Autumn Hills, one of the artworks on display at Place des Arts this month.| Photo courtesy of Place des Arts.
Compared to the early autumn months of September and October with its fresh falling leaves and crisp air, November feels like a gloomy month. Halloween is over, Christmas is still a month away, the fallen leaves are soggy, the days are rainier, the trees are barer and the atmosphere is solemn. But there’s much to see and do this month. Honour our veterans and fallen soldiers at a Remembrance Day ceremony, attend an art opening and a movie festival, watch some live performances and, for the men, grow out your facial hair for Movember awareness. Here are a few events to mark down on your calendar.
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Remembrance Day Ceremony
Nov. 11
Various locations throughout Canada
One hundred years ago this month, the Battle of Somme concluded, where the Canadian Corps fought alongside British Commonwealth and French troops in one of the bloodiest battles in human history. Today, Canadians hold Remembrance Day ceremonies on November 11 in order to commemorate and honour the sacrifices Canadian soldiers made for freedom. There are many Remembrance Day ceremonies held in many municipalities in Metro Vancouver. For a ceremony near you, visit the Royal Canadian Legion website.
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Fan Expo Vancouver
Nov. 11–13
Vancouver Convention Centre
Pop culture extravaganza Fan Expo returns to the Vancouver Convention Centre this month, featuring autographs and photo ops with celebrities, exclusive merchandise, cosplay sessions, workshops, exhibits and more! Watch your favourite comic artist produce their comics live, go behind the scenes in a brainstorming session with sci-fi screenwriters, and meet and greet cast members from some of the latest animes, web series and TV shows airing today.
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Place des Arts November Exhibitions
Nov. 13–Dec. 16
Place des Arts, Coquitlam
Visit the Place des Arts Gallery as they unveil three new exhibits for the month of November. Check out Leora Gesser’s exhibit Boundaries, which examines the artist’s perception of the changing landscape and environment using mosaics and patterns to explore the myriad harmonies and chaos found in the natural world. Sandrine Pelissier’s Ethereal Landscape examines the balance between opposing concepts in biology, showing how the most asymmetric biological entities become geometrically symmetrical as one looks at the cellular level. The Positively Petite exhibition collects miniature artworks from various local artists featuring assorted unique pieces in time for the holiday season. Their opening reception will be held on November 13 at 2 p.m.
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Exit 22 Company’s A Christmas Carol
Various dates between Nov. 16–27
BlueShore at the Cap, North Vancouver
www.capilanou.ca/
Get your Christmas fix in early, by attending a circus adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol at the BlueShore Centre at Capilano University. Taking a meta-perspective on the classic tale, this adaptation follows a group of clowns and travelling players who have to make two last minute replacements for the roles of Scrooge and Tiny Tim by drafting a props person to play Tim and a cynical stage manager to play the miserly crank.
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East Side Culture Crawl
Nov. 17–20
Various locations in the Downtown Eastside, Vancouver
Over 475 artists will be opening their studios to the public for four days as part of the East Side Culture Crawl visual art festival. Emerging and internationally established artists will be demoing their artistic processes: watch textile artists build organic vats, glass blowers create glass sculptures, clay makers mold chalices on the potter’s wheel and stump artists using their chainsaws to carve artistic wood figurines.
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Layers of Influence: Unfolding Cloth Across Cultures
Nov. 17, 2016–April 9, 2017
Museum of Anthropology, University of British Columbia
Join curator Jennifer Kramer at the Museum of Anthropology’s latest exhibit, Layers of Influence, displaying humanity’s history and relationship with cloth. Throughout human history, clothing has demonstrated the wearer’s status, enhanced their self-identity and provided an outlet for its maker’s creativity. Kramer will showcase the diversity of cloth made with a variety of materials across a multitude of cultures and time periods.
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West Coast Christmas Show & Artisan Marketplace
Nov. 18–20
Tradex – Fraser Valley Trade & Exhibition Centre, Abbotsford
www.westcoastchristmasshow.com
Want to get your Christmas shopping done early? Why not come down to the Tradex Centre in Abbotsford for the West Coast Christmas Show? Check out holiday knick-knacks, décor ideas, hand-crafted toys and ornaments at the artisan market. Children can learn model making, decorate and bake Christmas cookies, and listen to storybook time at Santa’s Workshop. Plus, there will be plenty of live family entertainment, festive foods, and presentations and demonstrations on all three days.
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Balkan Roots
WISE Hall, Vancouver
Nov. 19, 7 p.m.
Come on down to the WISE Hall to listen to a wide selection of live traditional Balkan music. Join traditional Macedonian virtuoso Stefce Stojkovski as he entertains audiences with the zurla, the gajda (bagpipe), tarabuka drums and other southern Balkan instruments. Other performances include contemporary music band Grupa Dunbarov, vocalist band Zlatna Mountain, tamburitza band Djeram and Balkan folk dancer David Bilides. For tickets, check out Caravan B.C.
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Hopscotch Festival
Nov. 21–27
Various locations
The 21st annual Hopscotch Festival will be in Vancouver from November 21-27, featuring some of Canada’s premium whiskeys, beers and spirits available for tasting. This festival will also host live entertainment, delicious dinners, distillery tours, BBQ parties and master (tasting) classes.
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Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival
Nov. 22–25
Various theatres in Metro Vancouver
This outdoor and mountaineering-themed film festival has been promoting active lifestyles on the cinematic screen since 1998, featuring films that inspire and educate audiences about life at high altitudes. Watch alpine enthusiasts and adventure climbers scale the tallest cliffs, listen to documentary filmmakers as they shed light on some of B.C.’s ancient and endangered forests, and follow the experiences of some of B.C.’s professional skiers as they ski across breathtaking vistas.
