57 things to do in Metro Vancouver on Sunday, December 11

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      Looking for something to do on Sunday? The Straight’s got you covered. Here are 57 events happening in or around Vancouver on Sunday, December 11.

       

      CONCERTS

      The B3 Kings--keyboardist Chris Gestrin, guitarist Bill Coon, saxophonist Cory Weeds (Saxophone), and singer-drummer Denzal Sinclaire--perform festive jazz at Maple Ridge's ACT Arts Theatre.

       

      BENEFITS

      The ongoing Lights of Hope Christmas lights display at St. Paul's Hospital raises funds for the St. Paul's Foundation.

      Vote on your favourite gingerbread creation and get your photo with Santa at Grouse Mountain, with proceeds to SOS Children’s Village B.C.'s programs and homes for local foster children and homeless youth.

       

      ETCETERA

      Experience a winter wonderland at Bloedel Conversatory's Holiday Heights at Bloedel, complete with magical lights, festive music, a holiday scavenger hunt, seasonal activities, and a Ferris-wheel ride.

      The two-day Shiny Fuzzy Muddy art and craft show at Heritage Hall features works by more than 30 Vancouver artists.

      Over 265 exhibitors sell everything from clothing, to art, to home décor and accessories at the PNE Forum's Make It!

      The Festival of Lights at VanDusen Botanical Garden features over one-million twinkling lights, a carousel, a dancing-lights show, the Make-A-Wish candle grotto, and photos with Santa.

      Heritage Christmas at Burnaby Village Museum features light displays, vintage shop-window displays, a visit with Father Christmas, live entertainment, fresh heritage baking, kids' crafts, a sing along, and a scavenger hunt.

      The Vancouver Christmas Market continues at Jack Poole Plaza, featuring traditional German cuisine, mulled wine, gingerbread, German beer, a Christmas pyramid, a large heated tent overlooking the North Shore, entertainment, a carousel, and vendors selling gifts and treasures.

      The two-day Got Craft? indie craft fair at the Pipe Shop features works by some of Vancouver's top handmade designers.

      Christmas crafts and live local music by Caesha McCollum, Lexy Atterton, John Michael Lind, Rachael Schroeder, and Sound of the Sun at Big Rock Urban Brewery's Craftmas.

       

      KIDS' STUFF

      Annual children's science show at UBC Hebb Theatre explores the physics of sound, music, and concerts, with donations accepted for the Greater Vancouver Food Bank.

      Bring your family to the Lonsdale Quay Market to enjoy French toast from COBS Bread--by donation to Aunt Leah's Place--and storytime with Santa.

      Help Santa search for his missing elves during an exhilarating simulated flight-ride experience across Canada and on to the North Pole at Flyover Canada.

       

      ARTS ETCETERA

      Leonard Cohen Tribute at the Jewish Community Centre features 22 works of art by Cohen, a performance of Cohen's music by Boogie Street, a reading of Cohen's poetry by members of Pandora's Collective, and a talk on Cohen and Jewish spirituality by Matthew Gindin.

      Christmas Presence features an eclectic array of musicians and actors performing songs, stories, poems, and readings for the holiday season at Pacific Theatre.

       

      DANCE

      Ballet BC presents the Royal Winnipeg Ballet's rendition of the classic holiday ballet Nutcracker at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.

      The Luciterra White Raven Revue at the Rickshaw Theatre features performances from beginner- to advanced-level dancers, with choreography by both Luciterra and the students themselves.

       

      MUSIC

      The Ryerson United Church Choir presents a concert of festive carols and seasonal works by Bach, Handel, Byrt, Whitacre, and Leighton at Ryerson United Church.

      William Rowson conducts host Christopher Gaze, the UBC Opera Ensemble, EnChor, and the Vancouver Symphony in a traditional holiday concert at St. Andrew's-Wesley Church.

      Good Noise Vancouver Gospel Choir presents its annual holiday concert featuring gospel adaptations of classic Christmas songs at Christ Church Cathedral.

      The Gallery Singers celebrate Christmas at Redeemer Lutheran Church with traditional English, French, and German carols as well as music by Charpentier, Lassus, and Britten.

      The Vancouver Pops Symphony teams up with the 45th Ave Jazz Band to perform Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts.

      The 50-member Marcus Mosely Chorale performs at Surrey's Northwood United Church.

      Vivace performs a Christmas concert under the music direction of Trevor Hoffmann at Langley's Church in the Valley.

      Cellist Ariel Barnes performs works by J. S. Bach, Ana Sokolovic, and Gaspar Cassado at Roedde House Museum.

      The Surrey Youth Orchestra, the Intermediate Orchestra, and the Junior Strings present classical works and holiday songs at Surrey's Chandos Pattison Auditorium.

      Holiday concert at Tenth Church combines pop and classical styles with a sprinkle of dance and comedy.

       

      LITERARY

      Fans of the Bard gather at Instant Studios for a Shakespeare Reading Party, with participants reading three random scenes.

       

      GALLERIES

      Walker Evans: Depth of Field at the Vancouver Art Gallery features more than 200 black and white and colour prints from the 1920s through to the 1970s.

      Juxtapoz x Superflat exhibition at the Vancouver Art Gallery offers a unique insight into contemporary art and its place in cultural life.

      Stare exhibition at Vancouver Art Gallery features photographic works that evoke a fixed and concentrated gaze on the part of artist and viewer.

       

      MUSEUMS

      Layers of Influence: Unfolding Cloth Across Cultures at the Museum of Anthropology at UBC features more than 130 diverse cultural garments, from Japanese kimonos, to colourful Indian saris, to the elaborate feather cloaks of the Maori people of Aotearoa/New Zealand.

      The Museum of Anthropology at UBC hosts an exhibition that features the carvings of Papua New Guinea's Iatmul people.

      At the Museum of Vancouver, you can explore the cultural power and significance of collecting through wall-to-wall displays of unconventional objects.

       

      THEATRE

      Vancouver bluesman Jim Byrnes stars in Bah! Humbug, a retelling of Charles Dickens's classic tale A Christmas Carol, at SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts.

      Performance at the York Theatre of East Van Panto: Little Red Riding Hood, Theatre Replacement's pantomime that sees Little Red Riding Hood battling bike thieves, distracted drivers, and the Big Bad Wolf.

      The Geekenders present the original live stage version of the cult-hit movie The Rocky Horror Show at the Rio Theatre. about a couple who get stranded and take refuge in the castle of an unusual scientist.

      Alchemy Theatre presents Alice in Wonderland, a play based on Lewis Carroll's famous work, at Studio 1398.

      The Arts Club Theatre Company presents The Day Before Christmas--about a perfectionist who is desperately juggling family and work as she attempts to create the perfect Christmas--at the Goldcorp Stage at the BMO Theatre Centre.

      Leaping Thespians presents A Christmas Carol In Gay Apparel, an original parody of Charles Dickens's classic holiday tale, at the Cultch.

      The Arts Club Theatre Company presents Mary Poppins--a musical based on the stories of P.L. Travers and the Walt Disney film--at the Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage.

      In Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol, four actors bring to life the characters of Charles Dickens's classic Christmas tale at Jericho Arts Centre. Appropriate for ages five and up.

      Queer and trans artists of colour explore themes of ancestry, belonging, language, and identity in works in progress: Boxes and Mixed Vegetable at Havana Theatre.

       

      ATTRACTIONS

      Grouse Mountain resort features a Skyride to the peak with views of Vancouver and the Pacific Ocean, as well as skiing and snowboarding, snowshoeing, ice skating, mountain ziplines, and the Peak of Christmas.

      Mount Seymour features skiing and snowboarding lessons from the Mt. Seymour Ski and Snowboard School, tubing and tobogganing, and snowshoe trails.

      Robson Square Ice Rink offers free ice-skating in downtown Vancouver, with skate rental available.

      Edgewater Casino offers 24-hour gaming, over 60 table games, a poker room, a high-limit section, 500 slot machines, restaurants and lounges, and live entertainment, including concerts and televised UFC events.

      Cypress Mountain features skiing and snowboarding lessons, snowtubing park, cross-country ski trails, downhill skiing and snowboarding trails, and snowshoeing tours.

      Check out the Vancouver Christmas Tree at Robson Square.

      The Capilano Suspension Bridge features seven suspended footbridges offering views 110 feet above the forest floor.

      The Vancouver Aquarium features almost 800 animal species in galleries ranging from Canada's Arctic to the Amazon rainforest.

       

      MOVIES

      Cinema Sunday presents a screening at the Cinematheque of Tim Burton's 1996 sci-fi comedy Mars Attacks!.

      Screening at Vancity Theatre of The Violin Teacher, about a talented violinist forced to give music classes to teenagers in a public school in the biggest favela of Brazil.

      Screening of Chinese-Canadian filmmaker Johnny Ma's genre-morphing drama-thriller Old Stone at the Cinematheque.

      Screening at Vancity Theatre of To the Ends of the EarthDavid LaValee's film about concerned citizens living at the frontiers of extreme oil and gas extraction.

      Screening at Vancity Theatre of Ten Years, the omnibus film by directors Kwok Zune, Wong Fei-pang, Jevons Au, Chow Kwun-wai, and Ng Ka-leung that offers five provocative takes on a dystopian 2025.

       

      For all the latest Metro Vancouver event announcements and updates follow @VanHappenings.

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