10 things to do in Vancouver today: Sunday, January 5

Jan 3 2020, 1:00 pm

Keep the new year energy going with these 10 things to do in and around Vancouver on Sunday, January 5. Check out Festival of Lights, East Van Panto, and more.

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

Grouse Mountain’s Peak of Christmas

Ice skating/Grouse Mountain

What: Visitors can take a spin on Grouse Mountain’s 8,000-sq-ft outdoor ice skating pond or zip down the multi-lane snow sliding zone. You can also take a sleigh ride through the mountain’s Winter Wonderland, meet magic reindeer, watch family Christmas movies, and write a letter to Santa. At Santa’s Workshop, believers young and old can share their special Christmas wishes and take a photo. Photos are pay by donation to BC Children’s Hospital.

Access to the Peak of Christmas is included with your Annual Local’s Pass, Y2Play or Winter Season Pass, as well as regular Alpine Experience tickets.

When: Now until January 5, 2020
Time: 9 am to 10 pm
Where: Grouse Mountain – 6400 Nancy Greene Way, North Vancouver
Admission: Peak of Christmas activities are complimentary with Mountain Admission Ticket, Annual Membership, Winter Season Pass, or Lift Ticket. Tickets online. Discounted rates are also available for BC residents

Sunday Night Movie Series at Bells and Whistles

What: Enjoy movies every Sunday night at Bells and Whistles. January screenings include The Hangover on January 5. Enjoy the free popcorn.

When: January 5, 2020
Time: 9 pm
Where: Bells and Whistles – 3296 Fraser Street, Vancouver
Admission: Free

VanDusen Festival of Lights

What: The dazzling botanical garden will be covered in more than a million lights to help ring in the Christmas season. Visitors can stroll through interactive themed areas, watch the famous dancing lights show on Livingstone Lake, take a photo with Santa, light a candle at the Make-A-Wish candle grotto, or simply warm up with a specialty beverage at the licensed fireside lounge. All tickets, which can be purchased online or at the gate, include a free ride on the carousel.

When: Now until January 5, 2020
Where: VanDusen Botanical Garden – 5251 Oak Street, Vancouver
Time: 4 pm to 9:30 pm
AdmissionAdults: $19 online and $21 at the gate. Youth and seniors: $14.50 online and $16 at the gate.

Cats and Dogs

What: Presented by White Spot, and created by La Cité des sciences et de l’industrie, in partnership with Le Musée de la civilization, the Cats & Dogs exhibition is the first “large-scale” exhibition dedicated to these animals, according to officials. Visitors will learn about the cognitive and sensory world of cats and dogs, in what’s described as an “immersive environment” that is meant to show people how their pets have a “completely different perception” of the world around them.

When: Now until January 5, 2020
What: Various times
Where: TELUS World of Science — 1455 Quebec Street, Vancouver
Tickets: Online

Always Growing Up

What: Improvisers Ese Atawo and Patrick Dodd perform a long-form relationship-based improv show at Havana Theatre on January 5.

When: January 5, 2020
Time: 8 to 9 pm
Where: Havana Theatre — 1212 Commercial Drive, Vancouver
Tickets: Online

Brackendale Eagle Festival

vancouver outdoor events january

Bald eagle (Ian Duffield/Shutterstock)

What: The 34th annual Brackendale Eagle Festival is a celebration of eagles, featuring a special lineup of concerts, lecture series, art shows, group tours and the annual Bald Eagle Count held on the first Sunday in January.

When: January 5, 2020 (Eagle Count); January 11 (The Matinee concert); January 12, 13, 18, and 19 (Natural World Lecture Series).
Time: Various times
Where: Brackendale Art Gallery — 41950 Government Rd, Brackendale
More Information: Online

The Sound of Music

What: Arts Club Theatre brings the classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical to life at Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage. Enjoy classics like “My Favorite Things,” “Do-Re-Mi,” and more with the family.

When: Now until January 5, 2020
Time: Various times
Where: Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage — 2750 Granville Street, Vancouver
Tickets: Online

Out of Concealment – Female Supernatural Beings of Haida Gwaii

What: Bill Reid Gallery presents the Vancouver premiere of Terri-Lynn Williams-Davidson’s solo exhibition Out of Concealment. Williams-Davidson honours Indigenous feminine power by re-imagining supernatural figures from Haida tradition. Her vivid portraits — which feature Williams-Davidson herself — use creative design, photographic collage, and subtle integration of designs by celebrated Haida artist Robert Davidson.

When: Now until April 5, 2020
Time: Various times
Where: Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art – 639 Hornby Street, Vancouver

Winter Ice Palace

What: The 22nd Annual Winter Ice Palace turns Cloverdale Ice Arena into a winter wonderland. Enjoy festive lights, decorations, and music while making laps on the ice.

When: Now until January 5, 2020
Time: Various times
Where: Cloverdale Ice Arena – 6090 176 Street, Surrey
Admission: $4.50/person, $3.25 for skate rentals, $1.75 for helmet rentals

East Van Panto: Pinocchio

What: East Van Panto returns for their seventh year with Pinocchio, created by playwright Marcus Youssef, composer Veda Hille, and director Stephen Drover. When a lonely old ice-cream seller named Gelato is given a puppet by the mysterious Beckwoman of Commercial Drive, his dreams of having a child suddenly come true. Join a locally famous cricket, an angry orca, and a dastardly fox as poor Pinocchio does his best to tell everyone the truth and become a real boy. But why are Pinocchio’s limbs always growing?

When: Now until January 5, 2020
Time: Various times
Where: York Theatre – 639 Commercial Drive, Vancouver
Tickets: Online

Daniel ChaiDaniel Chai

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