#FridayFavourites – what are you doing this weekend? My Van City suggestions. We picked some of our favourite happenings to help you make your next week a favourite! Enjoy!
SALT TASTING ROOM
Gastown’s premier destination for wine, cheese and cured meat is kicking off 2016 with a bang. Following on the heels of the successful San Sebastian Experiment, Salt Tasting Room is travelling to Italy this time, stopping at a gas station for some delicious Italian delicacies. Salt Tasting Room has partnered with their long time pals, the Urbani family at Port Moody-based Urbani Foods to offer complimentary samples of their products, which are inspired by gas station snacks in one of Europe’s most beloved food spots. Launching in February and running for the entire month, guests who order wine, by the glass, flight or bottle, will be able to order free Italian tapas (Cichetti).
https://myvancity.ca/2016/01/21/italian-gas-station-experiment/
GATEWAY THEATRE
Closer Than Ever is a wryly bold and witty two-act musical revue that explores the question of how to find one’s bliss in an increasingly “it’s complicated” world.
Art imitates life (or does life imitate art?) in this intimate and brave ‘bookless book musical’ as it raises a satirical, often hysterical glass to the all too familiar provocations of adult life. To do this, the sparkling lyricist, Richard Maltby, Jr. and the brilliant composer, David Shire, co-created this engagingly witty, down and dirty, off-Broadway hit musical based on the real life experiences of their friends, to lay bare emotions that many of us feel, but few of us are willing to express in public.
https://myvancity.ca/2016/01/19/love-grows-up-closer-than-ever/
FLYOVER CANADA®
FlyOver Canada® Welcomes Year of the Monkey with Fan-Favourite, Flight of the Dragon, Double-Feature
Must-see attraction celebrates Chinese New Year by pairing iconic Canadian flight with soaring journey over China’s spectacular cities & sites
In celebration of Chinese New Year, and Year of the Monkey, FlyOver® Canada presents the anticipated return of Flight of the Dragon – running from January 14 – March 6, at Canada Place. Vancouver’s must-see attraction gives riders the exceptional experience of soaring over China’s spectacular cities and vistas, flying above the electrifying city of Shanghai, the snow-peaked Himalayas, and the majestic Great Wall before immediately lifting off again for an iconic flight over Canada, as part of this limited-engagement event.
MUSEUM OF VANCOUVER
From the Museum of Vancouver (MOV), in partnership with the Vancouver Urbanarium Society, comes a provocative and timely exploration of the future of Vancouver. In response to mounting concern about a rapidly changing region, Your Future Home: Creating the New Vancouver, on display at MOV from January 21 through May 15, 2016, will immerse visitors in an experience that spotlights 20 visions for tomorrow’s city, while focusing on four topical issues: housing affordability, residential density, ease of transportation, and quality of public space.
https://myvancity.ca/2016/01/15/invite-vancouverites-to-participate/
VANCOUVER HOT CHOCOLATE FESTIVAL
When it launched in 2011, The Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival was the first city-wide festival of its kind in the world. Returning for its 6th season, bigger and better than ever, with Vancouver’s best chocolatiers, pastry shops, bakeries, cafes, gelato and ice cream parlours joining forces to make the humble hot chocolate hotter than it has ever been before.
This year the Festival will have it’s own dedicated website and Instagram account and we invite you to use them to meet our vendor participants, find your favourite flavours, download walking maps, and enter our social media contest. In the damp and gloomy days of our Westcoast winter, you’ll find our motto to be true: “Chocolate Makes You Happy!”
https://myvancity.ca/2016/01/14/vancouver-hot-chocolate-festival/
VANCOUVER THEATRESPORTS™ LEAGUE
Vancouver TheatreSports™ League (VTSL) has the perfect remedy for the winter blahs – its 28th annual TheatreSports™ Festival, The Massacre, which hits The Improv Centre stage on Granville Island from January 27 through February 14, promises to banish the blahs with loads of laughs and high stakes competition. “This festival is one of our best-attended events of the year. There is nothing like a little healthy competition to bring out the best in improv comedy and the winner gets bragging rights for a year!” comments VTSL Executive Director, Jay Ono.
https://myvancity.ca/2016/01/26/bloodless-massacre-banishes-blahs/
DINE AROUND THOMPSON OKANAGAN
RauDZ Regional Table and micro bar bites
When Dine Around Thompson Okanagan launches, two popular downtown Kelowna restaurants, RauDZ Regional Table and micro bar • bites will make their inaugural appearance in this dining experience event.
Dine Around, (formerly Wine & Dine) running from January 21 – February 7, invites guests to visit their favourite restaurant or try somewhere new, as chefs prepare delicious three course meals priced $25 – $45.
https://myvancity.ca/2016/01/21/dine-around-2016-at-raudz-and-micro-bar/
TACOFINO
Tacofino is marking the first anniversary of its flagship Gastown location by serving up a celebratory special to its loyal customers that will also raise funds to benefit the local community it calls home.
On Saturday, Jan. 30 between 11 a.m. and midnight, Tacofino’s Burrito Bar at 15 West Cordova St. will offer their famous Baja-style fish tacos at half-price ($3 per order), with all proceeds donated to Potluck Café Society, an outreach program in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside (DTES) that creates jobs for people with barriers to employment and provides healthy food options.
An additional $1 will also be donated by Tacofino to Potluck Café Society with every use of the hashtag #tacoversary shared to Instagram or Twitter between now and Saturday, Jan. 30.
https://myvancity.ca/2016/01/21/tacofino-celebrates-first-year/
WINE ADVENTURES
Join Vancouver wine journalist and educator Gloria Chang on this feature story wine tasting of France through the bucolic vineyards of the Loire Valley.
What is a feature story wine tasting? Think of it as an interactive magazine story about a wine region with stunning photos as you taste along with other wine lovers and wine curious at an intimate, sit-down tasting. It’s wine school in the form of a story that will engage, enlighten, and entertain.
https://myvancity.ca/2016/01/27/winetasting-journey-through-the-loire-valley-france/
