
Our weekly feature What’s On East Van sets out some cool events for the upcoming week. Beyond the week, we invite you to check out our Event Listing which is updated daily and features events for the month and beyond.
Free Family Night – Grandview Park – August 10th
This Friday, there will be free family friendly square dance at Grandview Park. No experience required, lessons on the spot to live music. All ages welcome. Fun happens 5:00 to 8:00 pm in Grandview Park.
Friday Night Live – Hastings Racecourse – August 10th
If you want to check out the horse races this summer, you can this Friday night at Hastings Racecourse as well as their casino. Admission is free, races start at 7:00 pm.
Sound Of Music Sing-A-Long – Rio Theatre – August 10th
A few of the folks from Geekenders are hosting a sing-a-long to the Sound of Music tonight at the Rio Theatre. The audience will be lead through a vocal warm up and be given a comprehensive guide to the accompanying actions and use of the interactive funpack/prop bags. Costumes are encouraged. All ages are welcome. Tickets are $18 in advance or $22 at the door.
Summer Savour Festival – River District – August 11th
The folks at River District are hosting another free outdoor event this Saturday from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm. This is a family friendly event with the Paw Patrol on hand along with balloon animals, face and mural painting, Starbucks will also be on hand with iced coffee samples. To see the full line up, visit Summer Savour Festival.
Vancouver Mural Festival – Celebration Concert – August 11th
As part of the Vancouver Mural Festival, a concert and a host of other family friendly activities happen in Jonathon Rogers Park this Saturday. Event kicks off at Noon until 9:30 pm. The concert line up includes A Tribe Called Red and Charlotte Day Wilson. Tickets are priced at $30, $25 and children under 12 years of age are free when attending with an adult that has purchased a ticket.
Ice Cream Social – Beta 5 Chocolates – August 11th & 12th
Beta 5 Chocolates invites you to “Come As You Are” this weekend. This weekend’s grunge inspired sundae features chocolate cookies n’ cream, peanut butter ice cream, chocolate sour cream doughnut, peanut brittle and a chocolate smiley face graffiti shard, hot fudge and whipped cream. Stop by their shop 413 Industrial Avenue between 1:00 – 5:00 pm this Saturday and Sunday.
Summer Pie Workshop – The Pie Shoppe – August 12th
Want to learn how to make the perfect pie? If so, this hands on class at The Pie Shoppe on Powell Street will be sure to teach you all their tricks. And these ladies now how to make pie. Cost is $95. To register, visit The Pie Shoppe.
Artful Sunday – Napier Greenway – August 12th
Artful Sundays kicks off this Sunday in the Napier Greenway by the Britannia Community Centre. This outdoor visual art market features local artists, workshops, artist demonstrations, live music and more. Stop by between Noon – 5:00 pm.
Ilhan Saferali Quartet – Café Deux Soleils – August 12th
This Sunday, young jazz musician Ihan Saferali will be performing at Café Deux Soleils. He plays trumpet and piano and is already starting to establish a name for himself. To catch this young star in the making, stop by Café Deux Soleils Sunday night 8:00 – 11:00 pm.
Live Music, Comedy & Entertainment
Looking to take in some comedy, East Van Improv League is at Havana Theatre Sunday night at 7:30 pm and Graham Clark’s Laugh Gallery is Monday night at Havana Theatre 9 pm. If you are looking to keep the kids entertained, big or small, Playland is now open daily from 10 am – 7 pm. Three Farmer Markets happening this weekend – Saturday it’s Riley Park (10 am – 2 pm) and Trout Lake (9 am – 2 pm) and Sunday, Mount Pleasant Farmers Market in Dude Chilling Park from 10 am – 2 pm. To see more of what’s on in East Vancouver, check our Event Listing.
Image Credit: June Hunter

The Vancouver Queer Film Festival marks its 30th anniversary this year. The event opens at the Vancouver Playhouse Thursday, August 9th with the Canadian premiere of Yen Tan’s 1985. The film is shot in black and white and set in Texas in the first wave of the AIDS crisis. Indie Wire calls it “a fine piece of cinematic craftsmanship … It is a haunting elegy for a generation of gay men.” Not heading downtown, no problem. There are a number of films showing at The York Theatre including Festival favourite The Coast Is Queer on August 17th at 9:00 pm. We’ve set out a few other films that will be screening at the York Theatre. For tickets and/or more information, we invite you to check out
Artful Sundays return to the Britannia Community Centre this summer. If you aren’t familiar with this event, it is weekly outdoor visual art market which happens over 4 Sundays in the Napier Greenway. The first event kicks off Sunday, August 12th from Noon to 5:00 pm and for the next 3 Sundays following. Each Artful Sunday brings a variety of local artists, workshops, artist demonstrations, live music and more. We see Clara Shandler, the Sidewalk Cellist will be on hand as will Wonky Clay Pots. Lots to do and see and it’s free to wander and take in the art that surrounds us. The event takes place in the Napier Greenway at Napier Street & Commercial Drive from Noon – 5:00 pm each Sunday from August 12th to September 2nd.
If you’ve been following along with ILiveInEastVan, you will see we have launched a new logo recently pictured here. This now copyrighted design pays homage to the street signs we grew up with in East Van with a nod to the ever present crow in Vancouver.
Our friends at
Canada’s largest celebration of Japanese Canadian arts & culture will be held on August 4th and 5th in Vancouver’s historic Japanese Canadian neighbourhood. The
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This Sunday, July 22nd, you are invited to Grandview Park to enjoy flamenco music and dance. If you have not experienced this, you are truly missing out. Flamenco is an “art form based on the folkloric music traditions of Southern Spain”. The music, the rhythm, the passion, the focus, the songs, it’s filled with emotion and life experience, truly something to see and hear . This Sunday you are invited to bring your blanket and picnic and sit back and enjoy this free event. Event happens between 2:00 and 4:00 pm and is brought to you by the