5 Things to Do in Vancouver This Week (February 22-28)

Credit: Talking Stick Festival

1. Talking Stick Festival

Through February 27

The 20th anniversary of Western Canada’s premier Indigenous arts festival is totally free (and online), so it’s easier than ever to access the music, dance, poetry, readings, panel discussions, workshops and other great events. We’ve got an eye on In The Beginning—A Cultural Sharing, a storytelling originally recorded at the Cultch, and The Candy Show, a comedy variety show hosted by the hilarious Candy Palmater.

Credit: Colin Williscroft

2. Amanda Sum’s Solo Livestream

February 25

We fell in love with local artist Amanda Sum in Do You Want What I Have Got: A Craigslist Cantata (the COVID-version first took to the stage in November and then again a few weeks ago) and—lucky for us—she’s got another virtual show for us to obsess over. For her solo livestream of indie-pop original music this Thursday, she’s squeezed a keyboard, guitar, and tech into her tiny childhood bedroom. So 2021.

Credit: Main Street Brewing

3. Main Street Brewing’s "Departure Lounge"

Available now

We want to travel somewhere tropical and hot, blah blah blah. It’s a given. Main Street Brewing has channelled all that vacation angst into a new beer called “Departure Lounge,” which hit the shelves and tasting room last weekend. It’s a farmhouse grisette all about hibiscus flowers and Mosaic hops plus lemon and black pepper—and if that’s not your thing, there’s another in the series coming in March (called “Ocean View,” a lager with a tang of black lime). Time for a refreshing sip of Get Me Outta Here.

Credit: Four Eyes Portraits Courtesy of Ballet BC

4. Ballet BC’s Take Form

February 25

Ballet BC’s 2021 season begins this week with Take Form, an online show featuring nine new performances. It’s a celebration of the company’s resilience during the pandemic—tune in to see returning Ballet BC dancer Livona Ellis, emerging artist Jacob Williams, artist in residence Alexis Fletcher and other talented performers.

Credit: Renaissance Opera

5. The Apocrypha Chronicles Podcast

On now

Renaissance Opera’s new podcast, The Apocrypha Chronicles, is a mashup of science fiction and audio documentary (and, literally, music to your ears). At the end of 2020, the opera company commissioned 18 artists to create short digital works. This podcast imagines a young archivist finds them…150 years from now. The story explores an imagined future where the pandemic is a distant memory.