Things to do in Vancouver This Weekend

Add a Comment by Rebecca Bollwitt

Between craft fairs, markets, theatrical productions and an early start on holiday shopping, take time some out this weekend to observe Remembrance Day. There are services at city halls, parks, and cenotaphs across the Lower Mainland where you will be able to honour and remember those who have fought for us.

Things to do in Vancouver This Weekend

Things to do in Vancouver This Weekend

Events that run for longer than three days in a row are highlighted in green.

Friday, November 10, 2017
Fan Expo Vancouver
Interesting Vancouver
The Lady Larks: Boogie Woogie Bugle Babes
Vancouver Art Gallery: FUSE: A Conjuring
Champlain Heights Remembrance Day High Tea
Marcus Mosely Chorale: Give Peace a Dance
Theater Crossing Presents: The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde
Vancouver Jewish Film Festival
EAT! Vancouver
Kol Halev Presents: Two Views from the Sylvia
Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat
Shameless Hussy Productions Presents: Girls Like That
Douglas College: Concord Floral
Cirque du Soleil: KURIOS
Circle Craft Christmas Market
Continue reading this post ⟩⟩

Lights of Hope at St. Paul’s

Add a Comment by Rebecca Bollwitt

St. Paul’s Foundation is celebrating 20 years of giving, and a Vancouver holiday tradition, when the Lights of Hope are illuminated on November 16th. Volunteers from far and wide build the iconic display using donated materials and 10 kilometres of string lights that illuminate St. Paul’s Hospital, inspiring people to donate.

Lights of Hope at St. Paul’s

Lights of Hope at St. Paul’s

Date: Thursday, November 16, 2017
Time: 6:00pm to 8:00pm, with lighting display and fireworks between 6:30 and 7:00pm
Location: St. Paul’s Hospital, 1081 Burrard Street, Vancouver

Bringing together thousands of locals and visitors, the festive and family-friendly celebration will feature the official lighting of the display, fireworks, local choirs singing Christmas carols, hot chocolate and food trucks lining Burrard Street.

Switching on the 100,000 sparkling lights and more than 200 stars that make up the spectacular display, the community celebration marks the beginning of St. Paul’s annual Lights of Hope fundraising campaign which raises funding for the greatest needs of caregivers, patients, residents and loved ones across Providence Health Care’s hospitals and residences. The lights will remain on for the entire holiday season.

This is what over 10km of lights gets you. ????? The spectacular Lights of Hope.

Since it began in 1998, community donations to Lights of Hope have totalled more than $31 million. Lights of Hope funds directly support sites and programs across Providence Health Care, funding urgently needed equipment, life-saving research, items and services that are essential for patients and residents, and community programs, which would otherwise not be funded through traditional channels.

Enter to Win KURIOS Tickets When You Support My Covenant House Campaign

Comments 4 by Rebecca Bollwitt

Cirque du Soleil returned to Vancouver in October with KURIOS – Cabinet of Curiosities under the big top at Concord Pacific Place. I was able to attend the opening performance and it was spectacular. Everyone I spoke to agreed that it was the best Cirque show they have seen in a long time, and given the high bar they continuously set, it’s even higher praise.

Now you have the chance to win tickets to this marvellous production while also supporting your community.

On November 16th, I will be sleeping outside in Downtown Vancouver in support of Covenant House.

Covenant House provides food, clothing, shelter, counselling, and most of all, a place of stability, trust, non-judgement, kindness and home for at-risk and homeless youth.

To help my donation campaign, the good folks at Cirque du Soleil have offered up a pair of tickets to their performance of KURIOS on November 21st. Anyone who donates $50 or more to my Covenant House campaign by November 17th will be entered in a draw to win these tickets (valued at $188 for the pair).

1) Donate $50 here
2) You’ll be entered in the draw for KURIOS tickets, it’s that easy!

Your contribution will support the Residential Crisis Program which helps the most vulnerable youth in our community.

Did you know there are between 500–1,000 homeless youth in Vancouver every night?

These youth have experienced heartbreaking commonalities:

  • 70% have witnessed family violence
  • Over 50% aged out of foster care at 19, with no home, income or supports
  • 39% of Covenant House’s youth have a formal mental illness diagnosis; youth workers estimate over 85% struggle with their mental illness

Please help provide much-needed resources for the youth in our community by donating to my campaign here. Everyone who donates will also receive a promo code to purchase KURIOS tickets so that they don’t miss out on this fantastic show.

About KURIOS – Cabinet of Curiosities

In an alternate yet familiar past, in a place where wonders abound for those who trust their imagination, a Seeker discovers that in order to glimpse the marvels that lie just below the surface, we must first learn to close our eyes.


In his larger-than-life curio cabinet, the Seeker is convinced that there exists a hidden world – a place where the craziest ideas and the grandest dreams await. A collection of otherworldly characters suddenly steps into his makeshift mechanical world. When the outlandish, benevolent characters turn his world upside down with a touch of poetry and humour, his curios jump to life one by one before his very eyes.

To recap:

1) Donate here (min. $50)
2) You’ll be entered in the draw for KURIOS tickets, it’s that easy!

If you don’t win, tickets purchased for the December 7th performance will also support Covenant House. Thank you to Cirque for helping make sure an impact in the community this season!

Follow the cast and crew of KURIOS on tour, and discover what hides in their Cabinet of Curiosities. Watch the 13 episodes on Cirque du Soleil’s YOUTUBE channel or follow along on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Everyone who has already donated to my campaign, before the publishing of this post, is also entered to win. I will do the draw at 2:00pm on Friday, November 17, 2017. Thank you!

Update The winner is Teresa!

Eastside Culture Crawl 2017: Win a Prize Pack

Comments 105 by Rebecca Bollwitt

Vancouver’s four-day fête in celebration of visual arts, design, and crafts, the Eastside Culture Crawl, runs November 16 to 19, 2017 in studios, homes, and garages throughout Vancouver’s Eastside community. The Crawl will present its largest line-up of artists, venues, and events to date, attracting 30,000 visitors from across Metro Vancouver and showcasing the work of more than 500 artists in 80 locations in the Eastside.

21st Edition of the Eastside Culture Crawl

Eastside Culture Crawl 2017November 16 to November 19, 2017
Thursday & Friday: 5:00pm to 10:00pm
Saturday & Sunday: 11:00am to 6:00pm

There is no admission fee. The event is focused on the area bounded by Columbia St, 1st Ave, Victoria Drive, and the Waterfront, featuring an impressive assortment of work from painters, sculptors, potters, photographers, glassblowers, furniture designers, and much more.

This year, attendees can look forward to an array of fantastic new opportunities in which to engage with the annual art event. Visitors will enjoy exciting installations such as the launch of a ‘communal easel’ which will be hosted outside the Crawl’s new office located at 716 East Hastings St.

Members of the public are welcome to drop by the evolving canvas at their leisure, contribute their artistic flair to the community masterpiece, and will then be encouraged to share the new creation using the hashtag: #eastsideculturecrawl. Video installations will also enhance the visual landscape of several locations throughout the Crawl boundaries.

A series of workshops and demonstrations will be offered again this year to curious Crawlers who are keen to witness and further expand their knowledge of the art-making process. Participants will have the opportunity to learn about live chainsaw carving, photo transfer, stained glass, ceramics, and wax carving. To learn more about the workshops and events offered visit culturecrawl.ca/events.

Feature Presentations

Take Flight, a benefit and Culture Crawl festival launch
Saturday November 4, 2017, Arts Factory (281 Industrial Ave)

LIT: Eastside Culture Crawl Preview Exhibit
A multi-venue, salon-style exhibition at the Arts Factory, The Cultch, Firehall Arts Centre, and Alternative Creations Gallery. This exciting event features juried works from 70 Culture Crawl artists.

Moving Art: Culture Craw’s 4th Annual Projection of Film & Video
A showing of evocative, art-based, contemporary silent films.
November 16 to November 19, 2017

Closing Film Night with Carole Itter
Eastside Culture Crawl and Cineworks present an evening of films by and about Vancouver-based artist Carole Itter, recipient of the 2017 Audain Prize for Lifetime Achievement in the Visual Arts.
November 24, 2017 at 7:30pm at The Arts Factory (281 Industrial Avenue)

Win a Prize Package

I have an awesome local prize pack to give away thanks to participants of the Eastside Culture Crawl, which you can visit during the festival. It includes:

LUPA Ceramics
by Kristine Aguilar
Prize: Night Sky Tumbler, Stoneware clay, 4.5x 3.5 inches
Visit the studio: Grey Stone Studios #105-1305 Frances Street (back corner unit)

Bronsino
by Denise Wilson
Prize: Zippered pouches in 2 Sizes, mini and medium, made of hand printed upcycled leather
Visit the studio: #225 – The Mergatroid Building at 975 Vernon Dr

Awesome Sauce Designs
by Corinne Leroux
Prize: Georgio monster 4″ x 5.5”, Stained Glass
Visit the studio: MAKERLABS at 780 E Cordova St (2nd floor)

TOODLEBUNNY
by Trudy Wynans
Prize: Turquoise Marquis Teardrop Earrings
Visit the studio: Parker St Studios, Studio 204 – 1000 Parker St.

To top it off, Modo, an Eastside Culture Crawl Partner, is throwing in a $100 Carshare driving credit with Modo. Get access to over 600 cars, trucks, hybrids, EV’s, cargo vans and more with Modo.

Here’s how you can enter to win:

  • Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
  • Click below to get another entry by posting on Twitter:

[clickToTweet tweet=”RT to enter to win a @CultureCrawl prize pack (valued at $280) http://ow.ly/N85v30gqxQG #eastsideculturecrawl” quote=” Click to enter via Twitter” theme=”style6″]

I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Tuesday, November 14, 2017. Follow the Eastside Culture Crawl on Twitter and Facebook for more information.

Update The winner is Annette!

Tour the Lower Mainland from Above with Sky Helicopters

Add a Comment by Rebecca Bollwitt
Disclosure: Review — Our experience was courtesy of Sky Helicopters, for review purposes. Views and opinions expressed are my own. Please review the Policy & Disclosure section for further information.

“So, what’s behind the mountains?” John asked me when he first moved to Vancouver over 10 years ago. He grew up in America’s Midwest, where the sky is big and the corn fields roll on as far as the eye can see. I could understand his curiosity. “More mountains,” I replied.

I felt pretty confident with this statement, being a local who has taken many flights to Northern BC, and road tripped and camped across the province my entire life. Of course there’s also Google Maps to bring a point home.

For his birthday this year, I lined up a special treat for John. We love exploring our region, whether it’s from the top of a mountain or sailing on the sea, and this year we took to the sky with Sky Helicopters.

Sky Helicopters Tour

I first met the team from Sky Helicopters back in 2015 and when I was trying to think of something really unique and experiential to give John for his birthday, their tours came to mind.

We drove out to their hangar at the airport in Pitt Meadows (they can do Downtown Vancouver pickups for an extra fee) and checked in for our flight. It was a gorgeous fall day. As we sat in the passenger lounge we looked out at the Trans Canada Trail along the Fraser River dike. Families were out for walks, dogs were pulling at their leashes, and cyclists were braving the chilly late-fall winds. Leaves were tumbling down from branches like the snowflakes we saw earlier in the week. Continue reading this post ⟩⟩