A Renaissance market town at faire time, in the gorgeous summer of British Columbia -- how awesome…read moreis that! There are so many activities and features for the family to enjoy -- jousting to watch, children's games, fairies flitting around, jugglers, magicians, falconry, wandering minstrels, dancers, and all set around a total-immersion audience-participation all-day theater. Each year the plot progresses, and yet each year stands alone, entertaining and historically informative, with drama, intricate sword fights, royals and commoners, pirates and naval officers, Scotsmen and Spaniards. The enthusiastic and delightful crew of performers and musicians really make this experience special -- our family has been going to this Faire for years, and we love it! I'm particularly fond of gift shopping there with all of the amazing handcrafted items available -- I even get some gorgeous clothing items there. Also, this is one of the few places in Canada where one can hear authentic British Isles popular music from hundreds of years ago -- while drinking mead :-) The BC Renaissance Festival is truly a treasure -- long may the revelry continue!

From the owner: BCRF arose from a desire to provide an opportunity for talented performers and artisans to showcase…read moretheir historically based / inspired skills and entertain the public in a historically themed setting. We strive to provide entertainment combined with education to all ages in a safe space, producing an encompassing experience. Parents have praised us for our games and rides area as well as our safety factors around the horses and potential risks. Adults and children alike have enjoyed the fulfilling day at the faire. We are bringing World history to life within the comforts of the Modern Age. We are not confined to just the English Renaissance. 'Renfests' all over North America have features and entertainment relating to Folklore (elves, dwarves, dragons, unicorns, etc.), Viking, Asian, European Cultures, Victorian (both realistic and fiction-steampunk), Pirates, and much more. Vendors can not only be influenced by history but also fantasy, fiction, culture or myth. Time period inspired products and entertainment can reach back as far as the stone age and as modern as Victorian. GOOD NEWS!! Jousting is back - Check the webpage for more news and look for the gofundme titled Historicalhorses NOTE: We have changed our dates and location. Please see the webpage for more information.

I have been to a lot of outdoor events such as food truck festivals, Craft market, Italian Day,…read moreFusion events and etc. This one is definitely not wow. No fancy concerts here. They have low cost performances. No beer garden here either. This is basically a city event put up to teach kids to recycle. Its not wow. Food trucks were ok but not as much as say the Columbia Street festival. I would say 80% of the stalls are put up by the City of Richmond. I guess its great for kids. But for grown up not really. I also think its due to the demographic of Richmond. Maybe Richmond has more young families and Asian so this event tends to be tailored to them. If I haven't gone to so many outdoor festivals this year, I probably would have enjoyed this one. There are limited parking here and one option was to risk getting your car towed by parking inside of Richmond Center. The event is free and yes the ice rink is also open to the public for free that day (ice rink is owned by the City of Richmond). It was ok but I guess my interest is not to learn about recycling at 10+ different stalls.

Went last year but this years Fest knocked it out of the ball park!…read more Lots of food options & great entertainment from Kunda Africa band as well as Tokyo Police Club! Lots of food trucks & great food sampling at the culinary stage. Fun for the whole family & friends. For some reason this festival only runs on Friday & Saturday - on a long weekend ... why organizers!?? Tried the Pad Thai chicken dish from the Thai Box on Truck food truck - it took awhile to serve us - they were extremely busy - it was well worth the 20 minute wait! Pressure will be on for next years event to be just as good if not better - good luck organizers!

It's dumb that this was added in British Columbia. It should have gone in Scotland (where Craig was…read moreborn) or Los Angeles (where he lives) but there's no changing it now. Whatever. I bought tickets for Craig's "Fancy Rascal" tour that came to Charlotte North Carolina this evening. A few references to the show but mostly lots of Craig's excellent and funny stand up. Topical, current, offensive to all but as the other reviewer mentions, never with malicious intent. They're jokes, people. Get over it! Ay carumba! Tootsie fruitsie! If you have the opportunity to catch Craig, do so. You won't regret it.

I used to watch the Craig Ferguson show not for the guests (which were hit and miss) but to catch…read morethe first 5 minutes of his monologue. It wasn't so much about the jokes themselves as it was about the personal indulgence of hearing the 5 minute rant of a Scottish guy who doesn't give a shit about who he offends half the time. Tonight's show was a 90 minute extended monologue/rant that went by too fast. The show opened with a familiar face/voice from his cable show, "Robot Geoff." The guy behind the tin suit performed a 30 minute skit consisting of mostly celebrity impersonations that he did very well. It was a pre jaw warm up. I wasn't convinced beyond his ability to mimic celebrities that there was anything more (comedic diversity) to Geoff, however, I am interested to see where is career may lead post television. Ferguson was fully aware that his comedy would offend everyone in the audience at some point but never with malicious intent. To be honest other than him sniffing his finger after an anal massage joke, I was disappointed that I wasn't personally offended. The core themes of his stand up were Kenny G anal jokes and his encounter with Mick Jagger. On paper it doesn't come across as funny , however, it was all about the delivery which ultimately resulted in a tummy cramper. The monologue started out very weak, an impatient ADD session. 30 minutes into the set the pace slowly picked up eventually concluding full circle. It was a lot funnier than some of his stand up specials on Youtube. Part of the magic of comedy is laughing with others as it' been well documented that laughing is contagious in large numbers. I find that his brand of comedy is something that has no repeat value but still leaves a lasting impression a few days later. Audio wise it was on the quiet side in spite of him having a microphone. Any louder and his accent may have gotten in the way of delivering certain jokes. The crowd was a lot livelier during the comedy festival in a downtown venue rather than a stale casino. He seemed more relaxed under the circumstance of celebrating comedy rather than a self esteem crusher of having to perform at a casino. The crowd appeared to want to be entertained rather than entitled. For me it was more about spending 90 minutes inside a complicated guy's head than strictly going for chuckles. Fame/money hasn't made him a happy person who doesn't visit dark corners of his psyche.

"Illuminate Yaletown" is an annual event that is usually held for one night in early March,…read morecommencing at exactly sundown on the night in question. It recently celebrated its tenth year (so I'm surprised there's no Yelp write-up on it yet!). It's a pretty cool event and, best of all, it's FREE! This year IY was held on March 8th, so my kid and I decided to go. It helped that the weather was clear and rain-free (!). The event was held on Hamilton Street, between Drake and Davie, and the road on this block was closed off to traffic. And boy, it was hopping! Lots of families and couples were there, checking out all the exhibits and installations. In a nutshell, IY features light artists and designers, and interactive tech displays and light projections. There are guys walking about on stilts who are encased in colorful light-changing "armor". There are colorful light-changing sculptures. There's a walk-in dome where , inside, - you guessed it, - there are colorful light changes projected on the interior. There are plenty of cool photo ops, including a tropical themed, vibrant colored light-infused backdrop, and in the square on Hamilton across the street, there are hanging colorful light-infused swing-seats in the shape of donuts - perfect for sitting in and getting a funky photo! (This is the square immediately behind the Yaletown Roundhouse Skytrain station). And above the square is a canopy of strung blue and white lights (so pretty). All in all, the area is festive and bustling with people enjoying themselves and taking lots of pictures. Because it's a fairly small area, one could see it all within 20 minutes or so (perfect for families with small children, FYI). And very cool how they give out free 3-D-esque glasses, which really enhanced the viewing of some of the light displays, turning them into visual prismatic images. I love prisms and kaleidoscopes, and it was cool to see some of these light sculptures morph into moving patterned rainbows when wearing these glasses. Weather-permitting, we plan on going again next year.

From the owner: Heritage meets modern describes the historic district of Yaletown in Vancouver, BC. Yaletown…read moreprovides the serenity of an oceanfront seawall, along with the largest selection of trendy patios and award-winning boutiques. As a great escape within the big city, Yaletown offers an opportunity to explore acclaimed restaurants and eclectic shops set along heritage brick walkways with free area WiFi. Named after the town of Yale, which moved its settlement as the Canadian Pacific Railway established its works yards along the Northern edge of False Creek in 1886, Yaletown is managed by the Yaletown Business Improvement Association. Family days out, romantic evenings or drinks on a patio; start planning your Yaletown experience today with our Visitors and Events listings. Yaletown: Where Next Begins

Celebration of Light is back for 2022 after a two year hiatus!…read more We were in town and got to catch the first week of CoL and it was Japan! This event is fully stocked with lots of food trucks, live music and other fun booths. All the locals we spoke to said get there early (like 2-3pm) to get a spot on the beach or just give it up and watch from the street, which would also be crowded. They do offer some stadium seats for a price (they sell out online early), but after reading the reviews, we decided to take our chances in the free public areas. Cactus Club at English Bay usually sells tickets too, but they were closed for a private event on this day. We forgot our invite! Haha. 3:30pm: We arrived and it didn't look too bad. There were still empty spots here and there on the grass and benches. We decided to grab some food and drinks nearby. 5pm: We got spots on one of the benches (no shade)! Still a decent amount of space in between people on the benches and lawn. 7pm: Red Bull air show. Exhilarating! Aerobatic pilot Pete McLeod is such a daredevil! 8:30pm: Starting to get too close for comfort. People jamming in spots that can't really fit an adult person. 10pm: The main event! Crowded everywhere...shoulder to shoulder. 25 minutes of spectacular fireworks! What a show! We were disappointed we couldn't hear the synced music though... I have to give props out to the Canadians. For the most part, this event was well organized and everyone behaved themselves more or less. There was a good amount of police presence. It was a cool to experience this event live once. I watched it on YouTube a couple days later complete with music and all from my couch at home and it might arguably have been even better.

FIREWORKS. I've…read moreseen the Celebration of Light twice now, and I love it. This is now a family tradition. You can pay for a ticket to reserve a seat on a bleacher or join the thousands who grab a blanket or lawn chair and park a squat or stand in the street for free for the same - or better - view. Bring a picnic and some cards and make a day of it. This is a must do Vancouver situation, held the last week of July/first week of August. Make sure to bring a radio to hear the music much better vs. through the speakers broadcast through the crowds. Be prepared to deal with the throngs of people walking afterwards and not finding a cab. You'll be pumped from the show(s) you see anyway to give you the boost to hike to your vehicle.

Like a combination farmer's market and food truck festival where a sweet collective of vendors come…read moretogether with community on Friday nights. Live music and a beer garden make this an event not to miss. Organic food vendors include grass-fed meats, local Sea foods, a few bakeries, loose leaf tea vendors, producers of fresh juices, handmade soaps and of course organic produce, jewelery and craft booths. Everything is locally produced. This is nothing but a good time and ... it's FREE!

The Lynn Valley Farmers Market is great. It's lots of fun as there are many familiar local faces…read morethat go there to shop on Thursday from 2 - 7pm. There are quite a few vendors but only a few produce stalls due to it being early in the growing season as of June 23rd. There should be more in July and August as more local produce is ready to sell.

It's my third year at Glow Langley and I swear the light displays keep getting bigger and bigger!…read moreOh my goodness this place is just breathtakingly beautiful. Glow is the finest, grandest, and most immersive Christmas celebration available. A complete wonderland throughout. Glow truly knows how to do the holidays right! They went all out this year! This year they took it even further: bigger glow, brighter magic, and the full holiday spirit. If you want big Christmas vibes then this is it! Every corner was dressed in holiday magic - twinkling lights, festive music, and pure Christmas vibes everywhere you turned. It was one of those perfect nights to be out walking, laughing, and just soaking it all in. From the moment I entered, the atmosphere pulled me in: bright lights, loud music, and the smell of hot chocolate drifting through the cold night air. It's the kind of place where even adults forget they're adults for a moment. The live music, the festive activities, the holiday characters, the Crystal Ice Palace--each element contributed to the sense of stepping into a winter festival built to entertain. Glow is pure festive magic! Just an unbelievable light display... just fantastic!... you have to see it to believe it!... and the art and talent that's put into this is out of this world! The displays were bold, vibrant, and full of magic -- every turn felt like something new to look at. It is, without a doubt, the most Instagrammable spot in the city during December. The light displays are beautifully crafted, creating a magical atmosphere that truly captures the festive spirit. You can definitely see the dedication and hard work throughout Glow. This is a magical experience that truly brings the spirit of Christmas to life! The light displays were breathtaking, the atmosphere felt like a fairytale, and every corner of Glow was glowing with wonder. The work gone into making this event must be massive but well worth it. Love all the thought and care that went into it. This is the place to experience the true feel of Christmas! It's festive magic at its best! It's the kind of place that makes you dream of holiday magic all over again!

I was so glad I visited the Langley Glow Gardens for the Christmas displays. The Christmas light…read moresculptures were all extraordinary to look at; every single one of them. There were some displays where you can interact with the lighting decorations or animatronics if you have one of those magic wands they sell. I walked through the sceneries more than once when I was there just because they are so gorgeous to look at. There is also a live concert, food trucks, a market section sponsored by other businesses, and an indoor train ride, which I had the pleasure of riding in. I highly recommend going to the Glow Gardens before Christmas is over.

First time checking out this festival. I enjoyed the different variety of foods. There was a…read moreBlack forest mushroom stand where they sell Alder tree logs for $45 inoculated with chestnut mushroom spores. The Lummi Nation island salmon lunch plate was $18 but it was wild salmon, pasta, bread and beans + water bottle. I like how they air grilled/smoked the fish. That line was the longest. Trident also had a stall where they were giving away shirts, key chains, fish oil, chocolate swag. The boat building offered a demo on sea urchins which i missed out on. They also had a Whatcom Maritime museum station where kids can build wooden boats. Enjoy coming to this place eventhough a bit far for us. It was nice to be by the water and free parking.

So much fun packed in two days. Today's weather was perfect for the Seafeast...sunny and hot at…read moretimes but dry the whole day. We got there around 12 and stay until 5:30pmish. Parking at that time was a bit challenging but we manage to find a free parking lot close by and walk toward the festival. Once there we saw tons of vendors with all kind of marine info and education. My girls (ages 9 & 11) found the "Passport" section where the girls get their passport stamp as they go thru and learn about each booth. I find myself learning a few things too. Food court was loaded with an abundance of sea and non-sea food options. Nice that most if not all took credit cards. My meal pick was Fish and Chips from Fork & Fin food truck. A huge portion for $12( definitely shareable.) Girls got a huge hotdog ($5) from a hotdog stand. For dessert we grab some ice cream($2) next door to the hotdog stand. Only wish there was a water station so we could re-fill our water bottles instead of having to buy the plastic water bottle. Maybe next year a water conservation vendor would sponsor that to keep us water drinker from contributing to the plastic landfill and from the ocean. We headed to the main stage with all our food goodies to eat while enjoying some live music. Definitely a fun family festival for the whole family.

After reading the event calendar on Vancity Buzz, and seeing this event, it really didn't peak my…read moreinterest, but it was Sunday and neither my partner, nor myself had much planned, and since we are in Richmond we decided to go to this event. This year marks the 6th time they have had it... six years, wow... I have never heard about this festival at all, and really didn't know how to get here, luckily the website had a physical address for me to put into the phone GPS and away we went! When we arrived, the main road to the Park was closed off, and parking is in residential area, I was lucky enough (parking gods coming through again) to find a spot near the main closed off gate. After that we walked a few blocks toward the festivities. We didn't know what to expect and when we got here it was different, how so you ask? This festival melded with the farm quite well, where the sponsor's/vendor's used the area they were given, and didn't intrude upon it. Coming here, you felt one with the farm lands, as they seperated the sections up, the first part we were in was actually the last portion, a make-shift small stage, a fire-burning oven for Steveston pizza, and a 'spin the wheel' tent set up by Kin's Farm, where they are taking donations, and you can win anything from lettuce to reusable bags. There was a second area that was set-up for the youth, and a small little petting zoo with the Richmond Automalls 'bunnies' (real life rabbits) for the kids... a good assortment of little hoppity creatures (even though mine would take the cake on cute, and wanting to being pet!) and other youth oriented products being sold at this portion of the festival. I can see that the children were having a blast, and all in a very controlled environment. At the same time it was very sheilded from the other portions of the festival, in a different zone, seperated by the trees and bushes, pretty cool. In the final area... where most people probably start their journey through this festival, there are greeters from the sharing farm telling you what they are doing there, and how you can help. There was car2go, BC Hydro, YVR airport, and some other sponsors of the event showing things in their individual tents. There was a red barn with cooking displays, and another tent talking about cultivation, and also the sharing farm itself, showing what people do here, and how it goes back into the community. Most of the food grown here goes to the foodbank... and to learn about this now.. after 6 years. Also some local farmers were selling things.. like.. fresh garlic (of course!), raw honey, local produce (from lettuce to tomatoes), jams... there were many things on show.. I just can't remember them at all. The sharing farm area is huge, and it's a peaceful place to walk... but to know that this place exist, and what people are doing here is amazing... that.. and the backdrop of airplanes landing across the water at YVR... it's a relaxing experience that I hope to come back next year to partake in! We ended up walking most of the festival with 4 batches of lettuce we won at the Kins Farm booth! Just remember next time... (next year) bring a reuseable bag.. you never know what you might leave with.