How was the weekend? – Artsy and wet

The long weekend is over and a short week lies ahead. How did you spend your time?

Were you with us at the art walk on Friday? Even though it was a classic Raincouver winter night with breezy temperatures and light rain I really loved what I’ve seen and learned on this guided tour, e.g. some mind blowing AR installations which you could access by scanning a QR code on your phone. My favourite was one that let you see some paintings around you and as you walked closer it seemed like you were IN the painting! I saw beautiful skies with Northern Lights even though I was just standing at Canada Place. Another one of my favourites was a mural which itself already is impressive, but if you scan the QR code next to it and point your camera you’ll be able to see the mural move! There were many more interesting facts and stunning art along the way, if you haven’t been I’d recommend you check it out! It’s by donation, so make sure you show your appreciation by at least $10 for the guide which is super inexpensive for what you get. 🙂

After the walk some of us grabbed a drink and some food at the arts hub located at the Vancouver Art Gallery. The entrance is free and there’s still lots of events going on.
To top it off we danced at the VMF After Dark x AfroQueer YVR: Black Rave which had an all woman DJ line-up with taste makers of the Vancouver Drag scene. I’ve never been in a space with so many cool people at once and I loved every second of it, you could tell the energy was nothing but positive. 🙂

Saturday was a rest day for me and Sunday I met some friends for brunch at a restaurant on Commercial Drive. If you look for good food in a cool area that’s the place to go to! Commercial Drive offers a lot of great restaurants, especially amazing Italian Pizza and Pasta, but really you’ll find almost anything there! Afterwards we went bowling and of course had some more food. 😀 In order to get rid of all those extra calories we went to go snowboarding on Grouse Mountain early Monday morning. Unfortunately it was raining a lot resulting in us being completely soaked after a couple of hours, not the most fun I must say and really cold! After a hot coffee we decided to go back home, take a hot bath and just prepare for the week ahead of us. I will try again another time with better weather. 😉

I hope you stayed nice and dry while enjoying your weekend activities! Can’t wait to hear about it at Pub Night.

Cheers,

Laura 🙂

What to do on the weekend?

We are getting closer and closer to Christmas, who’s excited for the Holidays?
I sure am. This weekend I have a few great suggestions for you on what to do.

The first one is the Christmas Cabaret which will be an immersive experience with the theme of Light, Love and Liberty. Guests will explore a labyrinth like space filled with live music, weaving voices, corridors of original paintings, movement artists, all flowing inviting the audience to come on magical journey for a few hours. There’ll be wine & cheese, coffee, hot chocolate, mulled apple cider and other Christmas goodies, perfect to get into the Holiday spirit. Be prepared for 11 musicians, 6 actors, 3 movement artists and 4 painters. See what Vancouvers art scene has to offer and maybe take a walk along the beach beforehand. 🙂 The price for this event is by donation, recommended is around $25, but really just see for yourself how much you’d like to give to support the artists. 🙂
Let me know if you’d like to join. 🙂

Link: https://youtheatresociety.com/2022/11/04/christmas-cabaret/

Maybe you’re not into arts? I have a few other events that could prevent you from being a Grinch this year. A bunch of you asked me about the Capilano Canyon Lights and it’s for sure nice to experience. If you want to go to the Capilano Suspension Bridge I’d go during this time rather than in summer time. It just has a nice touch to it, kind of like walking through fairy land if you ask me. But be prepared for crowded paths, like almost every event here in Vancouver it gets quite busy. The entrance fee is $62.95 plus tax. You can get there free with a shuttle bus that leaves from Canada Place. Make sure to buy your tickets online in advance for the planned date.

Link: https://www.capbridge.com/events/canyon-lights/

If your budget is low because you’ve been buying lots of Christmas presents I totally understand! How about a nice stroll through Stanley Park? I feel like that’s always a good idea to spend the weekend. There’s of course the seawall, or different paths through the forest, just make sure to stay on the path and give wildlife its space. 🙂 The weather will be sunny, so make sure to catch the sunset on your walk and maybe you could end up at the ‘Bright Nights in Stanley Park’. Volunteers of the Burn Fund set up their dazzling displays including an antique fire truck, a giant red reindeer, and a sparkling tunnel of lights in the plaza. There’s also going to be food vendors offering churros, pretzels, popcorn, hot chocolate and more for a cozy evening in Stanley Park. Enjoy some live entertainment and donate as much as you’d like to support the Professional Fire Fighters’ Burn Fund when you leave this event. 🙂

Link: https://vancouver.ca/parks-recreation-culture/bright-nights-train.aspx

Whether you decide to immerse yourself into the Holiday spirit, go last minute gift shopping because I just reminded you that it’s next weekend, or avoid it all by watching movies in bed, I hope you have a great weekend!

Let me know how it went at next week’s pub night. 🙂

Cheers,

Laura 🙂

What to do o the weekend?

The short week is already over, it’s FRIYAY! I know the weather hasn’t been the best but good news, this weekend is going to be sunny again!

Perfect weather for a little bit of Disc Golfing in Queen Elizabeth Park! It’s kind of like Mini Golf, but with discs (heavy frisbee’s), super fun. Last time only two people got hit by a disc. 😀 Jokes aside, it’s a great way to start your Saturday, plus Queen Elizabeth Park offers beautiful gardens with an amazing view over downtown, it’s definitely worth checking out. Remember to bring lots of water. 🙂 We are meeting 11am at the Disc Golf course in Queen Elizabeth Park!

The Vancouver Mural Festival started on August 4th with daily celebrations and over 30 new murals across the city. It will continue for 11 days and is an awesome way to discover Vancouver’s creative side with an incredible line-up of 150+ visual and performing artists. Vancouver Mural Festival will host daily mural tours, public talks, daily live performances at the all-new City Centre Festival Hub, plus a spectacular all-ages festival closing street party in downtown Vancouver, so if you like arts, you should definitely check it out!

If you’re more into sports, there’s a Baseball Game going on this Saturday and Sunday at The Net Bailey Stadium. The Vancouver Canadians are going to play against the Tri-City Dust Devils. Grab a hot dog, a beer and cheer on your team, get the whole stadium experience! On Saturday there’ll even be fireworks over the stadium. You could go after our Disc Golfing to have the ultimate sports day. 😉

Another cool event this weekend is the Brewhalla Beer and Music Festival in Port Moody. There will be more than 60 craft beers from local breweries, as well as performances from local musicians. The event will also bring in food trucks and other refreshments, like local cider, kombucha, seltzer, and wine. Festival-goers can also expect some fun activities like lawn games, as well as giveaways. It’s a great way to explore areas around Vancouver that are more rural.

I hope I see lots of you on Saturday! If not, enjoy your weekend and as always let me know how it was!

Cheers,

Laura 🙂

What to do on the weekend?

This weekend INTERNeX is going to the Honda Celebration of lights, an annual musical fireworks competition between different country representatives. The first one will be Japan this Saturday! We are meeting at 8pm at Sunset beach to set up some blankets, play some games, watch the sunset and then enjoy the fireworks, which are shooting from a boat located at English Bay. Bring some snacks and layered clothes since it’s still getting cold at night.

On Sunday INTERNeX is planning a trip to Playland which will be so much fun! We’ve got Thrill passes that allow us to go on almost all the rides. This day is only for the brave ones amongst us. 😉 Are you coming? Which ride are you looking forward to the most?

Are you more into chill activities, like arts and crafting? I’ve got the perfect activity for you. The Eastside Arts Society (EAS) presents CREATE! Arts Festival taking place on July 23rd at Strathacona Park. It brings together local visual and performing artist and the community to explore, learn, and create art together through a series of affordable workshops and public art activities. There’s also beer and wine trucks around 😉 Tickets and information: createartsfestival.ca

Have you been to Granville Island yet? If not, then I’d recommend you go. It’s a really nice area underneath the Granville bridge with a big market, cute shops and really good food! The area reminds me a small fisher town, surrounded by water with industrial manufacturing. I like to go to the food court, but there’s also many restaurants around. You can get almost everything there, e.g. Salmon candy. Yes, that’s right I said Salmon candy. In fact, my quest for you is to go to Granville Island, find it and try it! Let me know what you think. 😉

I look forward to hearing about your weekend!

See you around.

Cheers,

Laura 🙂

Smart Saver Vancouver

Are you a fan of arts and culture? Then is here your chance to enjoy Vancouver’s arts scene and save some money at the same time!

The Cultch, an innovative arts and cultural hub, offers great deals closing out their season. You can visit the show “The History of the World Based on Banalities” at York Theatre until May 5^th. It is a story about a boy who looks back on his mother’s life and discovers small and seemingly meaningless banalities that tie them together. Best part of it: if you are between 13 and 26 years old, you pay only $5 for your ticket! Just type in the promo code WORLD online and you receive the discount. Check the other shows out as well, but be fast. “World Without Us” and “The Explanation” are only playing until April 29^th.

A must-see for all art fans is of course the Vancouver Art Gallery. Best time to visit the gallery is Tuesday night between 5 and 9pm. In these hours, you can save a lot of money, because the ticket is sold by donation. Current exhibitions are “Bombhead”, “Living, Building, Thinking: art and expressionism” and ‘Takashi Murakami: The Octopus Eats Its Own Leg”. Next time it rains on a Tuesday night, you will know what to do.

But what if the sun is shining and you do not want to spend your time inside? Luckily, Vancouver offers many opportunities to explore art in the street. Just keep your eyes open and take a look into small side streets, surprises are waiting for you around every corner. Here are my top street art places that I have discovered so far. I would suggest you to take a walk around the building of the company “Hootsuite” in the Mount Pleasant area. Next to the colourful house itself, you can find some beautiful paintings there. You can spot another popular photo location at Burrard and West 4^thin Kitsilano. In July 2017, the artists Steve and Sandy Pell were asked to create an interactive public art piece that inspires values like connectedness, positivity and freedom. It worked out! Many people have already posed in front of the huge gold and black wings. #KitsWings has already been used 1,500 times on Instagram. It is really impressive, you should definitely check it out.

Last but not least, you will find a very colourful area around the corner Davie and Bute Street in West End. There are colourful crosswalks and beautiful wall paintings all around. What a pretty place!

I hope you can now enjoy arts without spending (much) money in Vancouver. See you tomorrow at The Lamplighter!

– Kerstin

INTERNeX International Exchange
International Village,
Suite 2077, 2079 – 88 West Pender Street
Vancouver, Canada -V6B 6N9-
Web: http://www.internexcanada.com
Email: pr@internexcanada.com