The item beside this text is an advertisement

  • eat
  • shop
  • see
  • go
  • stay
  • daytrip
  • map
  • calendar
  • transport
  • weather
  • currency
  • tofrom
Home > Hot Dates

Hot Dates

Hot Dates: EAT! Vancouver Food + Cooking Festival

Try restaurants' signature dishes at the Bites of Vancouver Pavilion

Try restaurants’ signature dishes at the Bites of Vancouver Pavilion

May 24 to 26

Gastrophiles, mark your calendars. Canada’s largest consumer food and beverage festival is back for its 11th year. Dig into the festivities with sampler-sized versions of local restaurants’ signature dishes at the Bites of Vancouver Pavilion, or sip your way through the Wine, Beer & Spirits Tasting Pavilion. Full to the brim? Walk it off as you wander through the 250 exhibits at the marketplace. Also found at the festival: delectable demonstrations by the Food Network’s celebrity chefs and culinary classes that teach everything from brunch staples to cake building 101.—Jill Von Sprecken

Hot Dates: Great Easter Gifts

Great Easter gifts in Vancouver

Nothing says Easter like a basket overflowing with mouth-watering chocolates from Purdy’s. If you’re counting calories and have to skip the bonbons, ask the Easter Bunny to deliver a seasonal charm from Thomas Sabo instead. Either way, it’s a sweet treat.—Sheri Radford

Hot Dates: Dining Out for Life

Treat your belly and soul at Dining Out for Life. Photo by KK Law

March 7

For one day each year, restaurants across North America contribute 25 percent of their sales to charities that support people living with HIV/AIDS. In Metro Vancouver and Whistler, more than 200 eateries—from casual cafes to elegant rooms—are participating, giving diners a cornucopia of opportunities to benefit Friends For Life and A Loving Spoonful. So, after enjoying breakfast at The Elbow Room Cafe, lunch at Doolin’s Irish Pub or dinner at Hawksworth Restaurant, you’ll leave with both a full belly and a warm heart. For more info, see Dining Out for Life.—Sheri Radford

Hot Dates: Defying Genres with Comic Artist Art Spiegelman

“Self-Portrait with Maus Mask” by Art Spiegelman

To June 9

You won’t find the usual superheroes and villains in Art Spiegelman’s comic art, but his work still packs a punch. Best known for his Pulitzer Prize–winning graphic novel Maus, Spiegelman often creates a stir with his genre-defying artwork. Visit the Vancouver Art Gallery’s CO-MIX: A Retrospective of Comics, Graphics and Scraps to see work that spans his extraordinary career. From his first cover art for The New Yorker to panels from his early underground comics, there is plenty to marvel at.—Jill Von Sprecken

Hot Dates: BC Legends Emily Carr and Charles John Collings at Vancouver Art Gallery

Photo by Blaine Campbell, Vancouver Art Gallery, of “Home in Trees, Canada” by Charles John Collings, collection of Vancouver Art Gallery, promised gift of Uno Langmann

To May 26

It’s water, water everywhere at the Vancouver Art Gallery this season. Hope at Dawn: Watercolours by Emily Carr and Charles John Collings highlights the ethereal efforts by two major British Columbia artists with differing styles. Carr used her watercolours primarily as an intermediary before an oil painting, whereas Collings was a trained watercolourist with a subtle hand (“Home in Trees, Canada,” pictured).—Kristina Urquhart

Hot Dates: Dine Out Vancouver 2013 Offers Prix-Fixe Plates

Diva at the Met photo by KK Law

January 18 to February 3

Attention, foodies: the largest restaurant festival in Canada, Dine Out Vancouver, celebrates its 11th year with cabaret dinners, food and cocktail tours, street food markets and prix fixe menus with optional wine or beer pairings at hundreds of eateries, from humble bistros to casual favourites to Vancouver’s most elegant dining establishments. Click here for details, and get ready to delight your taste buds.—Sheri Radford

Hot Dates: Cirque du Soleil’s Amaluna Comes to Vancouver

Cirque du Soleil photo by Laurence Labat

November 23 to December 9

Balancing on a tightwire in high heels, riding a unicycle, juggling increasing numbers of balls, swooping high above the audience on aerial straps—the 50 cast members of this Cirque du Soleil production make it all look effortless, but don’t try this at home. Just sit back, enjoy the grace and athleticism, and prepare to be amazed. Look for the blue and yellow big top on False Creek.—Sheri Radford

Hot Dates: See Artists in their Studios at Vancouver’s Eastside Culture Crawl

“And the oak tree told the chicken about the day the sky fell” by Ross den Otter

November 16 to 18

Art lovers, lace up your walking shoes for this weekend-long East Vancouver festival that combines aesthetics with exercise. Download a map from the Crawl’s website and embark on a self-guided walking tour to 75 venues, where you’ll meet painters, photographers, jewellers and sculptors in their own workspaces. Support our homegrown talent by purchasing one-of-a-kind pieces, including those by local artist Ross den Otter (pictured). You won’t find a better Vancouver souvenir.—Kristina Urquhart

Hot Dates: Get Started on Holiday Shopping at Two Vancouver Markets

Tasci Handmade Glass, available at Circle Craft Christmas Market

November 7 to 11

‘Tis the season for markets aplenty—Christmas is, after all, just around the corner—so start tucking away gifts early to avoid holiday stress. The Circle Craft Christmas Market (Nov. 7 to 11) features goodies by Canadian artisans (including Tasci Handmade Glass, pictured), and Make It! Vancouver (Nov. 8 to 11) highlights one-of-a-kind handmade items.—Jennifer Patterson

Hot Dates: BC Hydro Power Smart’s Candelight Conservation Dinner

Italian Kitchen is one of the participating restaurants in the Candlelight Conservation Dinner. Photo by KK Law

October 25

Dining by candlelight isn’t just romantic—it’s good for the environment, too. On Oct. 25, local eateries are turning down the lights and turning up the ambience for BC Hydro Power Smart’s annual Candlelight Conservation Dinner. More than 100 restaurants—including Italian Kitchen (pictured) and The Reef—offer enticements such as discounts or two-for-one entrées. Visit www.bchydro.com for all the mouth-watering details.—Sheri Radford

Hot Date: Harvest Noir

Sept. 30

Last year’s Harvest Noir was held outside the Museum of Civilization.
Image © Byfield Pitman Photography

In what’s quickly becoming one of the hottest events on Ottawa’s social calendar, Harvest Noir combines an elegant harvest celebration, a secret picnic in a public place, a pop-up parade, and a dance party. Guests, dressed head to toe in their finest black attire, prepare a picnic feast and bring it to a yet-to-be-disclosed location in downtown Ottawa, where they mingle and revel with hundreds of other diners. A mass flash mob is held at local farmers’ markets (again, the location is secret!) a few days before the event, and the picnic is capped off with a massive party. Tres Parisienne!

Visit www.harvestnoir.com for details and ticket info.

Hot Dates: Decor Fans Get Inspired at Interior Design Show West

Cool booths are a requirement at IDSwest, the annual exhibition of all things design

September 27 to 30

Full-fledged designers and newbie DIY’ers both find inspiration at the 8th-annual Interior Design Show West (IDSwest). Grab your pen and take down tips from some of the best in the biz: Tommy Smythe, Sarah Richardson’s design sidekick on HGTV, hits the stage on Sep. 29 and 30; and local star Kelly Deck shares her knowledge of West Coast style on Sep. 30. Looking to turn your drab abode into an Architectural Digest–worthy home? Visit hundreds of booths and talk with pros about how to start. If shopping’s more your speed, navigate the One of a Kind district—no blueprint required—with over 50 exhibitors showcasing their handmade jewellery, home decor and fashion.—Jennifer Patterson

« Older posts