Please note: British Columbia is in Step 3 of its COVID-19 restart plan. Please adhere to COVID-19 health and safety measures, including physical distancing and frequent hand washing, and wearing a mask or face-covering in public indoor and retail spaces. If you are sick, please stay home.
Ready to get out and have some fun? We’ve got all the events you need to check out in Vancouver this week! Plus Family Day is just around the corner.
FAN EXPO, Into the Light, Canucks hockey and more, here are 18 things to keep you busy from February 14 to 21.
FAN EXPO Vancouver 2022
FAN EXPO Vancouver/Submitted
What: FAN EXPO Vancouver is one of British Columbia’s largest pop-culture events. The annual event brings together tens of thousands of people ranging from comic book fans, cosplay lovers, sci-fi, horror and anime aficionados, and gaming fanatics to name a few. Plus there are family-friendly experiences and fantastic celebrities to meet as well!
FXV will be presented within capacity limits and with an expanded floor plan and widened aisles for easy social distancing. All participants and attendees will be expected to follow all health and safety mandates including masking (work those masks into your cosplay!) and providing proof of vaccination.
When: February 19 to 21, 2022
Time: 10 am to 7 pm (Saturday), 10 am to 5 pm (Sunday and Monday)
Where: Vancouver Convention Centre, West Building, Halls B And C – 1055 Canada Place, Vancouver
Tickets: Available online, Starting at $12 for children ages 6 to 12, $27 for youth ages 13 to 17, $37-$47 for ages 18 and up. 3-Day Pass, Premium Package, and Family package also available.
The Hollywood Theatre presents It Happened One Night (1934)
What: An evening of classic cinema and romance awaits at The Hollywood Theatre in Kits. Enjoy wine and cocktails, a charcuterie board for two lovingly prepared by Parthenon, popcorn and a screening of It Happened One Night starring Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert.
When: February 14, 2022
Time: 7:30 pm
Where: Hollywood Theatre – 3123 W Broadway, Vancouver
Cost: $80 plus fees, purchase online
“Being a Hope Amid Crisis”: A conversation with Dr. Cornel West
What: BC Black History Awareness Society hosts a conversation with Dr. Cornel West, professor at Union Theological Seminary, and Professor Emeritus at Princeton University. Dr. West has authored 20 books, including Race Matters, Democracy Matters, his memoir, Brother West: Living and Loving Out Loud, and his newest book, Black Prophetic Fire.
When: February 16, 2022
Time: 5 to 6 pm
Where: Online via Zoom
Cost: Free, register online
Into the Light
Gateway Theatre’s Into the Light (Sarah Rice/Submitted)
What: Into the Light (在燈光之中) runs for three days only, from February 18 to 20, and is an all-ages, walk-through event created by Hong Kong-born, Vancouver-based multidisciplinary artist Stephanie Won and award-winning Richmond-based artist Marina Szijarto.
Visitors to Into the Light will step inside the ancient tale of the sea-monster Nian (年) and will be guided through the immersive experience by illuminated lanterns and bursts of sound, colour and light, thanks to the lighting arrangement by Vanka Salim and soundscape composition by Sapphire Haze. Along the way, they will learn how certain Lunar New Year rituals became traditions still celebrated today.
When: February 18 to 20, 2022
Time: 5 to 8 pm (Friday), 1 to 8 pm (Saturday and Sunday)
Where: Gateway Theatre – 6500 Gilbert Road, Richmond
Cost: $18-$28, purchase online
Stayed On Freedom
What: The 10th annual Stayed On Freedom concert in honour of Black History Month features the Marcus Mosely Chorale and City Soul Choir along with special guests Candace Churchill, Dawn Pemberton, Ndidi Cascade, and Will Sanders.
When: February 18, 2022
Time: 7:30 pm
Where: Christ Church Cathedral – 690 Burrard Street, Vancouver
Cost: $42 plus fees, purchase online
Burlesque Duos at the Rio Theatre
What: Burlesque Duos is an annual East Vancouver Valentine’s Day tradition that celebrates partnership and creativity on the day of love. The event pairs up renowned burlesque dancers to perform truly memorable duets at the Rio Theatre.
Starring April O’Peel and Ariel Helvetica, Roxy Reverie and Andosia Wilde, Diva the Violet Femme and Layna Emerald, and Vixen Von Flex and Clare Voyeur, hosted by Crystal Precious and Ella Lamoureux.
When: February 14, 2022
Time: 8 pm
Where: Rio Theatre – 1660 East Broadway, Vancouver
Cost: Tickets start at $30, purchase online
Vancouver Canucks vs Seattle Kraken
What: The Canucks take on the Kraken at Rogers Arena on February 21. The Family Day game is the first regular-season matchup in Vancouver of these two teams, so it’s a marquee historic matchup in this burgeoning West Coast rivalry.
When: February 21, 2022
Time: 7 pm
Where: Rogers Arena – 800 Griffiths Way, Vancouver
Cost: Various, purchase online
Via Kanana
Via Kanana by Via Katlehong and Gregory Maqoma (Christian Ganet/Submitted)
What: Digidance presents Via Kanana, a new production by Via Katlehong Dance and contemporary choreographer Gregory Maqoma. The dance work is streaming via video-on-demand (VOD) across Canada and examines corruption in South Africa while asking wider questions about those in power and the unfulfilled promises made in the transition to democracy.
Digidance is a partnership between Canada’s leading dance presenters: DanceHouse (Vancouver), Harbourfront Centre (Toronto), the National Arts Centre (Ottawa), and Danse Danse (Montreal).
When: February 16 to March 6, 2022
Time: Anytime
Where: Streaming online via VOD
Cost: Starting at $16.14, purchase online
Homegoing: Blackness and Belonging Across the Canada/US Border
What: SFU Department of History presents Debra Thompson, Associate Professor of Political Science and Canada Research Chair in Racial Inequality in Democratic Societies at McGill University. The talk will explore the boundaries of racial belonging, consider the peculiar nuances of racism in Canada and the United States, and more.
When: Thursday, February 17, 2022
Time: 6:30 to 8 pm
Where: In-person in room 1400, SFU Vancouver Campus – Harbour Centre – 515 West Hastings Street, Vancouver as well as online
Cost: Free, register online
Find a restaurant for a romantic night out
What: Intimate spaces, soft lighting, and sensational menus are just some of the things that these restaurants all have in common. Entice both your taste buds and your sense of romance during a sensational evening with your love interest at one of these uber swoon-worthy restaurants in town.
When: Various days of operation
Time: Various hours of operation
Where: Various restaurants across Vancouver. See the list online.
Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel: The Exhibition
Bridgeman Images
What: Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel: The Exhibition invites visitors to experience the 34 frescoes on the Vatican ceiling in life-sized, close-up detail. According to organizers, the frescoes were reproduced by using “state of the art technology from exclusively licensed high definition photos.”
Visitors will be able to see reproductions of works such as The Creation of Adam and The Last Judgment, down to each individual colour and brushstroke. The exhibition will operate with limited capacity, timed entry, and in accordance with BC’s public health guidelines.
When: Wednesdays to Sundays until February 20, 2022 (Closed Mondays and Tuesdays)
Time: 10 am to 8 pm (last entry at 7 pm)
Where: Vancouver Convention Centre East – Exhibition Hall C, 999 Canada Place
Tickets: Starting at $16.60 (plus service charges), online
Matriarchs Uprising Festival
What: The fourth annual Matriarchs Uprising Festival is happening from February 14 to 19 and features a mix of live, on-demand, and community events. Highlights of this year’s festival are live performances of KWE by Jeanette Kotowich and Ancestor Dances by Maura Garcia on February 18 and 19 at The Dance Centre.
Festival viewers are also able to stream online on-demand performances by Christine Friday, Sophie Dow, Sandra Lamouche, Samantha Sutherland, Jessica McMann, Jeanette Kotowich, and Animikiikwe Couchie-Waukey with Bella Waru for the duration of the festival. The works explore a number of themes, including Indigenous world views, identity, land, ancestors, and connection.
When: February 14 to 19, 2022
Time: Various times
Where: Streaming online and at The Dance Centre at Scotiabank Dance Centre – 677 Davie Street, Vancouver
Cost: Free or by donation, register online
Canadian Museum of History: An Evening With Perdita Felicien
What: An Evening With Perdita Felicien will explore the sacrifices it took for Felicien to climb to the top as well as her views on being a Black role model. News anchor and television host Kayla-Marie Tracy will moderate the event, which will be presented in English with simultaneous translation into French.
When: February 17, 2022
Time: 7 pm ET, 4 pm PT
Where: Virtual
Cost: Free, register online
Chosen Family Day: Celebrating Recovery Pathways
Vancouver Pride Society/Submitted
What: Vancouver Pride Society, Last Door Recovery Society, and VMF Winter Arts come together to celebrate the joy of chosen families. Everyone is invited to bring their loved ones to the VMF Winter Arts Hub for an afternoon of drag storytime, drag performances including a kids activity space with a magician and balloon art.
The free Family Day event will also feature a Recovery Day Overdose Memorial Tree as well as a Chosen Family lived experience panel. Storytellers will share their experiences with recovery from mental health issues, addiction, gender-based violence, and sexual orientation discrimination.
When: February 21, 2022
Time: starting at 10:30 am
Where: Winter Arts Hub at šxwƛ ̓ ənəq Xwtl’e7énḵ Square on the north side of the Vancouver Art Gallery – 750 Hornby St, Vancouver
Cost: Free
Queering the Air: A Quintessentially Queer Concert Series
What: SUM gallery presents the first Queering the Air concert series, live performances that present the many sides of queerness. Performances include McGregor-Verdejo Duo on February 18, Mignon on February 25, and Sex Lives of Vegetables: Music of Leslie Uyeda on March 11.
When: February 18, 25 and March 11, 2022
Time: 7:30 pm
Where: SUM gallery – #425 – 268 Keefer St., Vancouver
Cost: Starting at $10, purchase online
D Smoke
What: D Smoke is a Grammy-nominated rapper and the winner of the first season of the Netflix music competition show Rhythm + Flow. He brings the War and Wonders Tour to Hollywood Theatre on February 20
When: February 20, 2022
Time: 6 pm
Where: Hollywood Theatre – 3123 W Broadway, Vancouver
Cost: $25 plus fees, purchase online
An Evening with Louise Rose & Dawn Pemberton
What: BC Black History Awareness Society and Belfry Theatre present a livestreamed concert with living Canadian treasure Louise Rose and the New Queen of Canadian Soul Dawn Pemberton.
When: February 21, 2022
Time: 7 pm
Where: Online
Cost: Pay-what-you-can, recommended $10. Purchase online.
The Lantern City – Forever Young
What: Inspired by the youthful spirit of Granville Island, The Society of We Are Canadians Too has created The Lantern City – Forever Young. Head to Ocean Art Works to see the giant lanterns designed by Indigenous, Rukai, Taiwanese, Filipino and Canadian artists. The artworks celebrate children from all over the world as well as their endless potential
When: Now until February 21, 2022
Where: Ocean Art Works, Granville Island
Cost: Free