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.
Opening Doors – Firehall Arts Centre – November 8 & 9
Opening Doors is now on at the Firehall Arts Centre until Saturday. This production features stories about Vancouver’s East End. Women from many different cultural heritages and backgrounds help build the vibrant community surrounding the Firehall. You are invited to learn more about the history of this area. Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for seniors and students. For tickets, visit the Firehall Arts Centre.
About Love Festival – Havana Theatre – November 8, 9 & 10
Havana Theatre which is in Havana Restaurant, 1212 Commercial Drive, plays host to the Above Love Festival this Friday and Saturday night as well as a matinee showing this Sunday. The show features 8 short plays selected for a hundred submitted from around the world. Tickets are $27.50 and available through Showpass.
Secret Life of Canada – Rio Theatre – November 8
The Vancouver Podcast Festival happens at the Rio Theatre this weekend. The event aims to foster new podcast creation in BC and Canada while highlighting existing talent. There is an interesting one being featured this Friday, The Secret Life of Canada with interesting history and facts you may not know. Like did you know Vancouver is responsible for the Chinese buffet and the egg carton? You are invited to join hosts Falen Johnson, Leah-Simone Bowen as they dive into some interesting Canadian history. Show starts at 6:30 pm. Tickets are $25 (Students $20) and available at the Rio Theatre.
Come Draw With Me: Alicia Tobin – Little Mountain Gallery – November 9
You are invited to join comedian Alicia Tobin and her special guests at Little Mountain Gallery, 195 E 26th Ave, Vancouver) for Come Draw with Me this Saturday night. This is an evening of drawing that is part art class part comedy show. Supplies are provided, no talent or previous experience are required. You are invited to come have fun and get creative. Event gets under way at 8:00 pm. Advance tickets are $10 or you can purchase them at the door for $12.
Repair Café – Killarney Community Centre – November 9
If you have a small broken appliance, maybe a button that needs to be sewn on a shirt, or a hem that needs fixing on your dress pants, you best get yourself to the Repair Café being held at the Killarney Community Centre, 6260 Killarney Street this Saturday. There will volunteers with various stations to assist in repair and/or show you how to do it yourself. Event goes from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm.
Vancouver Train Expo – PNE Forum – November 9 & 10
If you love trains, no matter your age, you may wish to head to the PNE Form this weekend. The Vancouver Train Expo happens with something for all ages, but we hear there are a host of activities for kids. The event happens Saturday and Sunday and begins at 10:00 am each day. Tickets are $12 for adults, $6 for kids 6-15 years and children 6 and under free with an adult. To learn more, visit Vancouver Train Expo.
Movie ‘Judy’ – Rio Theatre – November 10 & 11
Renee Zellweger brings Judy Garland’s life back to the big screen this weekend in Judy playing at the Rio Theatre. The reviews are good so far. “Renée Zellweger is phenomenally good in this captivating account of Judy Garland’s final London concert run.” (The Guardian) If you are looking for some indoor fun, the movie play this Saturday at 3:00 pm and Sunday at 4:00 pm.
Remembrance Day – November 11
To honour and remember those that have sacrificed so much so enjoy the life we have today. Please remember them and say thanks.
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 shop and support local? Be sure to check out one of the farmers market happening this weekend. Saturday It’s ONLY one market. Reminder, Trout Lake Farmers Market is done for the season, so it’s Riley Park Farmers Market at 30th & Ontario 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
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 
If you have a sweet tooth and love wine, you may wish to check out this Tasting Class happening Thursday, November 14th at the Everything Wine store in River District. Dessert wines are definitely something you see and taste more in the winter months and Everything Wine has you covered with respect to a selection. You are invited to come learn how dessert wine is made and the different styles that are made. After an introduction to the types of dessert wines, you will, of course, get to taste some of the best in the world. The tasting class gets under way at 6:30 pm and will run till 8:00 pm. Tickets are $35 and available for purchase online at 
Christopher Hampton translates French playwright, Florian Zeller’s, award winning play The Father. Christopher brings this highly acclaimed production to the stage at The Cultch November 20 to 30, 2019. The play is one that has taken Paris, London and New York by storm and accumulated many awards along the way. It is a deeply moving production about Andre a man in mental decline. He can’t remember where he put his watch or why there are strangers in house and asks why people keep moving his furniture. His daughter Anne tries to keep up with all the answers to Andre’s questions. This November will be the first time this work makes its way to Vancouver. An important production that many with aging parents will be able to relate to. Tickets for The Father are now available online and are $40 for adults, but note student and artist tickets are available at $25. To purchase in advance, visit 
What is 
What do you do with your pumpkin after Halloween? There is of course composting, a very good option, but there is another option this year. The PNE is doing something very cool that reduces waste, does something positive for the environment and animals and is fun. On Friday, November 1st between 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm you are invited to bring your pumpkin(s) to a FREE PNE PUMPKIN PROMENADE at the Hastings Park Sports Court. All the pumpkins will be lit up and put on display. After the event, volunteers for Pumpkins For Pigs will round up all the pumpkins which will be delivered to local farms and made into treats for animals as part of a Food Waste Diversion Project. Tim Horton’s Kaslo will have hot chocolate and snacks on hand, but you are asked to bring your own cup.
You are hereby invited to a fun night out! The Theatre Replacement, a local theatre company, is hosting their annual fundraiser Saturday, November 16th at the Russian Hall, 600 Campbell Avenue. Come buckle up for a wild ride of Road Trip Episode Me Love Bingo! Kyle Loven will be hosting the event in a gold costume we hear for what is expected to be a campy night of games, amazing prizes, sweet tunes and zero speeding tickets. Doors open at 7:00 pm and the fun and games get under way at 8:00 pm. Admission is $20, but note bingo papers are a separate purchase at the door for $15. Some great silent auctions will also be on hand to raise some funds. So go have some fun while supporting local art! Tickets available through 
The acclaimed creator behind Empire of the Son and 1 Hour Photo, Tetsuro Shigematsu, brings Kuroko to the stage at The Cultch November 6 to 17, 2019. The production features Maya who is a hikikomori, an extreme recluse. She has spent the last 6 years in her bedroom exploring virtual reality. One day she meets a mysterious player online who challenges her to the ultimate quest: saving her own father’s life. How? By visiting the scariest place IRL (In Real Life), Suicide Forest. For tickets, visit 
