As October winds down, our city shifts from Halloween season into a period of quiet reflection leading up to Remembrance Day. Whether laying wreaths at memorials or attending services, it’s a time to reflect while still checking out the festivals and events that make Vancouver a vibrant place to live.
* * *
The Haunted Sea
Now until Nov. 3
www.gulfofgeorgiacannery.org/events/haunted-sea
Discover what lies beneath the waves in The Haunted Sea! Visit the seasonally spooky installation inside the Gulf of Georgia Cannery National Historic Site happening now until Nov. 3. From the sandy shores to the deep sea, the coastal waters are full of life. The creatures that live in our waters are beautiful, but they can also be strange, unusual and unsettling before you get to know them. Suitable for families and children. Check out the Cannery’s website for more information.
* * *
Ridge
Oct. 26–Nov. 3
www.firehallartscentre.ca/event/the-ridge
Often called the “battle that made Canada,” Vimy Ridge resulted in over 10,000 Canadian casualties. Through direct storytelling, verbatim theatre and live music, The Fugitives examine misconceptions and varying perspectives around the battle, while drawing parallels to other formative events in our nation’s past. A Globe and Mail Top ten arts event of 2020, the show features inventive musical interpretations of WWI soldier songs, which were nominated for the 2022 JUNO for Best Traditional Roots Album. A vivid, kinetic ride through history, as well as an intimate, personal examination of our connection to the past, Ridge is a visceral work that passionately argues against the exploitation of young lives.
* * *
A Conversation on Racial Literacy, Identity and Belonging
Oct. 30, 4–6 p.m.
https://events.sfu.ca/event/41789-a-conversation-on-racial-literacy-identity-and
Join SFU for a dynamic and thought-provoking discussion with renowned scholars Jabari Mahiri and Yabome Gilpin-Jackson as they explore the complex themes of racial literacy, identity and belonging. This conversation will highlight the synergies within their groundbreaking work and offer new perspectives on how racial identity is formed and understood. Both scholars are deeply influenced by storytelling and literature. Mahiri weaves the works of Joseph Conrad and Toni Morrison into his research, while Gilpin-Jackson uses her fiction to foster dialogue. Together, they will engage in a lively conversation hosted by Pooja Dharamshi and Robyn Ilten-Gee from the Faculty of Education. This interactive event promises to provide fresh insights into the theory and lived experiences surrounding racial belonging and identity.
* * *
Bear Creek Park Lights
Nov. 2–16
www.surrey.ca/news-events/events/bear-creek-lights
Join in on this fall tradition at Bear Creek Park! For over a decade this event has been a source of lasting memories for its visitors. Bear Creek Park is one of Surrey’s most vibrant parks. Hidden within it is one of the Lower Mainland’s finest year-round show gardens which sets the stage for Bear Creek Lights. See nature shine with a series of beautiful light displays that will dazzle you with illuminated natural landscapes, whimsically lit creatures and stunning photo opportunities. Enjoy the safe, accessible, family-friendly light display through the park’s one-kilometre garden walking loop. Food trucks will be onsite nightly. For free tickets, check out the City of Surrey’s website.
* * *
Firelei Báez
Nov. 3, 2024–March 16, 2025
www.vanartgallery.bc.ca/exhibitions/firelei-baez
Organized by the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston, this exhibition is the first mid-career survey of the richly layered work of Firelei Báez. One of the most exciting painters of her generation, Báez delves into the historical narratives of the Atlantic Basin. Over the past twenty years, she has made work that explores the multilayered explorations of the legacy of colonial histories and the African diaspora in the Caribbean and beyond. She draws on the disciplines of anthropology, geography, folklore, fantasy, science fiction and social history to unsettle categories of race, gender and nationality in her paintings, drawings and installations. Her exuberant paintings feature finely wrought, complex and layered uses of pattern, decoration and saturated colour, often overlaid on maps made during colonial rule in the Americas. Báez’s investment in the medium of painting and its capacity for storytelling and mythmaking informs all her work, including her sculptural installations, which bring this quality into three dimensions.
* * *
TRANSFORM Festival
Nov. 6–9
TRANSFORM Festival returns for its fifth year, featuring four nights of incredible performances all centrestage at the iconic Vancouver Playhouse! Co-curated by Corey Payette and Heather Redfern, with the support of Protocol Keeper, Quelemia Sparrow, the 2024 festival continues to focus on empowering Indigenous artists and encouraging collaboration with non-Indigenous artists. Featuring local and international Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists in a variety of performance styles including theatre, music, drag, circus, comedy and everything in between.
* * *
DAWN
Nov. 7–9, 8 p.m.
www.balletbc.com/performance/dawn
Opening the 2024/25 season, DAWN introduces a world premiere from a choreographer new to the company alongside the return of a striking piece of repertoire, plus a rarely-seen work from a visionary choreographer reimagined for Ballet BC. Experience a new creation from Pierre Pontvianne, Heart Drive from Imre and Marne van Opstal and Crystal Pite’s Frontier. Check out the Ballet BC’s website for tickets and more information.
* * *
Lumière 2024
Nov. 7–10
www.lumiereyvr.com/lumiere-2024
A series of interactive art installations will light up Vancouver from Nov. 7 to 10 in more than 11 locations from the West End to Gastown! Lumière is an annual event inspired by light and artistic expression, driven by community and connection. This year’s Lumière Festival will showcase a variety of artists and their works of art, including international artists from Switzerland, Finland and Spain. Check out the festival’s website for more information.
* * *
South African Film Festival Canada
Nov. 7–17
The South African Film Festival Canada (SAFF Canada) presents feature films and documentaries that entertain and inform as they explore the culture, history and politics of South Africa. Returning for its 14th year, this year’s festival will be streaming online across Canada from Nov. 7–17, with in-person screenings in Vancouver. For showtimes and more information about the festival, check out their website.
* * *
Festival of Recorded Movement
Nov. 8–16
The Ninth Annual Festival of Recorded Movement is happening from Nov. 8 to 16 this year. Immerse yourself in this year’s hybrid format of film screenings, events and workshops. Check out the festival’s commemorating of artists, community and evolution of movement-on-screen. For more information about the events, see the festival’s website.
* * *
Shadows Into Dawn
Nov. 11, 2 & 5 p.m.
www.chorleoni.org/event/shadows-into-dawn
Join Chor Leoni for a cherished annual tradition on Nov. 11, and immerse yourself in a sonic space for the heart and mind to consider the conflicts and violence of the past and present. Take time to contemplate and reflect, as, through song, Chor Leoni transforms this darkness into a better vision of understanding and peace. Their uncanny mix of folk songs, popular songs and choral masterpieces, will guide you into a journey from the shadows of death to the dawn of empathy, understanding, light and love.
