52 things to do in Metro Vancouver on Sunday, August 20

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      Looking for something to do on Sunday? The Straight’s got you covered. Here are 52 events happening in or around Vancouver on Sunday, August 20.

       

      CONCERTS

      The last day of Rock Ambleside Park features concerts by Prism, Headpins, Glass Tiger, and April Wine. Held at Ambleside Park.

      Local blues ensemble the Match Box Blues Band takes the stage at the Cottage Bistro.

      The second night of the PNE Summer Night Concerts series features music by Billy Currington at the PNE Amphitheatre.

       

      BENEFITS

      At the CMWAC Annual Fundraising Gala Night, you can watch a variety of multicultural performances and raise money for the Community Mental Wellness Association of Canada. Held at the Michael J. Fox Theatre.

       

      ET CETERA

      Vancouver's 45th Annual Ratha-Yatra Parade features entertainment on two stages, music, dance, live theatre, a kids' zone, mehndi hand tattoos, yoga and meditation, face painting, veggie-cooking demonstrations, clowns and balloon artists, and free food. Held at Second Beach.

      At the Lost Lagoon Nature House, you can participate in a walk that explores the life in Stanley Park's intertidal zone.

      You can meet at Robson Square to take a walking tour that explores how Vancouver manages to stand in for cities from around the world in TV and film.

       

      FASHION

      The Westin Bayshore Hotel hosts a fashion show featuring pieces by Zao Swimwear.

       

      FOOD AND DRINK

      Highlights of the Ninth Annual Garlic Festival include an expanded farmers market, local garlic, family-friendly activities, food by local chefs, live music, local vendors, cooking demonstrations, and workshops. Held at Terra Nova Rural Park Farm Centre.

       

      KIDS' STUFF

      The Fair at the PNE continues the festivities with the Summer Night Concerts series, the Hockey Hall of Fame exhibit, the Toytopia exhibit, a craft-beer festival, magic shows, rides, the SuperDogs, agricultural displays, games, and food.

      Douglas Park Spirit Square's Community Celebration Day includes live music, dancing, bouncies, a photo booth, art activities, and food.

       

      SPORTS

      The Vancouver Canadians take on the Everett AquaSox in Minor League Baseball action at Nat Bailey Stadium.

       

      COMEDY

      Instant Theatre Company presents a night of comedy by four new improv duos at the Havana Theatre.

      The Vancouver TheatreSports League presents Rookie Night, an evening of improv comedy by new and emerging comedians. Held at the Improv Centre.

       

      DANCE

      At Swing Dancing in the Street, you can learn how to swing dance to the live music of Van Django. Held at the Roundhouse Turntable Plaza.

      Dance Without Limits Surrey is a safe, active environment for individuals with various disabilities to have fun while exploring dance, creative movement, and games. Held at the Chuck Bailey Rec Centre.

       

      THEATRE

      Theatre Under the Stars presents director Shel Piercy's staging of the musical Mary Poppins, about a magical nanny who teaches the Banks family a lesson in love and imagination. Held at Malkin Bowl.

      Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival presents William Shakespeare's comedy Much Ado About Nothing, in which a group of actors and filmmakers celebrates the wrap of their latest movie. Held at Bard on the Beach.

      Peninsula Productions presents Sea of Stories, a musical about life in small-town Canada, at the Coast Capital Playhouse.

      Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival presents William Shakespeare's Two Gentlemen of Verona, the tale of two best friends who are in love with the same woman. Held at Bard on the Beach.

      Alchemy Theatre and Vagabond Players present William Shakespeare's comedy Love's Labour's Lost, in which youthful notions of love encounter the challenges of adulthood, at the Bernie Legge Theatre.

      It's your last chance to catch The Commedia Tales of King Arthur, Beach House Theatre's kid-friendly play about the adventures of King Arthur and his knights. Held at Blackie Spit Park.

       

      GALLERIES

      Pictures From Here at the Vancouver Art Gallery features photographs and video works by Vancouver-based artists Roy Arden, Karin Bubaš, Christos Dikeakos, Stan Douglas, Greg Girard, Rodney Graham, Mike Grill, Arni Haraldsson, Fred Herzog, Barrie Jones, Evan Lee, N.E. Thing Co., Marian Penner Bancroft, Henri Robideau, Sandra Semchuk and James Nicholas, Althea Thauberger, Jeff Wall, Ian Wallace, Paul Wong, Cornelia Wyngaarden, and Andrea Fatona.

      Bill Reid Creative Journeys at Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art celebrates the three phases of the artist's creative journey, Pre-Haida (1948-1951), Haida (1951-1968) and Beyond Haida (1968-1998).

      Claude Monet's Secret Garden at the Vancouver Art Gallery showcases 38 paintings that span the career of the French artist who is regarded as a master of the Impressionist movement.

      Xi xanya dzam at Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art features traditional masks, carvings, baskets and moosehide, contemporary prints, sculptures and jewellery by Primrose Adams, Dempsey Bob, Rena Point Bolton, Mandy Brown, Joe David, Robert Davidson, Alvin Mack, Mary Michell, Earl Muldon, Susan Point, and Norman Tait.

      The first major Canadian exhibition of photographs, collages, drawings, sculptures, and films by Tel Aviv-born, Los Angeles-based artist Elad Lassry is at the Vancouver Art Gallery.

      Twenty-five works by contemporary American photographer Stephen Shore complement the exhibition Claude Monet’s Secret Garden at the Vancouver Art Gallery.

      Persistence at the Vancouver Art Gallery draws together three recent contemporary installations by Canadian artists Julia Feyrer, Tamara Henderson, Shelagh Keeley, and Germaine Koh.

       

      MUSEUMS

      Traces of Words: Art and Calligraphy from Asia at the Museum of Anthropology at UBC examines the physical traces of words, both spoken and recorded, that are unique to humans. 

      In a Different Light: Reflecting on Northwest Coast Art at the Museum of Anthropology at UBC features more than 110 historical indigenous artworks and explores what we can learn from these works and how they relate to indigenous peoples’ relationships to their lands

      Amazonia: The Rights of Nature at at the Museum of Anthropology at UBC features Amazonian basketry, textiles, carvings, feather works, and ceramics both of everyday and of ceremonial use, representing indigenous, Maroon, and white settler communities.

      The Lost Fleet at the Vancouver Maritime Museum investigates the unjust 1941 seizure of 1,200 Japanese-Canadian fishing vessels following the bombing of Pearl Harbour through a collection of historic photographs, models of Japanese-Canadian-built fishing boats, fishermen’s tools, and replica documents.

       

      ATTRACTIONS

       

      The 22-hectare VanDusen Botanical Garden features over 255,000 plants from around the world, a restaurant, a garden shop, and a horticulture library.

      Take a ride in an exterior glass elevator and get a 360° view of Metro Vancouver and the North Shore mountains at Vancouver Lookout.

      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.

      At the Bloedel Conservatory you can take in more than 200 free-flying exotic birds and 500 exotic plants and flowers.

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

      Big Splash Waterpark in Tsawwassen, formerly Splashdown, features newly renovated pools and hot tubs, new slides such as Kamikaze and Solar Splash, a sports bar and grill, and complimentary shuttle service to and from downtown Vancouver.

      Kitsilano Pool, Vancouver's only saltwater swimming pool, is 137 metres long and features a heated outdoor pool, a saltwater pool, a water park, two slides, cafes, and lockers.

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

      Soar from coast-to-coast across the Canadian landscape with a 25-minute ride featuring effects such as wind and scents at FlyOver Canada.

      Lighthouse Park features 10 kilometres of hiking trails, picnic areas, guided walks provided by the Lighthouse Park Preservation Society, and the historical 1912 Point Atkinson Lighthouse.

      Science World features hundreds of interactive exhibits in five permanent galleries, live science demonstrations and workshops, and giant movies in the Omnimax Theatre.

       

      MOVIES

      The Vancity Theatre screens Dave Made a Maze, in which a man is trapped inside a maze he constructed out of cardboard in his living room.

      The Rio Theatre screens The Beguiled, director Sofia Coppola's drama about an injured Union soldier who seeks refuge at an all-female Southern boarding school during the Civil War.

      As part of its Film Noir series, the Cinematheque presents screenings of Kiss Me Deadly and Dark Passage.

      The Rio Theatre screens Critters 2: The Main Course, in which a small farming town terrorized by furry creatures who start reproducing.

      It's your last chance to catch flicks at the 29th annual Vancouver Queer Film Festival, which celebrates the best in independent queer cinema. Held at various Vancouver venues.

      The Vancity Theatre screens Nocturama, in which a group of tense adolescents prowl the streets and subways of Paris.

      In writer-director David Lowery's thriller Ghost Story, a white-sheeted ghost returns to his suburban home to console his bereft wife. Screening at the Rio Theatre.

      As part of its Cinema Sunday series, the Cinematheque presents a screening of Ivan Reitman's teen-comedy classic Meatballs.

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

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