Local

If you’re in the Metro Vancouver area, you can find anything from dining, to shopping and other events. There’s lots to see and do in Vancouver, and you’ll find some of it here. Be sure to view the Events Calendar for local celebrations.

Local

Vancouver Christmas Market celebrates 10th anniversary

Leave a comment
The central tower at the Vancouver Christmas Market.

The Vancouver Christmas Market is celebrating their tenth anniversary, with their German-themed market returning to Jack Poole Plaza at the Vancouver Convention Centre Wednesday, November 20th, 2019 through Tuesday, December 24th, 2019.

Over 80 huts will serve up European food, decorations, toys, and other crafts. Plus there’s live music, a carousel for the young and young at heart to ride, and of course, Santa Claus himself.

Tickets are available for purchase online or at the market itself. The Vancouver Christmas Market opens daily from 11:30 am PST and closest 9:30 pm PST, except on Christmas Eve, when it closes at 6:00 pm PST.

Local

Remembrance Day services in Metro Vancouver for 2019

Leave a comment
Remembrance Day 2017
A portrait is held aloft during Remembrance Day in 2017.

On Monday, November 11th, 2019, communities throughout Metro Vancouver will hold ceremonies to honour the men and women who have served (and continue to serve) and have given their lives for Canada for Remembrance Day. The weather is expected to be wet, so dress appropriately. Remember to wear your poppy in honour of Canada’s veterans.

CTV Vancouver (channel 4 on Shaw, channel 101 on Telus) will broadcast the service from Vancouver’s Victory Square live at 10:30 am PST.

  • Vancouver – Ceremony and Parade at Victory Square (West Hastings Street between Cambie and Hamilton streets). Starts at 10:00 am PST.
  • Burnaby – Remembrance Day Ceremony at North Burnaby Cenotaph in Confederation Park (Willingdon Avenue and Penzance Drive). Starts at 10:40 am PST, followed by the ceremony at 11:00 am PST.
  • Burnaby – Remembrance Day Ceremony at South Burnaby Cenotaph in Bonsor Park (Imperial Street and Nelson Avenue). Parade starts at 10:15 am PST, followed by the ceremony at 11:00 am PST.
  • Surrey – Ceremony at Cloverdale Cenotaph at the Surrey Museum and Surrey Archives (17710 – 56A Avenue). Starts at 9:30 am PST.
  • New Westminster – Ceremony at the Cenotaph in front of New Westminster City Hall (511 Royal Avenue). Starts at 10:30 am PST.
  • Richmond – Ceremony and Parade at Richmond City Hall (6911 No. 3 Road). Parade leaves Minoru Park at 10:20 am PST followed by the ceremony at 10:40 am PST.
  • Delta – Ceremony at North Delta Social Heart Plaza (11415 84th Avenue). Starts at 10:40 am PST.
  • Delta – Parade and Ceremony at Ladner Memorial Park (5010 47th Avenue). Parade starts at 10:15 am PST followed by the ceremony at 10:45 am PST.
  • North Vancouver – Service and Parade at the North Vancouver Cenotaph (100 East Keith Road). Parade starts at 9:20 am PST, with the service at 10:45 am PST.
  • White Rock – Remembrance Day ceremony and parade at the White Rock City Hall Cenotaph. Parade begins at 10:30 am PST from Johnston Road at Roper Avenue.
  • Port Moody – Remembrance Day Parade and Ceremony at 2425 St Johns Street. Parade and ceremony starts at 10:30 am PST; other events continue in the afternoon.
Food and Drink, Local

UBC Apple Festival returns October 19-20, 2019

Leave a comment
Grimes Golden
A bag of Grimes Golden apples at the UBC Apple Festival.

Take a bite into fall with the UBC Apple Festival this October! On Saturday, October 19th and Sunday, October 20th, 2019, between the hours of 11:00 am and 4:00 pm PDT, you can sink your teeth into everything apple related at the UBC Botanical Gardens on the west side of the university campus.

Some 40 types of new and heritage BC-grown apples are lined up, along with pears, and individual apple trees for purchase. A list cultivars for this year is available online, including Arlet, Cox’s Orange Pippin, Karmijn de Sonnaville, Melrose, Nicola, Salish (a personal favourite), Topaz and Winesap.

Admission is $5 (cash only), or free for those aged 12 and under, which gets you access to the event and the botanical gardens. There is no parking at the gardens, but shuttle buses will run every 15 minutes between the Botanical Gardens and the West Parkade and the Fraser River Parkade on campus.

For more information, visit the UBC Botanical Garden web site.

Dress accordingly for the weather and remember your reusable bags and boxes.

Anime, Local

VIFF to host first ever Anime Day

Leave a comment

The Vancouver International Film Festival is hosting their first ever Anime Day this Sunday, June 30th, 2019 with four films at the Vancity Theatre in downtown Vancouver.

These four films are Penguin Highway, Made in Abyss: Journey’s Dawn, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and Millennium Actress.

In Penguin Highway, penguins start to materialize in Aoyama’s home town, causing confusion among the locals. While Aoyama works to find out from where and why the penguins have come, he finds that involves a local dental assistant… Penguin Highway is based on a novel by Tomihiko Morimi.

From a manga series by Akihito Tsukushi, Made In Abyss: Journey’s Dawn follows young orphan Riko as she journeys down through a massive volcano. Joining Riko is a small robotic boy that she has named after her lost dog, Reg.

Mamoru Hosoda’s popular film The Girl Who Leapt Through Time returns to the big screen. Finding that she can go back in time to events in her past, Makoto Konno takes advantage of this ability, but it’s not without consequences. Her friends and family become affected by these leaps into her past, Makoto must undo the damage shes done before she loses everyone she loves.

Millennium Actress is the second film by Satoshi Kon where a reporter infatuated with actress Chiyoko Fujiwara, who lives out of the public eye. Granting this reporter a single chance to interview her, Fujiwara’s storytelling begins to blend fact and fiction into an incredible tale, one that combines her on screen presence and personal life together.

Tickets are available online, including a day pass for viewing all four films at $30 CAD.

Source: VIFF

Local

Canada Day events for 2019

Leave a comment
Canada Day 2018 at Canada Place

Communities around Metro Vancouver are hosting celebrations for Canada’s 152nd birthday this Monday, July 1st, 2019. There’s plenty of fun with food, parades, music, festivals and yes, fireworks! Bonne fête Canada!

These are just some of the events happening around Metro Vancouver. Check your local community’s event calendar for hours and locations.

Local

Carnaval del Sol brings Latin culture back for 2019

Leave a comment
Latin American food brings everyone together at Carnaval del Sol.

Add some Latin American flair to your summer at Carnaval del Sol, returning for its eleventh year at Concord Pacific Place on Saturday, July 6th and Sunday, July 7th, 2019.

This two-day event is the largest of its kind in the Pacific Northwest and incorporates food, fun, music and more from countries in Central and South America. Multiple plazas focus on many aspects of these cultures: food, arts, family, kids, health and wellness, kids, beer, and travel. Soccer is a huge part of Latin culture, so there’s also a soccer tournament during both days at Andy Livingstone Park.

Carnaval del Sol closes off the Latin American Week, which includes cruises, the Canada Day parade, a Latin film night, a look into Afro-Latin history, and wining and dancing.

Carnaval del Sol is hosted at Concord Pacific Place, 88 Pacific Blvd in Vancouver. There is a $2.00 admission this year for single day access (or a $15.00 VIP pass for use on both days, including access to the beer garden and VIP areas), and is easily reachable by transit with a quick walk from either the Stadium-Chinatown or Main Street-Science World SkyTrain stations.

Local

TransLink fares set to increase on July 1, 2019

Leave a comment
Compass Cards
TransLink fares are increasing on Monday, July 1st, 2019.

On Monday, July 1st, 2019 transit fares around Metro Vancouver will rise as part of TransLink’s on-going improvements to SkyTrain, SeaBus, bus and other services.

Single trip fares will see a five cent increase, while concession fares go up five cents; monthly passes will cost three dollars more (concession by two dollars). Stored Value Compass cards will go up by ten cents. Purchasing a DayPass will cost 25 cents more. The table below breaks down the cost per zone and fare type.

 

 

 

Single Use/Cash Tickets
Zone Current Fare New Fare
   Adult
1 $2.95 $3.00
2 $4.20 $4.25
3 $5.70 $5.75
   Concession
1 $1.90 $1.95
2 $2.90 $2.95
3 $3.90 $3.95
Stored Value Compass Card
   Adult
1 $2.30 $2.40
2 $3.35 $3.45
3 $4.40 $4.50
   Concession
1 $1.85 $1.95
2 $2.85 $2.95
3 $3.85 $3.95
Monthly Pass
   Adult
1 $95.00 $98.00
2 $128.00 $131.00
3 $174.00 $177.00
   Concession
All Zones $54.00 $56.00
Day Pass
   Adult
All Zones $10.25 $10.50
   Concession
All Zones $8.00 $8.25

Source: TransLink

Local

BC Ferries fares to go up June 1st, 2019

Leave a comment
BC Ferries vessel MV Queen of Oak Bay arrives at Horseshoe Bay.

The cost of taking BC Ferries is about to go up thanks to a new 1.5% fuel surcharge starting June 1st, 2019.

On routes between Metro Vancouver and Vancouver Island, this is an additional 25 cents for an adult passenger and 85 cents for a vehicle. For the smaller inter-island routes, this is 15 cents for adult passengers and 45 cents for a vehicle.

BC Ferries uses fuel surcharges/rebates to offset the fluctuations in the price of fuel. Rebates are given at time of ticket purchase when the cost of fuel is low, while surcharges are added when the prices are high.

Sources: BC Ferries

Local

Honda Celebration of Light 2019 dates and countries revealed

Leave a comment
Japan’s performance in 2017

The Honda Celebration of Light returns to Vancouver’s English Bay this summer with three fun filled nights of fireworks synchronized to music. For 2019, the line-up includes two new participant countries are joining host country Canada – India and Croatia.

This is the 29th year the event has lit up the city, with India starting first on Saturday, July 27th, 2019, followed by Canada on Wednesday, July 31st, 2019 and then Croatia on Saturday, August 3rd, 2019.

Leading up to the pyrotechnic display, which begins at 10:00 pm, there will be live music and a selection of food trucks. For those wanting a more comfortable seat, there are three viewing lounges offering premium views (at a price); tickets are available online through the Honda Celebration of Light web site.

Source: Honda Celebration of Light

Local

BC Ferries wants your feedback for new ships for Metro Vancouver-Vancouver Island routes

Leave a comment
<em>MV Queen of New Westminster</em> manoeuvres into Duke Point in Nanaimo.
MV Queen of New Westminster manoeuvres into Duke Point in Nanaimo.

With some of BC Ferries’ older vessels reaching the end of their life, the company is looking for input on the amenities and features for the next generation of vessels. BC Ferries is hosting both an online survey and in-person pop-ups on select sailing routes between Metro Vancouver and Vancouver Island.

These new vessels would replace four serving the routes between Metro Vancouver and Vancouver Island: MV Queen of Alberni, MV Queen of New Westminster, MV Queen of Coquitlam, and MV Queen of Cowichan. These vessels serve on the Tsawwassen-Swartz Bay, Tsawwassen-Duke Point and Horseshoe Bay-Departure Bay routes.

BC Ferries is looking to maintain fare affordability, minimize environmental impact, adjust capacity based on demand and services provided on board. Feedback regarding accessibility, people travelling with children, pets or using bicycles, as well as outdoor spaces, food/drink options and other conveniences is requested.

The new ferries are expected to enter service in the mid-2020’s.