Vancouver Farmers Market kicks off its summer season with the popular Trout Lake Farmers Market at John Hendry Park. This market happens every Saturday from April 1st to October 28th from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm. Riley Park Farmers Market also officially kicks off its summer season this Saturday, April 1st at 50 E 30th Ave & Ontario Street. This market runs from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. Both markets have a great line up of vendors with fruits, vegetables, flowers, beverages, bread, condiments and so much more. Be sure to stop by and support your local producers. To see a full listing of all markets hosted by Vancouver Farmer Markets, visit eatlocal.org.
Gourmet Warehouse is a great stop for the cook and baker. Whether you are on the hunt for supplies, ingredients or taking in a great cooking class. This May Gourmet Warehouse is offering something a little different, a Sumptuous Spring Floral Centerpiece Workshop. This is an evening hands-on workshop happening Tuesday, May 9th. Florist Pam Meyer of Meyer Floral will be guiding you through this step-by-step workshop on how to create the perfect spring centerpiece to grace your table. All supplies will be provided from vase to stem with a selection of seasonal greenery and flowers in an array of colours. Add to that, while making your centerpiece, you will be able to enjoy charcuterie and a springtime cocktail when you arrive. And, of course, you will be leaving with your very own seasonal centerpiece. As with all Gourmet Warehouse classes, all the participants are offered a 10% discount for purchases made the day of your class. For a full line up of all the classes Gourmet Warehouse is offering, visit Cooking Classes.
First Pick Handmade is returning to the Heritage Hall for a 2 day Spring Fashion Pop on March 25th and 26th. The event will feature 28 local and BC-based designers and artists. Stop by and meet the creators of locally made fashion, accessories and art. Some of the makers and designers that will be on hand include Jillian Isabel Atelier, Morena Clothing, Prim Stargazer, Studio Eighteen, Deluxe Kitsch, Bukuro Bag Company, Zula Jewelry, After Times Art and many more. Whether you are looking for something for your home, for yourself, or a gift, there will be lots to choose from. We encourage you to stop by and check it out all the talent between 11:00 am and 6:00 pm. Admission is $3.00 per person at the door, or online.
This weekend we had the pleasure of checking out the newly opened To Live For Bakery located at 1508 Nanaimo Street at Grant Street. This is the brain child of Vancouver based vegan food blogger and business owner, Erin Ireland. Erin has had a passion for plant based cooking and baking for some time. You may have seen her vegan banana bread, then named To Die For Banana Bread, which was a part of her ongoing business evolution. Erin operated her bakery business from a commissary kitchen and supplied over 150 cafes. Erin has taken the next logical leap and embarked on a bricks and mortar vegan bakery which opened last November in East Van. We’ve been hearing good things, so we stopped by this weekend to check it out. We had the added pleasure of chatting with Erin herself who was handing out samples of carrot cake to those waiting in line. We can attest that the carrot cake was light, flavourful and oh so delicious. We also sampled the hazelnut mousse cake, only available to the end of the month, croissant and cinnamon bun.
To Live For Bakery has lots to offer including coffee, sweet and savoury treats, bread and beautiful cakes. Erin has chosen a bright white modern décor accented by natural wood. There is seating inside, but fair warning this is a busy spot, so be prepared for a short wait. The line moves fairly quickly and the samples certainly help, but the short wait allows you to view all that’s on offer. In good news, more seating is planned for the outdoor space in the summer. We love seeing these community spaces pop up in East Van neighbourhoods and wish Erin nothing but success and look forward to our next visit. To Live For Bakery is open 7 days a week from 7:00 to 5:00 pm. Stop by and check out this great new local spot.
It’s very easy to see why Fado was such a big hit at the Firehall in 2019 and why they decided to bring it back as part of getting into the swing of things with live theatre again.
This play attempts to blend an ambitious number of themes into a typical runtime of 90 minutes or so and not only succeeds but makes it look easy.
I went in not knowing much about it besides that I like Fado music even if I don’t listen to it very often. I expected to be impressed with Fado as a musical and a story of artistic ambition and development, and that’s 100% true. We get not just one but 3 incredibly talented singers showing us how an entire country could be in love with “the saddest music in the world” and the way it turns pain into beauty.
We get an appealing and sympathetic main character who wants to learn to sing Fado with true Portuguese passion even if she was born in Canada and some people think that makes her too happy and too lucky to pull it off. We get a cantankerous yet charming mentor figure. We get singing that shows strong yet unrealized potential – which is quite something to pull off when a lot of the audience isn’t very familiar with what the fullest expression of the form would sound like.
At the same time, we also get an interesting examination of Portugal’s 20th Century history and politics as seen from contrasting points of view – with a couple of questions that you may have never considered before such as, “can a song be fascist?” We get a conversation about whether emigrants can ever really leave the home country behind and whether they can ever really return to it, as well as what the imagined homeland means to the second generation. We get two love stories with some surprising twists and turns. And Fado fits all of this in with a script that feels like natural conversation, never forcing large chunks of backstory or introspection into anyone’s lines.
Performances are very strong across the board but for me the standout is Natércia Napoleao’s Luisa, the main character’s mother. She seems at first meeting like she’s going to be an Old-World Mum cliché, a bit of comic relief that we return to occasionally, wielding her precious iron to make everything fancy. However, she quickly blossoms into a complex character, although not always a likable one. She’s a woman who actively resists being stereotyped and complicates the narrative or speaks volumes by simply walking away when others try to dismiss her too easily.
If I have any quibbles it would be that the play introduces a gay character whose story feels like it doesn’t quite have time enough to breathe or resolve properly. That said the character and his storyline are every bit as strong as the rest of this tale in the moments he does get – and it’s possible that too neat a resolution would be a dishonest way of presenting what it’s like to be gay in a very Catholic country.
The Firehall Arts Centre and Victoria’s Puente Theatre bring FADO – The Saddest Music in the World back to The Firehall Arts Centre from Saturday, January 14 to Sunday, February 5, 2023.
Acclaimed Portuguese-Canadian playwright Elaine Ávila’s play, FADO, is a tale of love and ghosts set in the back alleys and brothels of old Lisbon. This musical, which premiered at The Firehall in 2019 and enjoyed a wildly successful run, tells 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.”
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. For a taste of Fado music, listen to Amália Rodrigues singing “Abandono” here. To see it live and person, visit the Firehall Arts Centre for tickets which start from $25.
First Pick Handmade is back at the Heritage Hall, 3102 Main Street, on Saturday, December 10th and Sunday, December 11th with their Holiday Market. First Pick Handmade’s Holiday Market will again feature items from a variety of makers that include non-binary, all sized-clothing and objects that are not mass produced. Founder and creator, Janna Hurtzig, curates only high quality and sustainable products. You can expect to find a wide range of products including jewellery by Irit Sorokin, ceramics by Oh Hello Leigh and Abder Atbi, paintings by Janine Breck Art, accessories by Winterluxe Recycled Cashmere and clothing by Serenity West and Street and Saddle and much more. Whether you are looking for something for your home, for yourself, or as a gift, there will be lots to choose from with all of this talent under one roof. Stop by and check it out between 11:00 am and 6:00 pm December 10th & 11th. Admission is $3.00 at the door or online.
The Firehall Arts Centre invites you to celebrate the holiday season with its presentation of A Christmas Carol from Wednesday, December 14 to Saturday, December 24, 2022. Sanjay Talwar plays all 40 characters in this one-version of the familiar tale produced by Blue Ridge Repertory Theatre. Tickets start at $25 and are now on sale at the Firehall Arts Centre.
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. Did you know: “for every $100 spent with a BC local business, $64 is re-circulated back into our BC economy versus $14 for multi nationals. Why? Because locally owned businesses circulate more dollars in the community compared to multinational organizations.”
When you buy from a local maker, you’re supporting your neighbor next door, your co-worker working full-time and holding down a side gig, moms carving out some extra income while still being home with their families. All have created a business doing something they love and are passionate about. We are 100% behind supporting those local dreamers and makers. Also, buying local is better for the environment. Items at markets are not being shipped long distances and there is usually much less packaging involved. All around win win. To that end, we have again created a list of all the artisan markets and craft fairs happening in East Vancouver this holiday season. Here’s hoping our big list will make it easier for you to shop local this holiday season.
NOVEMBER 2022
Nov. 16-27: Got Craft Holiday Virtual Market
Nov. 17: Eastside Culture Crawl – Various Locations 5 – 10 pm Nov. 18: Eastside Culture Crawl – Various Locations 5- 10 pm Nov. 18: Britannia Winter Craft Market – Britannia Comm. Centre 3 – 8 pm
Nov. 19: Eastside Culture Crawl – Various Locations 11 am – 6 pm Nov. 19: Got Craft – Croatian Cultural Centre 10 am – 5 pm Nov. 19: Britannia Winter Craft Market – Britannia Comm. Centre 10 am – 6 pm Nov. 19: Made In The 604 – Heritage Hall Nov. 20: Eastside Culture Crawl – Various Locations 11 am – 6 pm Nov. 20: Got Craft – Croatian Cultural Centre 10 am – 5 pm Nov. 20: Made In The 604 – Heritage Hall
Nov. 25: Artisan Pottery Sale – Trout Lake Community Centre 4 – 8 pm Nov. 26: Artisan Pottery Sale – Trout Lake Community Centre 9 am – 4 pm
DECEMBER 2022
Dec. 2: Toque Craft Fair – Western Front, 303 E. 8th Ave. 6 – 10 pm
Dec. 3: Tugboat Landing Artisan Market – 2010 East Kent Ave. 11 am – 4 pm Dec. 3: Toque Craft Fair – Western Front, 303 E. 8th Ave. 6 – 10 pm Dec. 3: Eastside Flea – 550 Malkin Avenue 11 am – 5 pm Dec. 3: Deck The Hall – Heritage Hall – TBC Dec. 3: Connect X-Mas Market + Music Festival – 2111 Main St. 11 – 7
Dec. 4: Tugboat Landing Artisan Market – 2010 East Kent Ave. 11 am – 4 pm Dec. 4: Toque Craft Fair – Western Front, 303 E. 8th Ave. 6 – 10 pm Dec. 4: Eastside Flea – 550 Malkin Avenue 11 am – 5 pm Dec. 4: Deck The Hall – Heritage Hall – TBC Dec. 4: Connect X-Mas Market + Music Festival – 2111 Main St. 11-7
Dec. 7: Make It! – PNE Forum 11 am – 9 pm Dec. 8: Make It! – PNE Forum 11 am – 9 pm
Dec. 9: Krampus Markt – Strange Fellows Brewing 6 – 10 pm Dec. 9: Make It! – PNE Forum 10 am – 6 pm Dec. 9: Weirdos Holiday Market – 1739 Venables St.
Dec. 10: First Pick Handmade – Heritage Hall 11 am – 6 pm Dec. 10: MakeIt! – PNE Forum 11 am – 5 pm Dec. 10: Eastside Flea – 550 Malkin Ave. 11 am – 5 pm Dec. 10: Krampus Markt – Strange Fellows Brewing 11 am – 6 pm Dec. 10: Weirdos Holiday Market – 1739 Venables St.
Dec. 11: First Pick Handmade – Heritage Hall 11 am – 6 pm Dec. 11: Make It! – PNE Forum Dec. 11: Eastside Flea – 550 Malkin Ave. 11 am – 5 pm Dec. 11: Christmas Market – Italian Cultural Centre 11 am – 4 pm Dec. 11: Krampus Markt – Strange Fellows Brewing 12 – 4 pm Dec. 11: Weirdos Holiday Market – 1739 Venables St.
Dec. 16: Weirdos Holiday Market – 1739 Venables St.
Did we miss one? We will be updating this list as we learn of other markets so check back for updates. Feel free to drop us a note with any market you think should be added at ILiveInEastVan@gmail.com.
Got Craft is back for the upcoming holiday season that is just around the corner. Got Craft will be hosting an in person market for 2 days at the Croatian Cultural Centre, 3350 Commercial Drive, on Saturday, November 19th and Sunday, November 20th. from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. The market will feature 95 local makers and small shops, a mini makers area with kidpreneurs aged 5-13 years old, plus food carts by Nami Vietnamese and the Brownie Bakers. You can expect to find a wide variety of items perfect for gift giving including clothing, fashion accessories, bath & body products, home goods, greeting cards, jewellery, food & drink, ceramics, art prints and much more. Tickets for the market are $5 and available online. Kids aged 12 and under are free. For those that aren’t able to shop in person, Got Craft is also hosting a Holiday Virtual Market from Wednesday, November 16th to Sunday, November 27th. Visit Got Craft Holiday Virtual Market for more details.
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