Events

The Vancouver running community is incredibly active, especially the people of West Vancouver – they take running very seriously. On Sunday, March 3, 2013, both professional and recreational runners are invited to participate in the annual West Van Run 5k and 10km race.

Registration is now open for the race, which starts and finishes at Ambleside Park in West Vancouver. Race starts at 8:30am.

Currently, kids under 15 years and seniors over 60 years can register for $10, and teams of five or more people for $20 per team member.

Race packages pick-up is Saturday, March 2 from 11am-4pm at the North Vancouver Running Room at 2601 Westview Drive North.

This is more than just a race. West Van Run is committed to supporting the community, with 50% of net proceeds being donated to the Special Olympics North Shore, a not-for-profit organization helping athletes with special needs to stay active.

The State of California is making a big deal for the 2013 Vancouver International Wine Festival, held February 25 – March 3, 2013, in Vancouver, British Columbia. The California wine regions will have a full-showing of their award-winning wines ranging from white and reds, to blushes and bruts.

The week long events include wine masters dinners at some of Vancouver’s top restaurants, vertical tastings, and panel discussions. Many of the wine makers will be on hand at the events teaching, answering questions and explaining how the wines have been crafted.

Every wine region in California will be represented. Attendees can learn  everything about the heritage of the varietals to how the types of soil the grapes are grown in can impact the flavor of the finished product.

Some events include limited edition, library releases, and award-winning tastings. Tickets start from $50 per person, per event.

For a full line-up of the California Wine events, dates, times, locations and prices, visit the Vancouver International Wine Festival website.

Tickets for all events are on sale now:

• www.vanwinefest.ca
• 604-873-3311 or toll free 1-877-321-3121, Mon-Fri 9:30am-5pm
• VIWF office at 305-456 West Broadway (Cambie), Mon-Fri 9:30am-5pm

Twinkle, twinkle, little Christmas lights! Around Vancouver Christmas lights are popping up everywhere as the holiday season gets into full swing. If you’re looking for some festive cheer to get you into the mood, here are the top four places to see this year for the best Christmas light displays in Vancouver:

Festival of Lights – VanDusen Botanical Gardens

A must-do annual tradition. Thousands of twinkle lights are delicately placed on the prized and rare botanicals throughout the acres of gardens. Light and sound show on Livingstone Lake every half-hour. Most romantic place for a Christmas holiday date night!

• December 7 – January 1(closed Dec 25)
• 4:30pm – 9:00pm
• Oak Street at 37 Avenue
• Adults: $14.25

Bloedel Jewel Box of Lights – Queen Elizabeth Park

Experience Christmas in the tropics! Stay warm and dry inside the conservatory, filled with thousands of Christmas lights and holiday music.

• December 6 – January 1 (closed Dec 25)
• 4:30pm – 9:00pm
• 4600 Cambie Street
• Adults: $7

Bright Nights – Stanley Park

Two-million lights shine bright and light up the park. Miniature Christmas, animated displays, hot cocoa, carols and roasted nuts. Proceeds to BC Professional Fire Fighters’ Burn Fund.

• November 29 – January 1 (closed Dec 25)
• 3:00pm – 11:00pm
• Stanley Park Pavilion
• Adults $10

There is little doubt, Canadians love coffee. It’s part of our daily morning routine. For some it’s an addition. To celebration National Coffee Day, all 7-Eleven stores from BC to Ontario will be giving away a large 100% Columbian coffee or Spiced Pumpkin Latte to every customer from 6:00am until 10:00am on Friday, September 28 (while quantities last).

This is the second year for CofFREE Day in Canada. An astounding 64% of Canadians drink coffee daily, compared to only 54% of Americans.

“Since CofFREE Day was such a success last year, we decided to make it an annual event,” says Tim Donegan, Vice President for 7-Eleven Canada Inc. “What’s more is that we brew a great cup of coffee. We invite everyone to come to your local store and try it for yourself. It’s on us!”

Stop by your local 7-Eleven on your way to work and grab yourself a free cup of coffee. Make it just the way you like it with no extra charges for cappuccinos, lattes or for syrups and toppings.

After three nights of competition where Viet Nam, Brazil and Italy each competed for top honours, it was clear on the final night that Italy would take home the top prize in the 2012 Honda Celebration of Light fireworks competition in English Bay, in downtown Vancouver.

“Italy deserved the win” said Patrick Brault, Honda Celebration of Light producer, “the choreography and their use of color was simply spectacular.  The judges and the public had a hard time deciding the winner because it was so close but in the end it was a few points and a few extra public votes that made the difference.”

It was the first year in the 22-year event history that the public was able to go online and vote.

The 3-night event attracted over 1-million spectators, many of which came to enjoy the daytime SHOREfest music series at Sunset Beach and English Bay.

“We estimated about 400,000 people on site Saturday night to watch Italy’s show,” said Andrea Dowd-Dever, Producer of the 2012 Honda Celebration of Light, “It is wonderful to see so many people enjoying this amazing event and we are already planning an even bigger event for 2013.”

The 2012 Honda Celebration of Light kicked off on Saturday, July 28 with the first of three nights of firework presentations. The Celebration of Light is the largest offshore fireworks competition in the world, attracting up to 400,000 spectators along the shores of English Bay each evening.

The first night of fireworks on Saturday, July 28, saw Vietnam perform in it’s first international competition outside of their home country. Up next is Brazil on Wednesday, August 1, and Italy wrapping up the even on Saturday, August 4.

All of the firework shows are free to attend. The fireworks start at 10:00pm and lasts for 25 minutes. For visitors outside of downtown it is recommended to take public transit. Shore 104.3 FM will simulcast the soundtrack for the fireworks show.

Earth Art is the use of organic materials taken from the landscape to create sculptures that will decay over time. It is meant to be ephemeral, drawing attention to the beauty of the art and the landscape of which it sits, throughout all of its stages of existence. This summer, the VanDusen Botanical Garden will welcome five international and local artists to participate in an Earth Art exposition in the garden’s 55 acre forum.

Starting in mid-July, artists Nils-Udo, Urs-P. Twellmann, Chris Booth, Nicole Dextras and Michel Dennis will begin moving earth and transform it into their artistic creations. The show will officially open in early August and when complete their works will remain in situ scattered throughout the park. The creations will be viewable to the public during their creation.

The program was made possible thanks to the financial contribution from the estate of Kitty Heller.

Photo Credit: Cruisey-T

It’ll be a Canada Day celebration unlike any other as Cruisey-T, Canada’s largest floating dance party set’s sail for a four-hour evening cruise. Celebrities resident DJ, Zach Shore, along with DJ Kasha Kennedy will keep party goers dancing thoughout the cruise.

The four hour cruise is on a three level boat. The lower and middle decks have bars. DJ’s are located on the middle and top deck. The top deck is also where you will find a large outdoor dance area.

The Canada Day cruise features performances by Vancouver’s legendary drag queen Joane-E, and Sienna Blaze.

For a limited time, tickets are 2-for-1 for this specific cruise ($30 plus a $2 processing fee).

The four hour cruise boards are 4:30pm and departs at 5pm. Remember to bring cash – the bars are cash-only and there is no ATM on board.

Photo Credit: Dining Out For Life Vancouver

Make a difference and help people living with HIV/AIDS. It’s easy and anyone can get involved. For one day only, on Thursday, March 29, 2012, participating restaurants in Vancouver and Whistler will donate 25% of your food bill to benefit A Loving Spoonful and Friends For Life.

This single day fundraising event is the single largest fundraising event for the two not-for-profit organizations, both of which provide valuable programs for individuals living with HIV/AIDS.

Since the program was brought to Vancouver and the Fraser Valley 16 years ago, participating restaurants have raised over $3 million!

For a complete listing of participating restaurants, visit the Dining Out for Life website.

Step by step, row by row, gonna make this garden grow… or so says the popular children’s song.

One of my favourite spring / summer / fall past times if photographing flora and fauna, so when I heard that VanDusen Botanical Gardens was hosting their annual Seedy Saturday heritage seed exchange I got pretty excited. Just think – for over 20 years, hundreds of metro Vancouver green thumbs have been meeting up the last Saturday of every February , itching to get their hands on some of the most sought after seeds and plants available.

Open from 10:00am – 4:00pm in the Floral Hall of the Administration Building, the BC Master Gardeners Association presents a celebration of seed-swapping fun. Over 30 growers, seed companies and exhibitors will be exchanging and selling all kinds of organic and heritage varieties of seeds and plants.

Admission is by donation. If you have kids, bring them along too – there’s a special Kids Corner with seed related activities.

Christmas is a magical time, and every night from 5:00pm – 9:00pm, the North Shore’s historic Capilano suspension bridge comes alive with thousands of twinkling lights from now until January 2, 2012. It’s called Canyon Lights, and the entire park has been lit-up to celebrate.

A popular family tradition in metro Vancouver, Canyon Lights is about bringing families together to celebrate the Christmas season. There is gingerbread cookie decorating, caroling, glass ornament blowing and even reindeer games!

The majority of the park is open for the evening event including the Tree Tops suspension bridges, the Cliff Walk and trails long the ponds.

To keep you warm there are gas heaters located throughout the park and plenty of concession stands to get hot chocolate.

Admission is $25 for adults and $5 for children 6-16. Proceeds from Canyon Lights will go to the BC Professional Firefighters. Burn Fund.

The Capilano Suspension Bridge Park is located at 3735 Capilano Road in North Vancouver.

From November 14-20, 2011, Vancouver’s beer and scotch community will come alive for the 15^th annual Hopscotch Festival. The focal event is the Grand Tasting Hall sold out within the first 90 minutes of tickets going on sale, however, there are still tickets available for many of the other 27 events throughout the week including whisky pairing dinners, master classes and the much anticipated Sunday Morning Brunch.

The Junior Culinary Team of Canada will prepare the two-hour long Sunday Brunch feast. The team has won first place for the Americas over the past two years and will go on to compete in Torino, Italy on December 4, 2011, for the world competition title. Proceeds from the Sunday Brunch will go towards sending the Canadian team to Italy for the competition. There will be eight action stations sampling their culinary creations.

Attendees for this event are in for a special treat. The whiskies to be sampled at the Sunday Brunch event are all from a private cask, some of which are from a production of only 700 bottles. The six single malts include Craigellachie 8 year old sherry cask, Bunnahabhain 9 year old sherry cask, Clynelish 12 year old, Glendullan 12 year old port finish and Tombermory 16 year old.

The Sunday Brunch is hosted by Master Chef and Scotch expert, Marcus VanAlbrecht.

The Hopscotch Festival is Canada’s biggest combined whiskey and premium beer festival attracting over 5,000 attendees each year. The festival also includes premium tequila, vodka, rum, gin and other spirits. Tickets are available from The Hopscotch Festival website.

Photo Credit: Brian Webb

The flashes and booms over English Bay followed by ‘ooohs’ and ‘aahs”will fill the air of Vancouver as the Celebration of Light takes off for another year. This year’s “Battle Of Champions” edition kicked off Saturday July 30 with China, followed by Spain on Wednesday August 3 and Canada on Saturday August 6.

In addition to the excitement of the spectacular fireworks, Shorefest, returns for a third year. This music festival features three stages; English Bay, Kits Beach and Vanier Park. Kits and Vanier Park stages are free for all to enjoy with the English Bay stage by-invitation-only performances.

This year’s performers include: former Barenaked Ladies frontman Steven Page, Wide Mouth Mason, Jim Byrnes, Jeremy Fisher, Leeroy Stagger, Grapes of Wrath’s Kevin Kane and The Sojourners.

Performances begin at 7:00pm each night of the Celebration of Light. Head down early and get your seat, and enjoy an unique specactle each evening.

Listen to the simulcast music on Shore 104.3 FM.

Photo Credit: Brian Webb

Bullying is a major problem in schools, workplaces, homes, and over the Internet.

On February 23, 2011 people all across the world are encouraged to wear something pink to symbolize that we as a society will not tolerate bullying anywhere.

Here’s the story on how the Pink Shirt movement got started:

“David Shepherd, Travis Price and their teenage friends organized a high-school protest to wear pink in sympathy with a Grade 9 boy who was being bullied…[They] took a stand against bullying when they protested against the harassment of a new Grade 9 student by distributing pink T-shirts to all the boys in their school.

‘I learned that two people can come up with an idea, run with it, and it can do wonders,’ says Mr. Price, 17, who organized the pink protest. ‘Finally, someone stood up for a weaker kid.’

So Mr. Shepherd and some other headed off to a discount store and bought 50 pink tank tops. They sent out message to schoolmates that night, and the next morning they hauled the shirts to school in a plastic bag.

As they stood in the foyer handing out the shirts, the bullied boy walked in. His face spoke volumes. ‘It looked like a huge weight was lifted off his shoulders,’ Mr. Price recalled.

The bullies were never heard from again.”

You can get involved. Wear your pink shirt on February 23, sign-up to become a fan on the official Facebook fan page, and follow along on Twitter.

In the lead up to Christmas the Naked models were stringing popcorn and making gingerbread houses in the window at BoysCo on Robson Street.

These men sure have defined ‘Getting Naked’ and they are on the prowl again.

With Valentine’s just around the corner you can catch these hot guys this weekend playing cupid and offering kisses at Holt Renfrew in downtown Vancouver.

Stop by and get your free kiss!

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The best part about shopping in the city at Christmas are the beautiful and elaborate window displays. This year, Naked has embraced the celebration of Christmas shopping by developing a series of festive events at Boys’ Co on Robson Street in downtown Vancouver.

This past Saturday, December 4, Naked hosted their first live window animation, and will continue on December 11 and 18, from 2pm – 6pm, at Boys’ Co on Robson Street in downtown Vancouver. Alexander Mentele is the featured male model for the three week series.

“We truly want to create wonderful, lasting experiences for our customers and there’s no better environment for Christmas shopping than Boys’ Co on Robson,” said Naked’s President and CEO, Joel Primus.

For more information on Naked, check out their website, and follow them on Twitter.

Chefs Across the Water, a guest chef series at Hastings House on Salt Spring Island, highlights the bounty of the region’s produce and raises awareness and funds for the  “Save Salt Spring Lamb” fund.

Lamb production on Salt Spring Island has been down 50 per cent over the past five years, due to government regulations requiring all livestock be taken to Vancouver Island or the mainland for slaughter. It’s easier to get Salt Spring Island lamb in Vancouver than on the Island.

Salt Spring livestock producers have received $100,000 grant to go towards a mobile meat processing unit, however they need to match the amount to receive the money.  Partial proceeds from the Chefs Across the Water dinner series will go towards the fund.

“The ‘Save Salt Spring Lamb’ fund is looking to raise $200,000 in the next few months for a mobile unit on Salt Spring,” said Margaret Thompson, Chair of the Salt Spring Livestock Producers Group. “We are hopeful of raising enough money in time and are delighted to partner with Hastings House in their Chefs Across the Water series to draw awareness to this issue.”

The series includes one final event of the season on Monday, October 18, showcasing the talents of Chef Marcel Kauer of Hastings House.

Hastings House Dining room manager Milly Sinclair says there is a lot of excitement building for food-lovers who enjoy local fare prepared by the best chefs in BC.

For more information please visit the Hasting House website and the Chefs Across the Water website. For reservations call 250.537.2362.

[slideshow] From July 21 – July 31, 2010, Vancouver hosted the 20th Celebration of Light festival in English Bay. It’s a pyro-musical fireworks competition attracting the worlds leading fireworks designers. The event is free for spectators. The fireworks are simulcast on local radio beginning at 10:00pm sharp. There are an annual estimated 1.4 million people who come to watch the event.

On Wednesday, July 21, 2010, Rozzi Inc. represented the United States. The performance was spectacular. I was fortunate to have front-row seats to capture these stunning fireworks images.

On Friday, September 10 and Saturday, September 11, from 9 – 10pm, the Georgia Street side of the iconic Vancouver Art Gallery will be digitally transformed right before your eyes! The project has been toted as a one of the a kind animation meets public art installation event.

This is how the storytelling has been described by Project Nighfire:

Nightfire is a 3D building manipulation piece that uses the boundaries of an architecture building to tell a compelling and beautiful narrative. The Vancouver Art Gallery sets the canvas, as Rival Schools will tell the story of an fallen angel. Broken, she’s found by a lone man who, with love, takes her on a  journey back to her home.  Set to the music “Nessun Dorma” from Turandot, audiences will be presented with this unusual experiement, as light, shadow and colour are projected on the Vancouver landmark to create illusion and transform it appearance.

Project Nightfire as tested on September 6 and you can see the test video here.

The event is a partnership between The Vancouver Opera, Rival Schools, The Media Merchants, and the Vancouver Art Gallery. Each partner contributed valuable resources to the experimental project.

For more information, please visit the Project Nightfire website.

With the Vancouver PNE Parade making a special return in celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the PNE, I wanted to share some vintage footage of the original PNE parade from 1959 that my grandpa shot with his 8mm colour reel camera.

It’s incredible to see just how things have not changed a lot. There are marching bands, RCMP in their red serge, the Canadian Armed Forces marched, elaborate floats and costumes, and even uni-cycles, just like in last nights parade.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VeUPSuxV3is]