The East Van Bazaar is back on Saturday, October 15th at The Hall at 1739 Venables Street (at the corner of Commercial Drive). The organizers have put together another great mix of local makers. Some of the vendors you can expect to see include artwork by Honeypot, Mountain Naturals Soap, Papercuts by Chrissy, JMK Designs, vintage fashion with Goonhouse and many more. For a full rundown of vendors, visit East Van Bazaar. They are updating their site as new vendors are added. The event kicks off at Noon and runs till 5:00 pm on October 15th. Admission is a suggested $2 donation. We invite you to pop down and check out all the local talent.
Tag Archives: Commercial Drive
East Van Bazaar Returns To The Hall October 15th
29 Sep
Story Story Lie Is Back At Café Deux Soleils September 28th
12 Sep
Are you good at reading people? Do you think you can spot a liar a mile away? Well now you can find out, in a rather fun way. Story Story Lie is back by popular demand. It’s a new monthly show taking place Café Deux Soleils that is part storytelling and part game show. You will hear four stories and one lie. If you can spot the liar, you will win a prize. Storytellers include TJ Dawe, Andy Cañete, Riel Hahn, Justin Ö’Hearn and Maia Gibb. The evening will be hosted by Jo Dworschak. The show gets under way at 8:00 pm and cover is a very reasonable $5. Come out and see if you can spot the liar. Note, this show is being recorded for a podcast.
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Vancouver Fringe Festival Brings Festa! To The Portuguese Club of Vancouver September 8-18, 2016
6 Sep
The Vancouver Fringe Festival is happening in and around Vancouver September 8th to 18th. There is one show with a very decidedly East Van twist to it, that is Festa! which takes place at the Portuguese Club of Vancouver at 1144 Commercial Drive. This show speaks to us on many levels and we think it will to many others who grew up in East Vancouver. Having parents that immigrated from Europe, our neighbourhood was about as multi-cultural as you could get. It was and still is one of things I loved most about growing up in East Van. It felt like you were celebrating different cultures every day but didn’t really know it at the time. It’s only in looking back you can fully appreciate it. This is what makes Festa! so unique. It was created and will be performed by two Portuguese ladies, Maria J. Cruz and Sandra Medeiros. Maria and Sandra grew up in East Van and met at Charles Tupper Secondary School. They both have fond memories of growing up in East Van. Maria we learnt used to troll the alleyways with her grandfather with a scythe to collect grass for their bunnies whereas Sandra remembers growing up surrounded by hippies and people of various cultures. We hear Sandra even participated in the Miss PCOV Pageant as a teen. We learnt these ladies felt there was a bit of stigma living in East Van, but that it made them tough, scrappy and resourceful. We think this applies to many of us that grew up in East Van. We asked them what they loved most about growing up in a Portuguese family. “The food was always amazing! We have the ability to laugh and joke around, even when you don’t have much. Knowing that your family is fiercely protective and will always have your back. Portuguese families are tight knit and loving, even while driving you crazy!” Now getting back to the food, like many cultures, this is a big part of theirs and experiencing the food is an option while you watch Festa! As this show will be taking place at the Portuguese Club of Vancouver, the Club is offering a special Festa! Menu for $25 which includes:
Calde Verde o Salada Mixta –
Portuguese Kale Soup or a House Salad
Bacalhau a Casa o Feijoada Vegetariano –
Traditional Cod with Fries or Veggie Bean Stew
Pastel de nata o Arroz Doce –
Portuguese egg tart or rice pudding
We are inclined to go for the egg tarts alone. There are not many places left in Vancouver to find them. Tickets for the show are available in advance for $14 through the Vancouver Fringe Festival and $5 for the membership, the Festa meal is of course separate and available once you arrive at The Club. This is one show we plan to see. Hope to see you there!
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The Drive Coffee Bar (formerly Café Napoli) Featuring East Van Artists
15 Aug
We recently sat down with Kenny Vannucci, co-owner of The Drive Coffee Bar (formerly Café Napoli) on Commercial Drive near 1st Avenue. This coffee shop has been transformed from its former space with white walls, a unique coffee bar and some beautiful brick work. One feature wall in the back showcases all of Kenny’s photos taken around East Van. The rest of the space has been set aside to showcase East Van artists. The Drive Coffee Bar doesn’t take commissions, but encourages the artists to host a gallery night during the month. The current artist featured caught our eye, Kathryn McPhee. She has a great eye for colour and applies elements of graffiti and animation. She uses oil pastels, acrylics and spray paint. Kathryn has been drawing and painting since she was a child and currently works out of The Arts Factory which is a mixed-use arts facility in a transformed warehouse at 281 Industrial Avenue. Last year, Kathryn participated in the Eastside Culture Crawl for the first time and her work was showcased at the Firehall Culture Crawl Exhibition which featured the works of new artists. She currently keeps busy with commissioned works, but she will be hosting a Gallery Night at The Drive Coffee Bar on Wednesday, August 24th from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Kathryn will be on hand to chat and has some local musicians lined up for the evening including Sadie Campbell and Cam Labelle doing an acoustic set. Stop by and check out this talented artist and this great new space on the Drive.
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Best of Craft BC At The Wise Hall August 17th
10 Aug
Liberty Merchant Company presents the Best of Craft BC tasting event on Wednesday, August 17th at the Wise Hall, 1882 Adanac Street. The event will feature craft beers, cider, mead and spirits from all over BC. There will also be some tasty samplings from Commercial Drive food purveyors. This event is also a fundraiser for the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society which helps provide food for up to 25,000 people in need each week. All ticket sales and draw prizes directly support the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society. Tickets are $24.99 each plus a food donation (canned tomatoes have been requested). You can purchase tickets at all Liberty Wine Merchant locations. In East Vancouver, visit them at 1622 Commercial Drive or call them at 604.633.1922. The event gets under way at 7:00 p.m. and goes till 9:00 pm.
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The Best of Everything At The Havana Theatre July 14-16
13 Jul
A fun new show called the Best of Everything begins a short run at the Havana Theatre starting July 14th. This play is based on the book by Rona Jaffe and has been adapted by Julie Kramer. It is set in the 1950s and other adaptions have been compared to Mad Men complete with buttoned down men drinking scotch. We are rather curious to see how this adaption comes together. This production features a line up of local talent including Joanie Beaulieu, Jenna Grossenbacher, Zachary Hayden, Laura Jacobson, Jennifer Kasun, Amy Rathgeber, Jacqueline Welbers and Charles Lysne. If you wish to catch this show, it runs for 3 nights at Havana Theatre with a 1:30 pm show on July 16th. Tickets are $15 and available online via Brown Paper Tickets. Note there is a students and seniors rate of $10. Best deal is the matinee on Saturday $5.
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Car Free Day Sunday, June 19th On Commercial Drive & Main Street
15 Jun
Car Free Day began over 10 years ago on Commercial Drive. The idea of organizers was to reclaim the streets and oppose highway expansion and more traffic. Car Free Day has now expanded to several neighbourhoods and in East Van will be held on Commercial Drive and on Main Street. These festivals are 100% organized by local volunteers and each festival has a unique flavor and is a family friendly event. There is lots to see and do for all ages. We have set out some of the highlights for this Sunday’s event at both locations.
Commercial Drive (Venables to Grandview on Commercial Drive) Noon–7:00 pm
Car Free Day on Commercial Drive will span 15 blocks from Venables to Grandview and include an array of artisans, street patios, vendors, musicians and activities for all ages. Here is some of what you can expect at this year’s Car Free Day On The Drive:
Family Fun Zone filled with free activities at Charles Street
Wishing Wellness Garden At Napier Street
CiTR Radio 101.9FM and Discorder Magazine
Swordplay Demos by Academie Duello – School of Modern Swordplay
Bike tune up and bike race By Landyachtz Longboards
DJ Soo at The Venables Stage
Kitchener At the Public Domain Stage
The Carnival Band Parade at 5:30 pm
Letter Writing With Post A Letter Social Activity Club At 6th Avenue
Art Making Corner With Opus Art Supplies at The Napier Greenway
A Drum Circle by Paranada Traders
Note: For those planning to cycle to the event, there will be a free bike valet service provided by Better Environmentally Sound Transportation (BEST).
Main Street (Broadway to 30th on Main Street) Noon–7:00 pm
On Main Street, you will find lots of mini-festivals, community-supported stages with dozens of bands, multiple kids zones, artisan markets and much more. The Main Street Festival takes up some 21 blocks. Some of the highlights of this year’s festival include:
Broadway: The Beaumont Studios Festival Zone
Community Police Street Hockey
TransLink Vintage Bus
Startup Zone
LOVE Leave Out Violence Mini-Festival
Enroot – Meals on Demand
Bohemia Gallery
Vancouver Performing Stars
The Granville Island Toy Company Children’s Zone
Street Fantasy Garden Fashion Show & Village
Neptoon Records Stage
Giving Gifts Festival Zone
Canvas Homemade Artisan Group
Groundwerk x De Radio Stage at Car Free Day
Sonic Planet Rock School Stage
The Reef Soca Block Party
Red Cat Records
Arts Off Main Gallery
Come out and celebrate Vancouver’s diverse neighbourhoods and our communities. These events are free and will go ahead rain or shine. For more information on the events, visit Car Free Day.
Photo Credit: Car Free Day
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Italian Day Happens Sunday June 12th On The Drive
30 May
East Van is home to many great community events and June is shaping up to be a busy month. We can look forward to Car Free Day, The Italian Market, East Van Garden Tour, but one of our favourites is coming up Italian Day on Sunday, June 12th. This is your chance to experience everything Italian from food, to music to culture. Now in its 7th year, the Drive will basically be transformed into one large piazza where you can wander from one end of the Drive to the other. This year’s theme is Mangiamo! Let’s Eat! As you might expect, Italian food will be showcased and they do it so well. There will be lots of events, live music and entertainment along the Drive throughout the day. The Britannia Community Centre will also host a special Pasta Jewellery project led by East Van artist Paula Luther. This will be a free outdoor workshop set up in the Napier Greenway for pasta lovers of any age. It’s on a drop-in basis and all the materials are supplied. The Pasta Jewellery Project runs from Noon to 4:00 pm. Also for the kids, there will be arts and crafts in the Little Italy Kids Zone and Funswing amusement rides in Grandview Park as well as balloon twisting and face painting. Some other fun activities include the Whitecaps/BMO Fun Zone with kicking cage as well as the very popular Bocce Court.
On Italian Day, you will be able to walk the Drive from Broadway to Venables and find over 100 merchants and guest vendors, a line up of food trucks and carts, more than 20 restaurant patios and an array of things to see and do. Of course, we do expect to find Federico Fuoco center stage drawing a crowd as always at the 2nd Avenue Main Stage. There is also a special feature planned to celebrate the official ‘Little Italy’ designation which pays tribute to over 50 years of Italian heritage on Commercial Drive. There have been 8 blocks officially sanctioned Little Italy by the City of Vancouver which will be christened with banners and crosswalks on June 12th. Come out and celebrate all things Italian!
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Stone Soup Festival May 7th At The Britannia Community Centre/Napier Greenway
13 Apr
Britannia Community Centre, 1661 Napier Street, is hosting the 21st Annual Stone Soup Festival on Saturday, May 7th. This annual event is a celebration of food, art, environment and community. You can expect to find a food market, local artists, community groups, talks and workshops, live music, tea leaf reading, children’s activities, free soup and much more. The Stone Soup Festival aims to bring awareness to the issues of food security, the benefits of sharing resources and eating ‘local’ and celebrating the diversity of food in our neighbourhood, the environment and its importance to the culture of our community. Some of the highlights from this year’s festival include:
Urban Foraging & Medicine Making with Lori Snyder
Free Drop-In Workshop & Walkabout
Family Activity Room 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
The Greenhorn Community Music Project
Performance 1:00 pm West Kid’s Area
Children’s Interactive Music with George Rahi (from Gamelan Bike Bike)
West Kid’s Area 2:00 pm
“Saving Our Wild Salmon” Slide Show & Talk by Eddie Gardner
Britannia Library 3:00 pm
There will be live music on the Commercial Drive Stage starting at Noon with the Carnival Band kicking things off, then at 1:00 pm Backspin takes the stage followed by the Tim Sars Duo at 2:00 pm. After that The Vancouver Fiddle Club keep things moving about 3:00 pm which are followed by Rio Samaya at 4:00 p.m. The Stone Soup Festival kicks off at Noon and runs till 5:00 pm. This is a family friendly event with lots of activities for the kids including face painting, storytelling and a kids activity area. For more information, contact the Britannia Community Centre at T: 604.718.5800.
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Havana Restaurant Partners With The Cultch
15 Jan
Havana Restaurant is an amazing delicious spot located at 1212 Commercial Drive. There is a bit of Old Havana in Cuba at this eclectic spot. Havana is also a great supporter of local arts whether it’s their own theatre in the back or the area next to the theatre showcasing local art. Whether you come for lunch, brunch or dinner, the place is always hopping and we might add has amazing food and drinks. Added bonus is the outdoor patio which is packed a good portion of the year. Now there is one more reason to stop at Havana for a bite. They have just announced a great partnership with The Cultch. Havana is offering 15% off your food purchases on any evening you attend a performance at The Cultch. If you didn’t already know, Havana is located just a short walk from The Cultch. So really it’s a perfect spot to stop before or after the show. As we regularly attend events at The Cultch, you can bet you will be finding us here before a show. Just remember, you will need to show your ticket.
Photo Credit: Havana Restaurant
ILiveInEastVan.com 