On April 1, be wary of reading or hearing about something unusual or weird going on at work or on the Internet. That’s because it’s April Fool’s Day, a day where strange or jokey occurrences are passed off as real. Last year for example, Virgin Airlines announced a canine flight crew, Google introduced a gnome lawn ornament as an AI assistant, Zappos created an invisible box and Burger King unveiled a burger-flavoured toothpaste. So beware my readers, don’t get fooled, or else the Easter Bunny won’t give you any chocolate…. just kidding, April Fool’s!
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Stanley Park Railway Easter Train
March 22–25, March 29–April 2, 9:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Stanley Park, Vancouver
www.vancouver.ca/parks-recreation-culture/easter-train.aspx
Bring the whole family down to Stanley Park to take a ride on the Stanley Park Miniature Train for an egg-citing Easter ride through the forest park and look for cotton-tailed inhabitants! After the train ride, kids can enjoy fun activities including a Bunny Burrow maze, professional face painting by the Doodle Girls, an egg hunt in the farmyard, an indoor egg hunt for toddlers in the small Barn, meeting the Easter Bunny, plenty of Easter crafts and carnival games. Tickets are limited, visit the website to reserve a spot for yourself and the kids!
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Bar Mitzvah Boy
March 23–April 14
Pacific Theatre, Vancouver
The Pacific Theatre will be putting on a production of Jewish playwright Mark Leiren-Young’s 2017 Jewish Playwriting Prize winning story Bar Mitzvah Boy from March 23 to April 14. Joey is a successful lawyer who is used to things going his way. When he suddenly decides he needs a bar mitzvah, he doesn’t expect to have to wait or take classes. What begins as a simple item on his to-do list becomes a deep immersion in the necessity of faith and the meaning behind rituals. Please visit the theatre’s website for tickets and showtimes.
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Enron
March 23–April 15
Jericho Arts Centre
The United Players of Vancouver will be putting on a performance of Enron, a play by British playwright Lucy Prebble, at the Jericho Arts Centre from March 23 to April 15. Mixing classical tragedy with savage comedy, Prebble’s 2009 play follows a group of flawed men and women – including Enron’s president, Jeffrey Skilling – in a narrative of greed and loss that reviews the tumultuous 1990s and casts a new light on the financial turmoil of the last decade. Enron is a fascinating and entertaining theatrical deep-dive into a scandal for the ages. For tickets and showtimes, check out the Jericho Arts Centre’s web page.
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Japan Fair
March 24, 1–4:30 p.m.
The Brockton School, North Vancouver
The Brockton School in North Vancouver will proudly host 120 high school students from Hayato School in Yokohama, Japan, who will be presenting a unique cultural day on March 24. Visitors will be able to take part in many cultural activities including a traditional Japanese tea ceremony, calligraphy, anime and cultural demonstrations such as martial arts, Japanese traditional dance and much more. Hayato students have been preparing for months and are looking forward to showing attendees their culture.
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Viva Argentina! Sol Fiesta Party in Vancouver
March 25, 12–6 p.m.
St. Mary’s Ukrainian Church, Vancouver
www.facebook.com/events/
Latincouver and Carnaval Del Sol will bring you an original Argentinian atmosphere to Vancouver! These Sol Fiestas offers a fantastic opportunity for those performers looking to actively engage with the community and to gain fun experience performing in the city and exciting environments. There is no better way to express and truly understand different cultures, than through music. This March 25, come celebrate an authentic taste of Argentinian food, a tribute to Argentine rock and Argentine tango music.
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Nature in a Box: The Paradoxical and Dangerous World of Zoos and Aquariums
March 27, 7:30–9:30 p.m.
Vancouver Public Library, Central Branch
The Vancouver Public Library will host Zoocheck founder and biologist Rob Laidlaw as he discusses the issues surrounding keeping animals in zoos and aquariums. Join him for a thought provoking night, filled with illustrated presentations exploring the myths and realities of wildlife in captivity, the plight of captive wild animals in Canada and how we can all contribute to creating a better, more humane world for animals. Laidlaw has worked on advocacy initiatives, aimed at lobbying governments to rescuing animals, and regularly speaks to groups both at home and abroad about animal protection issues and advocacy. He received the Frederic A. McGrand Lifetime Achievement Award for substantial contributions to animal welfare in Canada.
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Life Under the Shadow: Twenty Years of Nuclear Weapons in India and Pakistan
March 29, 5–6:30 p.m.
C.K. Choi Building at UBC, University Endowment Lands
In May 1998, India and Pakistan conducted tests of nuclear weapons and since then the people of South Asia have always had to contend with the possible of use of nuclear weapons. To discuss the legacy of this situation, the Institute of Asian Research has invited physicist M. V. Ramana to describe what we know of the nuclear arsenals of India and Pakistan, their fissile material production capacities, nuclear weapon use doctrines, the role of the United States in shaping the security relationship in the subcontinent and the risks of nuclear weapon use.
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Sizdah Bedar – Nature Day
April 1, 10 a.m.–6 p.m.
Gates Park, Port Coquitlam
www.facebook.com/events/
The Fourth Annual Sizdah Bedar Festival will be taking place at Gates Park, Port Coquitlam on April 1, as part of the Nowruz holidays. Bring the family to experience this year’s theme: a mini-soccer athletic event. There will be picnics, food, music, dance and mini soccer games, where kids can enjoy playing together at this cultural event. This day is also known as Nature Day, which the Persian people traditionally spend time picnicking outside.
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Maya Rae
April 4, 8 p.m.
Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, Burnaby
15 year old Vancouver jazz vocalist Maya Rae already knows exactly who she is as an artist. Her debut album from 2017, Sapphire Birds, showcases her beguiling, understated vocal style and her totally unique repertoire, which ranges from originals inspired by life at school and home to fresh covers of jazz standards and unique renditions of her favourite pop songs by artists such as Meghan Trainor and Christina Aguilera. Her album has received international radio play, and Maya continues to perform to sold-out audiences in world-class venues. She will be performing at the Shadbolt on April 4. Check out the website for tickets and more information.
Montparnasse Bienvenue, a film showcased in Young French Cinema 2018.
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Young French Cinema 2018
April 5–8, 13–14
The Cinematheque, Vancouver
The Young French Cinema program held at the Cinematheque this April, is one of the most convenient entry points to the works of contemporary French directors. The program focuses on rising talents, and includes high-profile independent works, quirky comedies and powerful documentaries on the world we live in today. The current selection also highlights two specificities of French cinema today: its openness to gender diversity, with half of the films directed by female filmmakers; and its openness to the world, with films depicting realities from Europe to Asia to Africa. Visit the website for more information.
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Karilynn Ming Ho: For The Left Hand Alone
April 6–May 27
Richmond Art Gallery
Vancouver-based artist Karilynn Ming Ho uses the metaphor of phantom limb syndrome to explore themes of fragmented realities in a time when bombardment by digital information leaves many people feeling physically and mentally disconnected and disenchanted with reality. Set to the musical commissions of Paul Wittgenstein (a one-handed pianist), For the Left Hand Alone frames phantom pain as an unrequited longing, an incomplete figure and the feeling of uncertainty in an increasingly disembodied world. There will be an opening reception on Saturday, April 7 at 7 p.m. Visit the art gallery’s website for more information.
