35 things to do in Vancouver this week: February 6 to 10

Just because the snow has returned to Vancouver doesn’t mean the fun has to stop! Here are 35 things to do around the city, from concerts to film festivals, and everything in between.

For more things happening around town, check out our events section.

Monday, February 6

Rendez-Vous French Film Festival

• What: The 23rd annual Rendez-Vous French Film Festival screens over 40 films from Quebec and France. Talk-backs, galas and a short film program are also featured.
• Where: Coquitlam Evergreen Cultural Centre – 1205 Pinetree Way, Coquitlam; Jules Verne Auditorium – 5445 Baillie, Vancouver; Alliance Française De Vancouver – 6161 Cambie Street, Vancouver; SFU Woodwards – 149 West Hastings Street, Vancouver
• When: February 2 to 12 at various times
• Tickets: Online, $7.50 students, $10 adults, $16 Double Bill

Vancouver Poetry Slam featuring Dana I.D Matthews

• What: Haitian born poet and MC Dana I.D Matthews has performed spoken word poetry across Canada. Dana was part of London’s Poetry Slam team at the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word in 2010, and became its team captain the next year. He was a Vancouver Poetry Slam team finalist in 2012, an independent finalist at Canadian Individual Poetry Slam in 2013, and is a Kwantlen Polytechnic Universty Grand Slam Champion.
  
• Where: Cafe Deux Soleils – 2096 Commercial Drive, Vancouver
• When: February 6 at 8 pm
• Tickets: At the door, $8

Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival

• What: Taking place from January 17 to February 14, 2017, the Hot Chocolate Festival once again makes for a delectable countdown to the sweetest day of the year, Valentine’s Day, when a lot of us are definitely thinking about chocolate. The month-long event finds cafes, sweet shops, and restaurants around Vancouver serving up special cocoa-y creations.
• Where: Participating locations. See full list here. 
• When: Until February 14

The Image Before Us: A History of Film in British Columbia – Take 3: Mount Pleasant

• What: The gentrification of Vancouver’s Mount Pleasant neighbourhood is the backdrop for writer-director Ross Weber’s thoughtful tale about three dysfunctional couples whose destinies intertwine after a six-year-old girl injures herself with an addict’s discarded needle.
  
• Where: The Cinematheque – 1131 Howe Street, Vancouver
• When: February 6 at 7 pm
• Tickets: Online, $9-$11

Blue Mondays in The Projection Room

• What: Blue Mondays is an intimate dance party featuring a wide variety of genres spanning the decadent decade of the 1980’s.
• Where: The Fox Cabaret – 2321 Main Street, Vancouver
• When: Every Monday at 9 pm
• Tickets: No cover, 19+

Foreign Radical – Theatre Conspiracy

• What: Up to 30 willing participants will engage in a game of secrets in Foreign Radical’s unique mix of multimedia elements and varying outcomes. It’s a game of security, profiling, freedom of expression and privacy – all wrapped up in the overarching theme of cybersurveillance.
• Where: Studio 1398 – 1398 Cartwright Street, Granville Island
• When: February 6 at 7 pm. February 7 to 10 at 7 pm and 9 pm, February 11 at 2 pm, 7 pm and 9 pm
• Tickets: Online, $14-$30

Canadian Improv Games: Lower Mainland Tournament

• What: The top 25 teams in the Lower mainland will compete in the 40th anniversary season of the Canadian Improv Games. Each team will perform improvised scenes from audience suggestions within the CIG 5 event format. The top two teams will be invited to the National Tournament in Ottawa at the National Arts Centre.
• Where: Waterfront Theatre – 1412 Cartwright Street, Granville Island
• When: February 6 to 10 at 7:30 pm, February 11 at 2 pm and 7:30 pm
• Tickets: Online, $8-$12

Tuesday, February 7

Sin Peak’s Large Sibling All Stars – Season Finale

• What: Inspired by popular reality shows like Big Brother and Survivor, Sin Peak’s Large Sibling All Stars features alliances and betrayals, live music, and improvised narrative comedy.
• Where: Seven Dining Lounge – 53 West Broadyway, Vancouver
• When: February 7 at 8 pm
• Tickets: $8

Sam Roberts 

Jules Bistro 10th Anniversary Menu

• What: To celebrate its 10-year anniversary and to thank everyone for their ongoing support, Jules Bistro is offering a Table D’Hote (three-course meal) for lunch and dinner. The authentic French bistro is offering the choice of Bistro Salad or Soup Du Jour for a starter, an 8oz Ribeye Steak, Pan Seared Salmon Provencal, or Mussels with Fries as a main, and Chocolate Terrine for dessert. 
• Where: 216 Abbott Street, Vancouver
• When: February 7 to February 12
• Price: $21 for lunch and $23 for dinner (the original prices from ten years ago)

Ragtime the Musical: In Concert

• What: At the dawn of a new century, everything is changing and anything is possible. Set in the volatile melting pot of turn-of-the-century New York, Ragtime weaves together three distinctly American tales. Presented by Fighting Chance Productions.
• Where: Orpheum Annex – 823 Seymour St, Vancouver
• When: February 7 to 10 at 8 pm, February 11 at 2 pm and 8 pm.
• Tickets: Online, $25-$30

Kinky Boots – Broadway Across Canada

Image: Matthew Murphy

• What: The infectious ‘Cindy Lauper musical’ is back, with having toured the world during its four-year life, spanning several translations in Korean and Japanese. In one of those vague ‘inspired by true events’ stories, fabulous performer Lola dances into town and into the fortunes of a struggling gentlemen’s shoe factory. The quest for the perfect stiletto is fierce in this Grammy Award-winning Broadway staple.
• Where: Queen Elizabeth Theatre – 650 Hamilton Street
• When: February 7 to 12 at various times
• Tickets: Online, $50-$150

BlanketFort

• What: Roll up the sleeves on your PJs and help construct a giant BlanketFort in which a comedy show happens. Then enjoy a night of funny with Ava Julien, Jo Dworschak, Ryan Williams, Chelsea McNabb, Ryan Gunther, Melanie Rose and Shlomo McPeake. Hosted by Emma Cooper.
• Where: Astoria Hastings – 769 East Hastings Street, Vancouver
• When: February 7 at 8:30 pm
• Tickets: Free

Manual Cinema’s Ada/Ava

• What: Based in Chicago, Manual Cinema is a performance collective, design studio, and film/video production company. They combine handmade shadow puppetry, cinematic techniques, and innovative sound and music to create immersive stories for stage and screen. Ada/Ava is a gothic tale that explores mourning and melancholy, self and other.
• Where: Orpheum Annex – 823 Seymour St, Vancouver
• When: February 7 at 7:30 pm
• Tickets: Online, $20-$32

Wednesday, February 8

Run the Jewels

• What: American hip-hop duo El-P and Killer Mike, also known as Run the Jewels, stop in Vancouver in support of Run the Jewels 3. The Gaslamp Killer, Gangsta Boo, Nick Hook and Cuz also join Run the Jewels on the tour.
• Where: PNE Forum– 2901 E Hastings Street, Vancouver
• When: Wednesday, February 8, at 8 pm
• Tickets: Online, $36.50

Fallacy of the Fist

• What: This unique bilingual evening features a staged reading in English with Chinese subtitles of Fallacy of the Fist, which tells the story of a siege during China’s Boxer Rebellion in 1900, and the absurdity of war which has trapped both the besieged and the besiegers. The reading will then be followed by a performance of the play in Chinese, with English subtitles, and a post-show talk.
• Where: Dorothy Somerset Studio – 6361 University Boulevard, Vancouver
• When: Wednesday, February 8, from 7 to 10 pm
• Register: Online, free

Unpacking Art: Lunchtime Talks on Works in the SFU Art Collection

• What: Each talk focuses on a single work from the SFU Art Collection and will unpack the work out of storage while unpacking its significance. This series encourages participation from audiences that are new to visual art and to the SFU Art Collection. Adriana Contreras, Marketing and Communications Coordinator for SFU Health & Counselling Services, is this month’s speaker.
• Where: SFU Gallery – AQ 3004 8888 University Drive, Burnaby
• When: February 8 at 12:30 pm
• Cost: Free

Improv Against Humanity: Valentine’s Vengeance

Image: Zemekiss Photography

• What: The Fictionals are serving up Rambo-style romance at The Rio Theatre with Valentine’s Vengeance. Bring a friend, a lover, and friends who you want to be lovers, and enjoy Cupid Against Humanity comedy. Who will be the first Most Horrible Person in Vancouver of 2017?
• Where: The Rio Theatre – 1660 East Broadway, Vancouver
• When: February 8 at 8 pm
• Tickets: Online, $10

Pop-Up Love Party

• What: Pop-Up Love Party reimagines Plato’s Symposium in its quest to define eros with all its plagues and pleasures. The performers must outdo each other in a battle of ideas. They do this with the aid of nostalgia, aerobics, a kangaroo court, conspiracy theories, an infectious pop ballad and quiet philosophical contemplation.
• Where: Shadbolt Centre for the Arts– 6450 Deer Lake Avenue, Burnaby
• When: February 8 to 11 at 8 pm
• Tickets: Online, $33-$38

The Legend of Zelda: Trivia Of Time

• What: Do you have the Wisdom, Power and Courage to defeat two deadly rounds of Zelda trivia from There Is No Easy Mode? Assemble your team of up to five warriors, and find out at EXP Restaurant and Bar.
• Where: EXP Restaurant and Bar – 309 West Pender Street, Vancouver
• When: February 8 at 7 pm
• Cost: Free

Corleone: The Shakespearean Godfather – Classic Chic Productions

Image: Emily Cooper

• What: In light of the recent Women’s March demonstrations, there is no better time for this twist on The Godfather, reimagined as a Shakespearean drama. The all-female production, as typical of all Classic Chic’s work, will add one more gender-bendy level to some of our most traditional masculine archetypes.
• Where: Pacific Theatre – 1440 W 12th Avenue, Vancouver
• When: February 3 to 25 at various times
• Tickets: Online, $24-$35

Thursday, December 15

Pecha Kucha Night

• What: PechaKucha Night is a fun and informal event where people can meet, inspire and get inspired, based on a format that is fast-paced and fun.
• Where: Vancouver Playhouse – 600 Hamilton Street, Vancouver
• When: February 9 at 7:30 pm
• Tickets: Online, $17.95

Women in the Arts Panel & Girl Positive Book Launch

• What: Girl Positive co-authors Tatiana Fraser and Caia Hagel will facilitate a panel discussion that will uncover the innovative ways in which women artists are disrupting and innovating culture. Featuring author, actor, and playwright Carmen Aguirre, artistic director of Western Gold Theatre Anna Hagan, mixed-raced social justice activist, actor and artist Mariam Barry, and director, writer, actor and educator Kim Harvey.
• Where: The Cultch Historic Theatre – 1895 Venables Street, Vancouver
• When: February 9 at 7 pm
• Tickets: Free, register online

The Edible Museum of Canadian Food and Wine

• What: The Edible Museum of Canadian Food and Wine is giving guests a one-night-only chance to attend an interactive exhibition that will leave you educated and full. The expo will be divided into vignettes depicting prominent moments in our foodie past, including origin stories of iconic dishes like poutine and the creation of the McIntosh apple.
• When: Thursday, February 9 from 7 to 10pm
• Where: The Permanent, 330 West Pender Street
• Tickets: $22; purchase via Eventbrite (includes tastes from select VQA wines and small bites)

Cartems Acoustic Vol. 2 – Anti-Flag

• What: Anti-Flag performs an acoustic set and holds a meet and greet. Cartems will be collecting non-perishable food items to be donated to Covenant House BC.
• Where: Cartems Donuterie – 2190 Main Street, Vancouver
• When: February 9 at 5:30 pm
• Tickets: Free

Science of Cocktails 2017

Image: Science of Cocktails / Christopher Guy

• What: More than 20 award-winning bartenders will be at the Science of Cocktails creating unusual and delicious cocktails. There will be cocktail science activities, hands-on-demonstrations, and 12 different food stations to satiate your stomach. Plus, ticket proceeds go to support Science World class field trips for under served schools in Vancouver.
• Where: Science World – 1455 Quebece Street, Vancouver
• When: February 9 at 7 pm
• Tickets: Online, $159

I Witness: The Shifting Focus of Photojournalism

• What: Photojournalists Rebecca Blissett, Gerry Kahrmann, Richard Lam, and John Lehmann discuss digital photography in the current landscape of the print media industry. This panel discussion will be moderated by journalist Jennifer Moreau of the Burnaby Now.
• Where: Museum of Vancouver – 1100 Chestnut Street, Vancouver
• When: February 9 at 7 pm
• Tickets: Online, $11-$15, free for MOV members

Small Stage: 35 – the valentine’s edition

• What: Small Stage 35: the valentine’s edition is a dance portrayal of Romeo and Juliet set on our signature distinctly small stage. Genres include hip hop, jazz, urban street, contemporary, and a few other surprises.
• Where: AnzaClub Vancouver – 3 West 8th Avenue, Vancouver
• When: February 9 to 12 at 8 pm
• Tickets: Online, $25

Friday, February 10

Eastside Flea Spring Market

• What: Over 50 local vendors set up shop for Eastside Flea. Plus enjoy food trucks, a live deejay, artisan showrooms, seasonal drink specials, pinball, visiting with friends & more.
• Where: The Ellis Building– 1024 Main Street, Vancouver
• When: February 10 at 6 pm, February 11 to 12 at 11 am
• Tickets: $3 or $5 weekend pass

Hasan Minhaj

Image: Hasan Minhaj / Facebook

• What: Comedian Hasan Minhaj is known for his appearances on The Daily Show With Trevor Noah and his viral web series The Truth with Hasan Minhaj. He has also been seen on a variety of other television programs including Arrested Development on Netflix, HBO’s Getting On, and @Midnight on Comedy Central.
• Where: Vancouver Playhouse – 600 Hamilton Street, Vancouver
• When: February 10 at 7 pm (sold out) and 9:30 pm
• Tickets: Online, $26-$37 plus fees

Romance of the Stars with Louise Burns

• What: An intimate evening of live music and astronomy in the planetarium star theatre. Recording artist Louise Burns will be playing a selection of songs inspired by the love of star gazing. In between songs, astronomy educators will guide you through the nighttime sky.
• Where: H.R. MacMillan Space Centre – 1100 Chestnut Street, Vancouver
• When: February 10 at 7 pm
• Tickets: Online, $20

The Brett Martin Show

Image: Brett Martin

• What: Comedian Brett Martin presents a monthly talk show featuring skits, comedy, and life lessons. This month features Yumi Nagashima, The Fictionals, Byron Bertram and more.
• Where: Yuk Yuks Vancouver – 2837 Cambie Street, Vancouver
• When: February 10 at 10:30 pm
• Tickets: Online, $11.43

SLIDE SHOW: A Night of Improvised Powerpoint Comedy

• What: Vancouver’s top improvisors making up presentations on the spot to go with PowerPoint slideshows they’ve never seen before.
• Where: Little Mountain Gallery – 195 East 26th Avenue, Vancouver
• When: February 10 at 9 pm
• Tickets: At the door, $5

Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival

• What: The Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival celebrates mountain sports and culture over nine days. Also includes a photo competition, speakers, and more.
• Where: Various venues across Vancouver and North Vancouver
• When: February 10 to 18
• Tickets: Online, $12-$21

Story Story LIE – X Rated Edition

• What: The cities best performers share intimate, hilarious, often embarrassing, stories that seem to odd to be true. The catch is, one story is a lie.
• Where: Cafe Deux Soleils – 2096 Commercial Drive, Vancouver
• When: February 10 at 9 pm
• Tickets: Online, $6