabilities, newcomers, BIPOC, and LGBTQAI2s+ folks. Diversity of artists is very important to them. Artists will be paid industry-standard rates for their work ranging from $200-$500 depending on work provided. To learn more, we invite you to visit Still Moon Arts Society. Deadline to apply is July 18th.
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