The Commercial Drive Business Society is hosting ‘Family Day On The Drive’ on Monday, February 8th. This is a free community event with a number of activities lined up for the afternoon at the Britannia Community Centre. The events kick off with a Lion Dance Performance at 2:00 pm. From 2:00 to 4:00 pm, you will find face painting, balloon twister and a caricature artist on hand. There will be a free skate planned at the Britannia Ice Rink from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm. For those that prefer something warmer, there will also be a free Public Swim from 1:00 to 5:00 pm at the Britannia Community Pool. As an added bonus, many of the merchants on The Drive will be offering special deals for Family Day, so keep an eye out or visit The Drive’s website for more details.
Family Day On The Drive February 8 With Free Skate, Lion Dance & More
27 Jan
Exhibit Opening At The Cultch Gallery January 27
26 Jan
This Wednesday, January 27th, The Cultch Gallery, 1895 Venables Street, invites you to the opening of a new exhibit. The Cultch Gallery will be showcasing the works of Harold Coego and Jeff Wilson. Harold Coego originates from Havana, Cuba but now resides in Vancouver and is a self taught artist. Harold Coego uses various art forms to express himself including painting, drawing, writing and film making. Jeff Wilson is also a self taught artist and a native of Scotland. He worked in the mining industry for most of his life before becoming a painter. Jeff Wilson first exhibited his work in 2011 and in 2013 he became a full-time artist. He likes to create socially relevant paintings that are bright, bold and exciting. You are invited to attend the opening reception of this new exhibit which will be held from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm on Wednesday, January 29th. The exhibit runs until February 20th and can be viewed from 12:00 pm to 6:00 pm Monday to Friday and 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm on Saturdays. Everyone is welcome to attend the opening reception.
Artist Credit: Jeff Wilson Above
Artist Credit: Harold Coego Below
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The Creaking Planks 11th Anniversary Party At The Wise Hall January 29
25 Jan
This Friday, The Creaking Planks are hosting their 11th Anniversary Party at The Wise Hall. The Creaking Planks, if you don’t know them, are “East Van’s jug band of the damned (that will) take to the stage to do their unique combination of holy idiocy, colliding the canny with the foolish, the sacred with the profane, and Britney Spears with the accordion.” Really we couldn’t have said it better ourselves. This Friday, they will have guests including the Myrtle Family Band and Vancouver’s own Sidewalk Cellist who will take classics from the concert hall and take them the streets. She provides a musical mix of everything from Bach to Nirvana, jazz to heavy metal and more. The events kicks off at 8:30 pm. Tickets are $10 and available at the door.
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Collide and Conquer Comes To Café Deux Soleils January 27
21 Jan
Curiosity Collider wants to shift how you experience science. On January 27th, they present Collide and Conquer which will be a Pecha Kucha-esque type show that brings together art, science, technology and the business community at Café Deux Soleils. They have 3 speakers lined up which include:
Astronomer Jaymie Matthews
on his collaboration with Chloe Z (shadow puppeteer)
“N-body Pornography! – When galaxies and puppets collide”
Artist Dzee Louise and Roboteer Daniel DeGagne
on their Newreal Pathways BrainBot CC-DD 1.50
Artist Colleen McLaughlin Barlow on her artist residencies at the
Canada France Hawaii Telescope & the Gemini Telescope “Making Art at 14,000 Feet
After which, they will be hosting an open mic portion so you can share your idea on stage for 90 seconds. If you don’t have a creative idea to share, maybe you have a great experience to contribute. You are invited to come out and chat with, collaborate with other art and science enthusiasts for what we expect to be an engaging evening. Cost for the event is $5 at the door, doors open at 7:30 pm with the show getting under way at 8:00 pm.
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For The Love Of Craft Tour By Vancouver Brewery Tour February 14
20 Jan
Looking to do something different with your partner this Valentine’s Day? If you and your partner are beer lovers, than Vancouver Brewery Tours has something for you. They are offering a craft beer and food tour called the “For The Love of Craft” on Sunday, February 14th. They will take you on a tour of some great local breweries including Storm Brewing, Strange Fellow Brewing and Big Rock Urban Brewery & Eatery. There will be food along your beer sampling route as well as finishing the whole day off with some decadent chocolate from local chocolatier Thomas Haas. The For The Love Of Craft Tour runs Sunday, February 14th from 2:00 pm to 5:30 pm. Tickets are available from Vancouver Brewery Tours for $85 per person. UPDATE: 2:00 pm tour is SOLD OUT, but a second tour has been added at Noon.
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The Uncommon Café Hosts Two New Cooking Classes
19 Jan
The Uncommon Café, 477 Powell Street, is hosting some fun new cooking classes to help you ‘sharpen’ your culinary skills. Valentine Kitamura owner of Tartine Maple will be leading the two upcoming classes. Valentine was born and raised in France and is a chef that has worked in hotels in Paris, Singapore, New Orleans and Toronto. She now works with The Uncommon Café, a commissary and café, located just across the street from Oppenheimer Park. The Uncommon Café and Valentine have partnered to offer a series of cooking class once per month. The first one they have lined up is Wednesday, January 27th Kitchen Skills Series #1. Their first class is intended to help novice cooks get some basics in the kitchen. With the cold winter weather, their first class in this series will introduce you to making “Stocks, Soups and Stews”. The cost of this class is $60, but get $10 off if you book early. You can register at Eventbrite.
On February 10th, you and your partner are invited to learn how to prepare a romantic dinner. This will be a demonstration cooking class. You will be served the entire dinner prepared that evening by candle light which will be paired with wine. The cost of this class is $70. Again, to register visit Eventbrite. If you register in advance save $10 per person. Bon Appetit! UPDATE: February 10th class is SOLD OUT. A second class has been added February 13th and for those that book early, you can save 20% by using the code SAVE20. 
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Valentine’s Day Themed Improv Against Humanity At The Rio Theatre February 10
18 Jan
Our favourite improv group has something special planned for Valentine’s Day. They will be serving up Bad Medicine at the Rio Theatre on February 10th. You are invited to a special Valentine’s Day themed Improv Against Humanity. There will be Cards Against Humanity, Cupid inspired comedy, Innuendo and the crowning of the next Horrible Person in Vancouver. Oh yes, and there will be prizes. The show gets under way at 8:00 pm, doors open at 7:00 pm. Tickets are available in advance for $10 at Rio Theatre or $12 at the door.
Photo Credit: The Fictionals
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3rd Annual South Hill Community Dance January 31
14 Jan
You are invited to the 3rd Annual South Hill Community Dance being held at Moberly Arts & Cultural Centre on January 31st. This is a family affair for all ages presented by South Hill Neighbours. Everyone is welcome to attend. As expected, there will be dancing which will be led by several different dance teachers. You will travel around the globe learning dances from various cultures. The aim is to get you up on the dance floor to move, laugh and, of course, dance. You don’t need a partner, just show up and join in. There will be food and light refreshments on hand. The Moberly Arts & Cultural Centre is located at Prince Albert and 60th Avenue in SE Vancouver. The event runs from 6:30 pm – 9:00 pm. Come out and join the fun.
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Roomful of Teeth At The Fox Cabaret January 25 & 26
13 Jan
The Music on Main and the PuSh Festival present a Roomful of Teeth on January 25th and 26th. A Roomful of Teeth is a Grammy award-winning vocal group. The group was founded in 2009 by director Brad Wells. The ensemble consists of eight classically trained vocalists dedicated to re-imagining singing in the 21st century. Through study with masters from singing traditions the world over, they continually expand their vocabulary and singing techniques by commissioning and creating new works. This is their first appearance in Vancouver. If you wish to listen to their sound, you can check them out on Bandcamp.com. The event takes place at The Fox Cabaret, 2321 Main Street and kicks off at 8:00 pm both evenings. Tickets are available from Tickets Tonight.
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6th Annual Hot Chocolate Festival January 16 – February 14
12 Jan
The 6th Annual Hot Chocolate Festival presented by CityFood Magazine is back again. The event runs from January 16 to February 14 in various locations around Vancouver. There are over 24 chocolateries and cafes participating in this year’s event. Each venue will make one or more special hot chocolates which will only be available during the festival. We expect some delicious concoctions to tantalize your taste buds. In East Vancouver, lots of personal favourite spots are participating in this year’s festival including East Van Roasters, French Made Baking in Mount Pleasant. As well as Schokolade Artisan Chocolate in the Hastings Sunrise area. They are offering a hot chocolate that will have us running over. It’s called I Need You! and has 100% dark chocolate, double foam and caramel expresso and is garnished with dark chocolate meringue. Hello! Last Crumb Cafe on Main Street also has us drooling with both of their selections. One titled His Lordship HC is a vanilla Early Grey hot chocolate served with a vanilla bean butter cookie plus their Bananarama which we hear tastes like a chocolate banana cream pie sounds pretty amazing. New to the festival this year is 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters + Lucky’s Doughnuts, Earnest Ice Cream (Quebec Street location only) and Railtown Café whose offering is a Pandance With Me which is a lime leaf and chili infused coconut milk hot chocolate served with a housemade pandan whippet cookie. Wowzers! To see the full list of venues participating, check out City Food Magazine’s Calendar of Events.
ILiveInEastVan.com 