NOVEMBER
A Christmas Story, The Musical The classic holiday favourite gets a musical spin on the tale familiar to anyone who has ever been a kid. For nine-year-old Ralphie, only an Official Red Ryder BB gun will do under the tree, and this Canadian premiere is a holiday gift for the whole family. 2pm and 8pm at Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage. Tickets at ArtsClub.com. Runs until Dec. 27.
21st Century Flea Market These popular European-style collector markets feature 185 tables of bargains on deluxe 20th century junque. Nov. 15 and Jan. 17 at the Croatian Cultural Centre. 21cpromotions.com
You Will Remember Me A deeply personal and moving new play about a family and memory from Francois Archambault, one of Quebec’s most compelling writers. Nov. 17-28 at Vancouver East Cultural Centre. Tickets.TheCultch.com
East Side Culture Crawl The 4 day visual arts, design and crafts festival showcases the best in local art as sculptors, designers, woodworkers, and artists open their studios across 78 buildings to share their work, just in time for holiday shopping! Nov. 19-Nov. 22. CultureCrawl.ca
It’s A Wonderful Life George bailey performs countless good deeds for friends and townsfolk in Bedford Falls, yet all that seems to count for naught and when he finds himself at his most woeful moment, his guardian angel Clarence Odbody, swoops in to remind him that faith, hope and family truly make life wonderful. Nov. 19-Dec. 26 at Graville Island Stage. ArtsClub.com
The Barra MacNeils Christmas Tour The treasure of the East Coast, this maritime folk group journey across the country on their annual holiday tour. Nov. 21 at 8pm at St. Andrew’s-Wesley United Church. CelticFestVancouver.com
Social Studies A heartwarming comedy, written by actor and comedian Trish Cooper about a South Sudanese “Lost Boy” who is adopted by a well-intentioned Winnipeg family. Nov. 21- Dec. 5 at the Firehall Arts Centre. FirehallArtsCentre.ca
CandyTown Spend the day at the annual street celebration where Yaletown is magically transformed into a winter wonderland with family-friendly activities, horse-drawn carriage rides, and of course, Santa Claus. Nov. 21 from 12-7pm at Mainland Street. Admission is free.
Carminho & Sara Tavares Portuguese singer-songwriters co-headline this show presented by the Chan Centre for Performing Arts at UBC. Nov. 21 at 8pm at Chan Shun Concert Hall. ChanCentre.com
Vancouver Christmas Market The annual market lights up downtown bringing together one-of-a-kind food, gifts, and fun for a family-friendly Christmas experience. Nov. 21-Dec. 24 from 11am-9pm at Queen Elizabeth Plaza. VancouverChristmasMarket.com
Frozen Elsa, Anna, Olaf and Kristoff strap on their skates and take to the ice to magically whisk you away into the wintery world of Arendelle with dazzling special effects as you sing and dance along. Nov. 25-29 at Pacific Coliseum. DisneyOnIce.com
Christmas Queen 2 Vancouver Theatre Sports league presents the latest version of the continuing holiday saga, set at the North Pole and Santa’s Workshop. This improvised fairy tale sees the larger-than-life, blue-haired Christmas Queen drop in on ol’ Santa and create a little chaos in the week leading up to the big day. Nov. 25-Dec. 19 at 7:30pm at The Improv Centre on Granville Island. VTSL.com
Pan Pacific Christmas Wish Breakfast Receive a complimentary hot buffet breakfast in return for a new unwrapped toy given to needy children during the holiday season. All donations given to the Lower Mainland Christmas Bureau. Nov. 26 from 6–9 am. PanPacificVancouver.com
Dark Sisters Religious and political tension, media hysteria, and the lives of six women facing threats to their children, and their way of life is what lies at the heart of Nico Muhly’s opera about life in a fundamentalist community. Nov. 26-Dec. 12 at Vancouver Playhouse. VancouverOpera.ca
Tales of a Charlie Brown ChristmasThe Jerry Granelli Trio, accompanied by the Coastal Sound Children’s Choir, perform an evening of stories and music to capture the spirit of the Christmas season. Nov. 29 at 2pm & 7pm at Vogue Theatre. CoastalJazz.ca
DECEMBER
Festival of Lights VanDusen Botanical Garden annual holiday lights festival takes place Dec. 1-31, from 4:30-9pm every night (except Dec. 25). VanDusenGarden.org
The Daisy Theatre Returning after two sold out runs, The Cultch once again presents Ronnie Burkett’s The Daisy Theatre Dec. 1-20 at the Historic Theatre. Each performance will be different, daring, ridiculous, and on the edge of the hands of renowned puppeteer provacateur Ronnie Burkett and his resident company of over 40 marionettes. Tickets.TheCultch.com
Hansel and Gretel: An East Van Panto Theatre Replacement brings back An East Van Panto stepping way off the beaten path for this year’s edition with the weird and wonderful tale of a butt-kicking brother and sister team, a cute little cannibal witch and their journey into the wilds of the East Van wilderness, to deliver a fantastic holiday treat. Dec. 2-Jan. 3 at York Theatre. Tickets.TheCultch.com
Make It! The Handmade Revolution Shop for one-of-a-kind handmade items from over 250 of Canada’s hottest urban artisans, designers, and crafters. There will be something for everyone from fashion and accessories, to art, and jewellery, to baby items, and home décor. Dec. 3–6 at the PNE Forum (2901 East Hastings St.). $7 at the door. MakeItShow.ca
TOQUE A curated craft fair, produced and presented by the Western Front showcases local artists, designers, and artisans offering everything from ceramics and jewellery to artisan edibles and one-of-a-kind objects at this annual event, widely considered ‘a true artists’ fair with a solidly local feel’. Dec. 4-6 from 11am-5pm at Western Front. Admission by donation. Front.BC.ca
Get Snow Globed! Take your picture inside the giant snow globe with a suggested minimum donation of $5. Visit Harbour Centre from Dec. 4 – 24 from 11am–3pm. All proceeds donated to The Kettle Society to help British Columbians living with mental illness. HarbourCentre.com
A Christmas Carol: On The Air Ready for Christmas? Neither is Scrooge. A tale as old as time is getting a new life, transformed into a live 1940’s radio show by Peter Church. Tapping into the listener’s imagination, this re-telling of the classic holiday story presents a show bigger than what can be confined to the limits of the stage. Dec. 4-Jan. 2 at Pacific Theatre. PacificTheatre.org
All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914 The Western Front, 1914. Out of the violence comes a silence, then a song. A German soldier steps into No Man’s Land while singing “Stille Nacht”, and begins an extraordinary night of camaraderie, music, and peace. Chor Leoni returns with last season’s hit show to tell the true story of the Christmas Truce in the words and songs of the men who lived it.Dec. 5 at 3pm and 8pm at Queen Elizabeth Theatre. ChorLeoni.org
The Christmas Star The Vancouver Welshmen’s Choir performs a program of Christmas and holiday classics featuring the Magee Secondary School choir. Dec. 5 at 7:30pm at Shaughnessy United Church. VWMC.ca
Chanukah Party A family-friendly event featuring the Chanukah Food Fest, a treasure hunt & magic gathering, bouncy castles, arts & crafts, live entertainment, and a candle lighting complete with sing-a-long. Dec. 6 from 2-4:30pm at the Jewish Community Centre. JCCGV.com
Menorah Lighting Celebrate the first night of Chanukah, with the lighting of the tallest Menorah in Canada, the Silber Family Agam Menorah, with live entertainment. Dec. 6 at 5pm at Vancouver Art Gallery.
Retro Design and Antiques Fair Favoured by designers, collectors and antiques dealers alike, this fun Sunday fair features 175 tables and booths of fabulous finds for you and your eclectic abode. Dec. 6 and Feb. 21 at the Croatian Cultural Centre. 21cpromotions.com
An Old Fashioned Christmas The Kay Meek Centre presents a double bill of two great shows to help you feel warm and fuzzy this holiday season featuring Grandpa ‘n Me followed by a Special Christmas Concert with vocalist Cayla Brooke accompanied by Bill Sample on piano. Dec. 10-12 at 8pm at Kay Meek Centre. KayMeekCentre.com
The Wizard of Oz A wicked family musical of the story you know and love as Dorothy and Toto, off to see the wizard, journey down the yellow brick road through the magical land of Oz. Dec. 10-Jan. 3 at Gateway Theatre. GatewayTheatre.com
A Good Noise Christmas Good Noise Vancouver Gospel Choir presents the treasured annual tradition, Celebrate!. The 90-member choir performs yuletide gospel favourites, coupled with popular seasonal works accompanied by acclaimed guitarist, David Sinclair. Dec. 11 & 12 at 8pm at Christ Church Cathedral. GoodNoiseVGC.com
Lumiere Shine bright this winter in the West End! Visit the West End on Dec. 11 and 12 for light installations, live entertainment, light parade, free ice skating, a festive trolley tour and more! WestEndBIA.com/lumiere
Handel’s Messiah Vancouver Bach Choir presents the divine harmonies, resounding orchestrations, and sublime arias of Messiah under the baton of Leslie Dala, with an ensemble of celebrated Canadian soloists and the VSO. Dec. 12 at 8pm at Orpheum Theatre. VancouverBachChoir.com
Christmas at Canada Place Come down to Canada Place from Dec. 12-30 from noon to 6pm daily to enjoy the classic holiday scenes of the Woodwards Windows, capture your Christmas memories in a 15-foot snow globe, visit Rudolph’s Theatre and the Avenue of Christmas Trees, and take part in a variety of arts and crafts activities for the whole family. Christmas.CanadaPlace.ca
Chelsea Hotel: The Songs of Leonard Cohen Following a sold-out run in Victoria, Chelsea Hotel returns to Vancouver with a special holiday run of this smash hit musical. The songs of Leonard Cohen provide the heartbeat as six performers play 17 different instruments in a rollicking tribute to the cultural icon. Dec. 15-Jan. 9 at the Firehall Arts Centre. FirehallArtsCentre.ca
Goh Ballet’s The Nutcracker This heart-warming production is sure to delight audiences of all ages with more than 200 glittering costumes, dramatic sets and valuable lessons – all danced to Tchaikovsky’s memorable score performed live by members of the Vancouver Opera Orchestra. Dec. 17-22 at the Centre in Vancouver for Performing Arts (777 Homer St.). GohNutcracker.com
A Christmas Story Join Musica Intima for their popular Christmas concert and celebrate the sublime music that makes the holiday so special. Traditional holiday favourites with contemporary marvels, offering new and established audiences an opportunity to enjoy contemporary choral performance in an inviting and traditional space. Dec. 18 at St. Phillip’s Anglican Church and Dec. 19 at Christ Church Cathedral. MusicaIntima.org
Vancouver Chamber Choir Vancouver Chamber Choir presents A Dylan Thomas Christmas (Dec. 18) and A Charlie Brown Christmas (Dec. 19) at Shaughnessy Heights United Church (1550 West 33rd Ave.). Each concert starts with English, German and international songs of the season conducted by Carrie Tennant, including a special appearance of her accomplished Vancouver Youth Choir. VancouverChamberChoir.com
Christmas Reprise XIII A treasure yuletide-season tradition with the Vancouver Cantata Singers to celebrate the holidays with a matinee performance evoking the true warmth, the festive feeling, and the simple, pure joy of the holiday season. Dec. 19 at 2pm at Holy Rosary Cathedral (646 Richards St.). VancouverCantataSingers.com
The Nutcracker Ballet BC presents the timeless holiday classic in which a child’s favourite Christmas toy comes to life, and whisks her away to a magical kingdom, performed by the Alberta Ballet. Dec. 29-31 at Queen Elizabeth Theatre. BalletBC.com
JANUARY
Salute To Vienna A New Year’s concert to celebrate the ageless beauty of Viennese music with a program of Strauss waltzes and sweeping melodies accompanied by costumed dancers for a presentation of romantic vignettes. Jan. 1 at 2:30pm at Orpheum Theatre. VancouverSymphony.ca
Vance Joy ‘Riptide’ indie-pop-singer-songwriter from Australia performs with special guest Reuben and the Dark for the first of two nights on his Fire and the Flood North American Tour. Jan. 12 and 13 at 8pm at Orpheum Theatre. LiveNation.com
Dirty Dancing Broadway Across Canada presents this unprecedented live experience exploding with heart-pounding music, passionate romance, and sensational dancing in the story of two fiercely independent young spirits from different worlds who come together in the most challenging and triumphant summer of their lives. Jan. 12-17 at Queen Elizabeth Theatre. Vancouver.Broadway.com
Tchaikovsky and the Mermaid One of the most important and in-demand violinists in the world today, Augustin Hadelich makes his much-anticipated VSO return, performing maybe the most popular violin concerto ever written. Zemlinsky’s lavish, rarely-performed orchestral masterpieceThe Mermaid is based on Hans Christian Andersen’s fairytale of the mermaid who sacrifices herself for an unrequited love. Jan. 16 and 18 at the Orpheum Theatre. VancouverSymphony.ca
The Motherfucker With The Hat This gritty New York tale masterfully combines earnest storytelling and uninhibited humour, taking on addiction, sex, and honour as a fresh out of jail convict tries to navigate the straight and narrow. Jan. 16-30 at Firehall Arts Centre. FirehallArtsCentre.ca
PuSh Festival A Vancouver signature event, the 3-week festival presents groundbreaking work in the live performing arts expanding horizons with work that is visionary, genre-bending, multi-disciplined, startling and original from artists both local and international. Jan. 19-Feb. 7. PushFestival.ca
Blue Rodeo Cuddy and his country-rock crew return to town for two nights in support of their latest release, Live At Massey Hall with special guest Terra Lightfoot. Jan. 26 & 27 at 8pm at Orpheum Theatre. Ticketmaster.ca
Leftovers Writer and comedian Charlie Demers uses his stand-up as a story-telling tour-de-force in this production, a complex and moving story about personal loss, ideology, and why the dreams of millions have gone unfulfilled in this world we’ve created. Jan. 26-30 at 8pm at York Theatre. Tickets.TheCultch.com
FEBRUARY
A Night In Venice Eine Nacht in Venedig, one of the most beautiful of the Strauss operettas, is performed in three acts, and sung in German, under the direction of Nancy Hermison and conducted by Jonathon Girard. Feb. 4-7 at Chan Centre for the Performing Arts. Music.UBC.ca
The (Post) Mistress This fun and quirky one-woman cabaret-style show is the surprising story of Marie-Louise, Lovely, Ontario’s resident postal worker. Feb. 4-28 at Goldcorp Stage at The BMO Theatre Centre. ArtsClub.com
Garth Knox Experience the sounds of an original and exotic instrument – the viola d’amore – in the hands of celebrated, virtuosic Irish soloist Garth Knox, formerly of the Arditti Quartet. Feb. 13 at 8pm at Orpheum Annex.
JFL Northwest Comedy Fest Partnering this year with Just For Laughs, this 10-day winter highlight brings your stand-up favourites to town while championing the up-and-comers you didn’t even know you loved with improve, sketch, and podcasts. Feb. 18-27. Visit JFLNorthwest.com for the line-up and for tickets.
Songs of Love The Vancouver Cantata Singers perform a program from Johannes Brahms’ Liebeslieder Walzer, with music by John Greer and John Corigliano, with the Bergmann Piano Duo. Feb. 14 at 3pm at Orpheum Annex. VancouverCantataSingers.com
Talking Stick Festival The annual celebration of aboriginal culture through art, music, story, drumming, dance and performance is an ever-evolving repertoire of contemporary work from today’s artists. Feb. 16-29. FullCircle.ca
Betroffenheit This new creation by two of Canada’s most celebrated companies is an innovative, boundary-stretching hybrid of theatre and dance exploring the liminal space one returns again and again after shock and bewilderment encompass you in the wake of disaster. Feb. 24-27 at Vancouver Playhouse. KiddPivot.org
