Having grown up in Burnaby it was quite a surprise to have recently learnt that the Blues and Roots…read moreannual festival started since 2000! It was a really nice treat to listen to some local Canadian artist right by the lake with some great food trucks available at the festival too. They also have the convenience of free shuttle to and from right in the heart of Burnaby Brentwood skytrain station so you can drink without having to worry to drive back home. For this year the line of artist included Feist, Lord of Huron, War and Treaty, Southern Avenue, Speed Control, William Prince, and Dan Mangan. The festival starts at 12 pm and lasts till 10 pm so the are hours of music to enjoy. The tickets are about $50 which is very decent for the duration of the festival and transportation that is included! Very well organized event!

Lumière is an annual art event that's been going on since 2016, although this is the first year I…read morehad heard of it. It consists of several interactive light up art installations, as well as various performances, and it's all absolutely free! This year Lumière runs from November 1 to 3, from 5pm to 10pm at four different locations -- šxnq Xwtl'e7én Square behind the Vancouver Art Gallery, the Jim Deva Plaza on Davie Street, Morton Park at English Bay, and Lot 19 on Hornby Street (near the Salvador Dali Space Venus sculpture). There is also a free shuttle to take people between the locations which depart approximately every 15 minutes. I went with Nancy H. last night, and had a great (and inexpensive!) time. We took advantage of the free shuttle, which were trolleys from the Vancouver Trolley Company, and it took us just under two hours to make the rounds. We started off at the art gallery, where we saw the following installations: -Steely T: a large light-up, flame spewing turtle that people could enter or climb up top -Daisy: a large solar powered tricycle (unfortunately we didn't see it in action) -Alternity: a branching sculpture that lit up in different patterns when people interacted with it (it was one of my favourite pieces, probably because it reminded me of an organic molecule) -Sandscapes: sand, which people could sculpt, with different colored lights shining on to it in different patterns, evoking images of alien lands -Segmentium: a large orb with a diameter of 7 feet and 24 segments that lit up -Orchidelirium: giant orchids In additions to the above art pieces, at šxnq Xwtl'e7én Square, there was also a small exhibit, Neon at the Post, about neon signs in Vancouver. I immediately recognize the large, neon R from the Ridge movie theater. The next stop was at Jim Deva Plaza where we saw: -Tetra Velo: a large pyramid that people could walk through -Chromatic Shadows: a screen on which people's shadows were projected -Visitor: a blob-shaped structure that lit up in different colors and patterns, depending on how people interacted and controlled it -Woven: large, inflatable, illuminated arches that people could pass through on to their way to the beer garden (which also provided free water) Our third stop was English Bay. When we arrived, there was a fire show happening, although it was difficult to see, with the large crowd. The exhibits were: -Brood: an interesting metal spider, whose body served as a heat lamp -Stanley: a Great Blue Heron made up of 10,320 lights -Davie: a 24 foot tall grizzly bear -Luna: an orca made of over 6000 lights -Eugenia: a tree with lights that change color (my favourite exhibit at Lumière). It's not an exhibit of just any tree, but the oak tree that was atop of the Eugenia Place condo on Beach Avenue, that was installed in 1987 and died in 2017. *Note: Stanley, Luna, and Eugenia will remain on display until February 2020. The fourth, and last stop, was at Lot 19. There, we saw: -Telefunkin' Shadow Stage: another exhibit that involves displaying people's silhouettes on a screen -The Beating Heart: a nine-foot-high fiberglass human heart sculpture that was originally displayed at Burning Man. It beats to the rhythm of a person who places their hand on a sensor. (Note: the sensor is clearly not designed for people who don't have large man hands!) -Key to My Heart: two giant antique keys and a lock that also has a sensor to detect people's heartbeat. -Lux Memoriae: cool, geometric lanterns -Chrysafly: a large butterfly, although it was still being assembled when we were there. It was a fun night, and if you have a chance to check it out today or tomorrow, go! Lumière will be on my calendar next year. [Yelp collections: Public Art; Cheap Thrills; Being a tourist in my own city]

Lumière is an annual event of various art installations held in early November each year. Last…read morenight (Nov. 1) was opening night, and I went with Jasmine (a fellow Yelpie!), and we had a terrific time. It seems this event gets bigger and better with each passing year, and because there's been more advance promoting and advertising for this "light festival", and because the weather last night was stellar (clear and warm, considering it's November), there were fairly large crowds in attendance. And you definitely cannot beat the price. It's free! This year Lumière was held in four separate locations: two in the West End (Morton Square, at Davie and Denman, and Jim Deva Plaza, at Davie and Bute), and two downtown (the Van Art Gallery square on Georgia, and Lot 19 at the northern end of Hornby at Coal Harbor). There were free shuttles driving us attendees to each of the various sites. The buses left every 10-15 minutes, and the "tour guides" on the bus briefly described the highlighted works at the next location. There were 5-10 light-art installations at each site, and most were interactive in some way. Some, you could climb on. Some projected your image on screens in various ways. Some detected your pulse when you placed your hand on sensors and they flashed lights in various configurations. All were very photogenic and led most attendees to take selfies, and pictures of their kids or partners or dogs among the illuminated, colored backdrops. (Note: this is a very family-friendly event). As my kids would comment: this was an Instagram-friendly photoshoot-friendly kind of event. Some locales had performers who worked with lights and/or fire in some way. The fire performers at Davie and Denman had such a large audience circling them, it was hard for me to see the action (but I was glad that there was such a great turn-out for the event, so I happily checked out the other illuminated works at this site). There were neon-lit walkers on stilts at Jim Deva Plaza, too. At the Butte and Davie site, there was a makeshift tent set up for folks 19+, with a beer garden inside, bistro tables and chairs and a dj playing disco music, with disco lights and a floor for dancing! Cool! Seriously, it's hard to believe that this type of expansive exhibition, encompassing four separate sites in the city, is totally free of charge. I really recommend checking it out.

Filmed a movie here called "Send The Rain". Mike and staff took great care of us. Very impressive…read morefacilities. Would come back here because there's so much it offers. Cool historical building!

We live close by to this Cultural Center. They are connected to a senior home. Parking is available…read moreon the street and underground. In the summer time they have the local Japanese Farmer Market happening. They offer Japanese classes along with other classes for kids. They sometimes offer workshops or classes for adults here as well. There is a little grocery store connected beside it. Inside the Cultural Center there are lot of art works and sometimes, they offer performance (inside near the back where they have a little stage).

If you're a tea lover, you need to check out the Vancouver Tea Festival. This is the second year…read morethat I've attended (they just wrapped up their fifth year) and it was fun as always. It's held in the Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Vancouver. It usually happens the first weekend of November and runs over two days. Entry is very reasonable (about $8.00 to 10.00) depending on whether you buy tickets online (the cheaper option) or at the door. There's about two dozen vendors that attend so lots of unique and interesting teas to sample. This year they even had some tea infused alcohol products (shout out to Taynton Bay Spirits (try their ginger matcha tea infused cocktail) and The Spirit of Tea (try their vanilla rooibos liqueur)). - Thai tea mix ($20.00 for 2) - this place, Thai Roots, was extremely popular. We decided to buy both the normal and extra strong boxes after sampling. Each box consists of 50 bags! Thai Tea is a wholesaler that distributes only to restaurants and markets. - Kukicha ($24.00 for 200g) - this was from Palate Tea. We tried three samples (sencha, kukicha and fukamushi). Apparently, they source their tea from somewhere in California. The kukicha was the most interesting and they even gave us 10% off. Already looking forward to next year!

From the owner: Please visit our website for information!read more

Thought there would be multiple food tents plus merchandise and information booths but nope, just…read moreone big centralized tent for food but lots of tented seating space, which was nice. There's a stage with live music, dancing, and etc. plus a tent for a raffle to win a grand prize for a trip to two to Greece. I ordered the BBQ lamb and it was a nice portion served with rice, piece of bread, and fresh Greek salad. Lamb is different than the roasted ones at the Greek restaurants but tasty and good portion. I couldn't finish it. Ordered a baklava to go, which came in one giant piece, for a friend. It looked delicious. Cute festival but aside from the one stage and food, nothing much else to do.

Food is good, however, prices have been higher each year. But it's fun and only once a year. I…read moredon't really mind. I passed by one evening and food booths were packed with customers . I went today around 12noon. No line up and food was served very fast.

Swangard stadium is located inside of Central Park Burnaby. I had no clue that this track and field…read moreeven existed. It is located at East north corner of Central park. Free parking is available nearby. I came here for the Bubble Tea festival on July 23, 2022. They basically fenced off the entire stadium for the event. This stadium is used for events such as outdoor concerts, games and festivals. The track and field has lots of seating under cover. It is located in a convenient location that is for sure.

This is a beautiful track. It is well maintained and is open to the public at certain times. I…read morenever knew that. I always thought it was reserved for events and pro sports like when the Whitecaps used to play here. Sure beats running at some beaten up tracks at some schools. They do also hold events/festivals here as well, but not sure what their schedule is now with covid.

I was actually excited about this, however, it was a big disappointment. The admission was $10. I…read moreasked before I paid if anyone took credit card inside. The lady at the booth said that everyone took credit card. This was a lie, everyone was cash only. Most of the booths that were supposed to be representing each country was luster. No one at the booth was engaging with the public, they were more interested in talking with their friends than working at the booth. Everything was overpriced and mostly Canadian comfort foods. Very little European fair.

Recently reconnected with Christine after many years. I booked an online session with her to help…read moreme gain some insight into a very painful situation in my life, as well as to get some insight into my spiritual journey. She provided me with the necessary intuitive guidance I needed to regain my confidence in trusting my own intuition. After her session, everything just started to fall more into place as she helped me get a much more clearer perspective on my life. Thank you dear Soul Sister.

Burnaby Village Museum is like stepping into a time capsule. The heritage buildings and vintage…read morecarousel make it feel like you're in a storybook. You can walk through the old shops, schoolhouse, and watch the blacksmith at work in their workshop. During the holidays, there are lights, festive displays, and hot chocolate to sip on. Burnaby heritage museum is also educational and preserved with care. Perfect for families, history lovers, or anyone who loves to experience small-town charm

I saw the parking lot! I dropped my wife and daughter off at the museum so that they could see the…read moreChristmas lights while I looked for parking. No spaces available even after circling around a couple times. The neighborhood looked good, but, I wasn't sure if I could park on the street. The perimeter of the museum looked good. My wife and daughter liked what they saw. They liked the gift shop.

This annual east van autumnal celebration inspires creativity in creating lanterns in homage to the…read moremoon and seasons. Folk enjoy hearing about local clubs and activities with lots of purchasable food items. . Performers of all sorts grace the bandshell stage. Then an old fashion processional march through a maze to reach the grand finale of all the installation piece lanterns. Of course a BIG fire show to wrap things up.