Travel Blog

30 Mar

20 Unmissable Vancouver events in April 2012

Photo Credit: Flickr | vcbf_cherry_scout

April is (almost) here. I ain’t fooling. This glorious spring month is a mixed bag of trickery, cherry blossom festivities, Easter, Earth Day and taxes.

Stand out events include the pretty, pink Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival, Easter egg hunts, Eco Fashion Week, a colossal California wine tasting tour, the Vancouver Sun Run and more.

Here’s a hotlist of 20 Vancouver happenings to help you plan your April agenda.

20 Unmissable Events in April 2012

1) Event | April Fools’ Day | April 1 | Get ready to bamboozle, hornswoggle and befuddle. Trickery abounds April 1, and only a fool doesn’t get in on the uproarious action. Highlights from 2011 include LinkedIn.com listing Albert Einstein and Sherlock Holmes under “People You May Know,” Google’s Gmail Motion (“Now you can control Gmail with your body”), and Whole Food’s insects raised with compassion.

2) Art Event | Angela Grossmann – The Future is Female | April 4 – May 6 | Emily Carr Instructor Angela Grossman unveils her new work at the Winsor Gallery April 4. The exhibit delves into the female struggle for empowerment with paint and collage – the technique that’s won Grossman recognition as a Canadian great.

3) Music Event | Live at Squamish 2012 Launch Party +Line Up Revealed | April 4 | A true sign that summer is just around the corner, the line-up for the legendary Live at Squamish Music and Arts Festival (August 24 – 26) will be revealed at a launch party at the Commodore Ballroom April 4.

4) Event | Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival | April 5 – 28 | Once a year, Vancouver dons pink frippery in the form of cherry blossoms and we all come out and celebrate. Festival events take place throughout the month of April and include Cherry Jam (downtown), Sakura Days Japan Fair (VanDusen Botanical Garden) and blossom-viewing bike rides.

5) Event | 24th Annual Snowball Classic | April 6 – 7 | Watch the gravity defying dips and sultry swirls of this longstanding ballroom dance competition at the Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre, featuring some of the best dancers in Canada vying for top titles to represent Canada in the World Championships.

6) Family Event | Easter Egg Hunts for Kids | April 6 – 8 | Easter falls on Sunday, April 8 this year and Vancouver’s fully-loaded schedule of family events runs April 6-8. Check out Dana’s post on egg hunts, scavenger hunts and how to have a run in with a giant Easter bunny.

7) Food Event | Easter Brunches | April 6 – 8 | Easter weekend is a showcase of the city’s best brunches. One stand out event is the Rosewood Hotel Georgia’s 1920s-themed brunch in the beautifully restored Spanish Ballroom, Sunday April 8. Dishes include endive, fennel and apple salad and braised bison short ribs with spicy mole. Traditional brunch items (eggs benedict stations) will also be served.

No Easter Brunch would be complete without fresh-baked pastries and hot cross buns and petit fours for dessert. The Kris Covlin Trio will play ragtime and hot jazz music from the roaring twenties throughout the afternoon.

8) Fashion Event | ECO Fashion Week | April 10 – 12 | Vancouver’s eco-friendly fashion event is back for Season 04. This time, the runway events will be held at the Robson Square ice rink and feature two free, public events – a vintage catwalk show and a panel talk with eco-conscious designers. Tickets are on sale now for the exclusive runway events including international labels Prophetik and La Isla swimwear.

9) Music Event | Elvis Costello and the Imposters | April 10 | Mr. Costello, king of pub-rock and punk rock, performs at Orpheum Theatre with his merry band of Imposters for their Spinning Songbook Tour, where select fans are invited onstage to spin the Wheel, creating new sets at each performance. Costello has earned rock immortality, so novel as it sounds, don’t knock it til you try it.

10) Event | TELUS World Ski Snowboard Festival | April 13 – 22 |Set in Whistler, the TELUS World Ski and Snowboard Festival is a 10 day/night showcase of the latest in the skiing and snowboarding. TELUS World celebrates spring snow conditions with Canada’s largest free outdoor concert series, action sports, culture and a relentless nightlife. We hear even the arts events are packed full of adrenaline.

11) Event | Vancouver Sun Run | April 12-15 | A local rite of spring, the Vancouver Sun Run is the largest 10K in Canada and has been since its inception in 1985. Founded by former Canadian Olympians Dr. Doug and Diane Clement along with Dr. Jack Taunton, the run promotes the benefits of running to improve health and fitness while supporing elite amateur athletics.

12) Event | California Wine x 2 | April 17-18 | A doozie of a tasting tour arrives in Vancouver April 17 as an Arts Club fundraiser. Although the kickoff event California Dreaming Dinner at West is already sold out, tix are still on sale for the April 18 event at the convention centre ballroom, when 700 wine enthusiasts will meet with 120 Californian vintners, from gorilla estates to boutique vinns.

13) Sports Event | Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. Sporting KC | April 18 | The Whitecaps are throwing down, taking names…you name it. Although their first season was uninspired, the second is off to a good start. This is the time to get out to BC Place Stadium, spectate, and enjoy the victories.

14) Sports Event | Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. FC Dallas | April 21 | The Whitecaps are throwing down and taking names at home again. Head out to BC Place Stadium and cheer them on.

15) Event | CAMRA’s Kitsilano Cask Carouse | April 21 | Team up with other local brewski lovers in a four-stop cask carouse through Kitsilano, including The Sunset Grill Tap House Whiskey Bar, The Bimini, Darby’s and Displace. Each stop will feature a unique and interesting cask conditioned ale made by one of BC’s talented craft breweries, as well as an appie pairing with each sleeve. All four stops will feature a guest speaker educating carousers on suds-related topics.

16) Event | Fan Expo Vancouver | April 21 – 22 | This “all-ages playground for fans of comics, sci-fi, horror, anime and gaming” at the Vancouver Convention Centre will feature guest appearances by a range of superheroes, including Batman (Adam West) and Robin (Burt Ward). I’ll be there for my formative sci fi role model of yesteryear – Marina Sirtis of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

17) Event | Earth Day | April 22 | Let’s hear it for the big round thing we traipse on every day. It deserves that and more. Every year on April 22nd, more than 6 million Canadians join 500 million people in over 180 countries in staging events and projects to address local environmental issues. Celebrate by attending an event, getting involved with a cause or just by setting up a home compost heap.

18) Event | Nifty for Fifty Design Market | April 22 | What started as a glorified garage sale has evolved into the annual, budget-friendly bash known as Nifty for Fifty at Main Street’s Heritage Hall. As the name implies, all fashion, accessories and trinkets are $50 or less.

With racks of discounted goods by the finest (and usually quite pricey) local designers – including Adhesif Clothing, Allison Wonderland, Erin Templeton, Daub Design, Kdon, Irit Sorokin Designs, Toodlebunny, Floating Gold Iceberg, Bronsino, and more – you’ll want to arrive early.

19) Food Event | Dirty Apron Cooking School ‘Get Your Grill On’ Class | April 27 | With the near arrival of patio season, meat cooking is moving outdoors. The 4-hour, ultimate grilling class from the founders of Chambar  teaches grilling newbies how to amp up their carnivorous prep skills.

20) Event | Vancouver Public Library Spring Book Sale | April 26 – 29 | Get involved, eReader generation. Thousands of old fashioned, paper books will be on sale at prices ranging from .75 to $2.50, cash only. Oh and BYO…bag.

Fun Bonus Event | Playland at the PNE opens for the season April 28.

Onerous Bonus | Generally, tax returns must be filed with the the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) on or before April 30.

Article source: http://www.insidevancouver.ca/2012/03/30/20-unmissable-vancouver-events-in-april-2012/