
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.
Britannia Christmas Craft Fair – Britannia Community Centre – November 22 – 24
The 34th Annual Christmas Craft Fair happens this weekend with over 50 local artisans and makers with handmade items for gift giving this holiday season. Enjoy live music while shopping. The craft fair runs Friday 3:00 pm to 8:00 pm and Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. Admission is $2. Stop by and get a jump on your Christmas shopping. To learn more, visit Britannia Christmas Craft Fair on Facebook.
Aurora Winter Festival – Hastings Park/PNE – November 22
The Aurora Winter Festival kicks off this Friday at Hastings Park/PNE with an array of indoor and outdoor activities, Christmas Market, games, rides. This is an all ages event. For tickets, visit Ticketleader.
Fado: The Saddest Music in The World – Firehall Arts Centre – November 22
A play featuring Fado music with origins going back to the early 1800s in Lisbon, Portugal. This music is a distinct part and proud part of Portuguese culture. If you haven’t experienced it, we invite you to check out this production at the Firehall Arts Centre kicking on this weekend. For tickets, visit Firehall Arts Centre.
Eastside Flea – 550 Malkin Avenue – November 23 + 24
If vintage and collectables is your thing, Eastside Flea will have that in spades this weekend along handmade items and food trukcs from11:00 am to 5:00 pm. Oh and dogs are welcome to come wander with you, on a leash of course.
Christmas On The Drive – November 24
The Commercial Drive Business Improvement Association along with other sponsors will again be hosting Christmas On The Drive this Sunday between 2:00 pm and 5:00 pm. This includes horse carriage rides, pictures with Santa from 3:00 to 4:30 pm, treats and hot beverages, dueling pianos and more. The starting point is The Drive Mortgage Store at 1250 Commercial Drive. The finishing point is the tree lighting in Grandview Park at 5:00 pm.
East Van Panto: Pinocchio – The York – On Now Until January 5, 2020
Our favourite holiday tradition just kicked off this week. Take in this fun and entertaining show that is fun for all ages. Just remember if you are in the front row, you might become part of the production. This year’s panto is Pinocchio and touches on some unique aspects in East Van, such as the mysterious Beckwoman and the coffee wars on The Drive for starters. Tickets for the East Van Panto Pinocchio start at $26 for children 16 and under. Family packs are available for $145. To get your tickets, visit The Cultch. Note, the show will be performed at the York Theatre.
Comedy, Music & Entertainment & More
Do you love cartoons? Miss those Saturday morning cartoons you used to watch as a kid. Do you know Storm Crow Tavern offers cartoons Saturday morning from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm whilst you enjoy breakfast/brunch?
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 support our local growers and makers? Stop by one of the Winter Farmer Markets happening on either Saturday or Sunday. Saturday we have Riley Park Farmers Market at 30th & Ontario from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm and Sunday, it’s Hastings Park Winters Farmers Market also from 10:00 am to 2:00 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

Dancers of Damelahamid’s latest production, Mînowin, is visually stunning and deeply meditative.
We are admittedly huge fans of the
It’s that time of year again where the opportunities to shop local are abundant. There are some great artisan markets and craft fairs coming up to help you make your gift giving easy whether for Christmas or birthday gifts. We would like to repeat the phrase that often makes the rounds on social media “when you buy from a local maker, someone does a little happy dance”. It really is true. Did you know:
The
Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre presented the world premiere of Tetsuro Shigematsu’s Kuroko on November 7th at The Cultch. The acclaimed creator of behind Empire of the Son and 1 Hour Photo, Shigematsu says this was his biggest challenge to date. Kuroko is not a solo show and Shigematsu is not personally taking the stage, as he usually does. This time he’s only the playwright and he’s telling one of his most personal stories yet – a dark comedy that earned a standing ovation from a captivated audience on opening night.
If you have not experienced Fado music, you are missing out. What is Fado? Wikipedia describes it as “a form of music characterized by mournful tunes and lyrics, often about the sea or the life of the poor, and infused with a sentiment of resignation, fatefulness and melancholia.” We can tell you it is passionate, emotional and relatable. This month and next you have the chance to experience it firsthand. Elaine Ávila, an acclaimed Portuguese-Canadian playwright, brings her play new FADO to the stage at the Firehall Arts Centre. The production “is a tale of love and ghosts set in the back alleys and brothels of old Lisbon. Part concert, part theatre, the story of a young woman confronting her country’s Fascist past and her own identity is interwoven with the heartbreaking national music of Portugal known as Fado, which means “fate.” For tickets to this beautiful production, visit