Vancouver Magazine
Beijing Mansion Hosts Chinese Restaurant Awards New Wave 2023 Dinner
A Guide to the City’s Best Omakase
5 Croissants to Try at the 2023 Vancouver Croissant Crawl
The Best Drinks to Bring to a Holiday Party (and Their Zero-Proof Alternatives)
The Wine List: 6 Wines for Every Holiday Wine Drinker on Your List
Nightcap: Spiked Horchata
5 Things to Do in Vancouver This Week (December 4-10)
Protected: Your dream smile, just in time for wedding season
5 Things to Do in Vancouver This Week (November 27-December 3)
Escape to Osoyoos: Your Winter Wonderland Awaits
Your 2023/2024 Ultimate Local Winter Getaway Guide
Kamloops Unscripted: The Most Intriguing Fall Destination of 2023
2023 Gift Guide: 8 Gorgeous Gifts from Vancouver Jewellery Designers
Local Gift Guide 2023: For Everyone on Your Holiday Shopping List
Local Gift Guide 2023: For the Pets
Date November 6 to 17Venue Historic Theatre at the CultchPrice From $26thecultch.com
Whether it’s writing, performing and selling out a one-man show or growing a magnificent handlebar moustache, playwright Tetsuro Shigematsu has proven his talents as an individual—but his newest production, Kuroko, puts a spotlight on helping hands. Coming from Kabuki, kuroko is a Japanese word meaning “child of darkness.” It refers to stagehands that “enable the players to accomplish the impossible,” says the playwright.
A departure from his previous solo shows, this world premier features a cast of five Asian actors. The production follows a father’s quest to get his daughter out of her bedroom—she is hikikomori, a recluse who has shut herself away for the past five years. Her only link to reality is through the virtual, and her father hires a stranger to befriend her online in hopes of ending her reclusion. Five years might seem extreme, but reclusion and retreat into virtual reality are more common than you think—Shigematsu believes hikikomori may offer “an interesting glimpse of our collective future.”
Date November 20 to January 5Venue York Theatre at the CultchPrice From $26thecultch.com
A lonely ice cream vendor named Gelatto, his puppet, and a lot of lies and laughter make up this fractured fairytale—a beloved East Van tradition.
Date November 7 to 11Venue Vancouver Convention Centre WestPrice From $11circlecraft.net
Kick off holiday shopping with wares from over 300 artisans from B.C. and beyond, including sleek, hand-poured concrete planters from Mind the Minimal and lifelike anatomical lasercut artwork from Light and Paper.
Date November 23Venue Biltmore CabaretPrice From $17instagram.com/jukeross
This med-student-turned-guitar-hero hails from Guyana, and his dusky warm voice is just what the doctor ordered.
Date November 7 to 10Venue Vancity Theatre and Scotiabank Dance CentrePrice $13adfilmfest.com
This fest has an all-star lineup of flicks that hit close to home, literally—like Fredrik Gertten’s PUSH, an international documentary that explores why we can’t afford to live in our own cities anymore.
Date November 21 to December 14Venue Firehall Arts CentrePrice From $25firehallartscentre.ca
Attention, cynics tired of cheery holiday specials: grab some tissues and head to this ghostly romantic musical—Portuguese fado is known as the saddest music in the world.
Date November 28Venue Ancora Waterfront Dining and Patio (False Creek and Ambleside locations)Price From $59ancoradining.com
Chef Ricardo Valverde’s roasted yam and coconut soup, turkey roulade and carrot cake with walnut crumble is a great excuse to be grateful on American Thanksgiving, too.
Date December 7Venue Vogue TheatrePrice From $20voguetheatre.com
This live comedic podcast starring Jordana Abraham and Jared Freid tackles modern dating’s central questions, like “Is It Hot or Offensive to Leave Right After a Hookup?” and “What’s Worse, Looking Jealous or Crazy?”
Date December 21Venue Granville Island and YaletownPrice Freesecretlantern.org
It’s the longest night of the year, but thousands of candlelit lanterns (plus singing, drumming and a firedance finale) bring the heat to this free fest.