Hundreds of thousands of people all over B.C. will be commemorating Canada’s Day next Sunday. Here’s where: Canada Day Block Party at the Waldorf When: 12 – 7 p.m. Where: 1489 East Hastings Info: waldorfhotel.com The historic Waldorf Hotel is hosting a family-friendly block party and food festival. Since its relaunch in 2011, the 64-year-old hotel has become a locus for Vancouver’s creative community. Indie mainstay Joy Mullen programs the musical portion of the evening which will feature such diverse acts as Cree Nation electronic cellist Cris Derkson, reggae group Bella Monde, French ukulele composer Myriam Parent and ‘60s soul act the Radii. Food trucks will provide a selection of Vancouver’s best street cuisine, including Re-Up BBQ, Mom’s Grilled Cheese and Tacofino.   Canada Day Granville Island When: 7 a.m. – 10 p.m. Where: Granville Island various locations Info: granvilleisland.com/event/canada-day-celebration Festivities on Granville Island start at 7 a.m. with the Truly Canadian Pancake Breakfast for $8 at the Dockside Restaurant in the Granville Island Hotel. It continues all day with a variety of free jazz performances and family-friendly activities all over the island. Highlights will include the parade lead by stilt dancers, bike decorating workshops and a Canada Day ceremony with free cake for kids.   Burnaby Canada Day When: 11 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Where: Burnaby Village Museum Info: burnabyvillagemuseum.ca Celebrate Canada’s history at the Burnaby Village museum with multicultural family entertainment and carousel rides for the kids. Footlight Theatre will be celebrating its 35th year with Vaudeville shows. Also keep your eyes open for demonstrations by swordplay school, Academe Duello. North Vancouver Canada Day When: 11:50 a.m. – 4 p.m. Where: Waterfront Park Info: northvancanadaday.com Korean drum group Shin Myung will kick off the day’s festivities followed by a program of performances from Irish dancing to Flamenco. The … Read more

The annual series of free outdoor salsa dances/lessons, kicks off on Canada Day, July 1 and runs for nine Sundays throughout the summer until August 26. The events start with a free beginner salsa dance lesson at 3pm for anyone who has ever wanted to learn how to dance salsa. The lessons last for half an hour (3:00-3:30pm) and are taught by some of Vancouver’s best salsa instructors. At 5pm there are dance demonstrations featuring peformances by some of Vancouver’s more talented dancers.

Canada Day is coming up, and if you want to explore the most beautiful part of the country in the best time of the year, the Discover Canada Tours Rocky Mountains Trip is a great way to do it! Contact the Green Team on the 3rd floor for more information or to sign up!”

Now in its fourth year, A Midsummer Fête is a modern-day interpretation of an English summer fête. Motivated by the unique perspective of the artist in nature, the event was crafted to be celebratory, educational, and inspirational. Guests will enjoy storytelling, music, ephemeral art installations, roving characters, a giant labyrinth and a wildly colourful tea party, complete with extravagant hats. Children and adults alike can learn in fun and creative ways about beekeeping, organic gardening, birds of prey and many other wonders of the natural environment at interactive workshops led by artists, naturalists and experts “in the field”. Entry to A Midsummer Fête is $5, children under 12 and seniors get free admission. A free shuttle service between Lougheed Skytrain Station and Colony Farm will run every 15 minutes between 12:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.  

Called the “hippest jazz festival in the world” by The Seattle Times, the VIJF is Vancouver’s biggest, greatest music festival of the year, and it’s as beloved by locals as it is by the hundreds of thousands of visitors it attracts. Back for its 27th year, the 2012 Vancouver Jazz Festival features 1800 musicians and 400 concerts (100+ of which are free) at 40 venues across Vancouver. There are major headliners, five free mini festivals-within-the-festival, intimate concerts in Vancouver bars and restaurants, and music virtually everywhere you look. During the first weekend of the festival (June 23-24), two stages — the Georgia stage at the corner of Georgia and Hornby, and the Robson stage at the corner of Hornby and Robson — will host live music featuring the likes of Vancouver veteran Dal Richards, red-hot blues-rock sensation No Sinner, Vancouver folk band Headwater, American salsa group Mazacote and Grammy-winning artist Van Hunt. The downtown site will feature an artisan market, a community area with buskers and dance lessons and a family zone with a third stage for the kids, as well as a free interactive jazz fusion exhibit. The Vancouver International Jazz Festival runs from June 22 – July 1, 2012. So get ready to fall in love with the Vancouver Jazz Festival all over again!

Summer is arriving this week and if you like amusement parks, Playland is the right choice for you. Don’t miss great rides including the classic wooden roller coaster, the Hellevator, Revelation and Corskcrew. Enjoy your favorite foods like cotton candy and donuts. Playland at the PNE is located just 10 minutes from downtown Vancouver on Renfrew St at Cassiar St. Now, until September 30.

Make Music Vancouver is a free, live, music celebration of the arrival of Summer. It will be held in Gastown on June 21st from 5 pm to 10 pm. The streets of that neighbourhood will become musical stages and festive dance floors and after 10pm, the party will continue inside many of Gastown’s pubs and restaurants.

Today is the Summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere. This means that today is the LONGEST day of the year!!! So seize it, because you won’t get these many hours of daylight again this year!! Even the weather welcomes the summer today, we are having such a beautiful sunny day in Vancouver. Some interesting facts about solstices: –          Worldwide, interpretation of the event has varied among cultures, but most have held a recognition of sign of fertility, involving holidays, festivals, gatherings, rituals or other celebrations around that time. –          The word solstice comes from Latin sol (sun) and sistere (to stand still). An amazing spot to celebrate the official arrival of the summer is English Bay where sunsets are absolutely stunning!! And guess what?!! Today the sun will be shining until 9:22 p.m. Enjoy it! Love it!!

Vancouver is full of events this month. If you haven’t found the right one for you yet, we dare you to travel back to the 80s. This weekend (June 16th) Bryan Adams will be playing at Rogers Arena. The Canadian rock singer-songwriter, guitarist, bassist, producer, actor and photographer became famous in the beginning of the 80s with his scratchy vocals.  For this acoustic show he has prepared a selection of acclaimed hits like “Everything I do, I do it for you”, among others. And if you are really into the 80s, the Arts Club Theatre Company  will be featuring the musical Xanadu from June 21 to August 4. The story of the musical focuses on a Greek muse, Clio, who descends from Mt. Olympus  to Venice Beach, California in 1980 on a mission to inspire a struggling artist, Sonny to achieve his dream- the creation of a roller disco. Featuring the cult classics “Suddenly” and “Xanadu,” this musical is “magic on roller skates” and you can’t miss it!   Bryan Adams When: June 16 Where: Rogers Arena   Xanadu When: June 21 to August 4 Where: Arts Club (Granville Island)