Entertainment in Canada
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Monsters in the Meadow
It’s hard to beat Stanley Park for a movie backdrop. Which is just as well, since Monsters in the Meadow screens scary B-movie classics in its Creperly Meadow area near Second Beach every August. The free-entry movies often include the scream-triggering likes of Godzilla,King Kong or Creature from the Black Lagoon. It’ll be chilly once the sun goes down (although you may be trembling in fright), so bring a sweater. Flashlights are also recommended so you can find your way back out of the park after the show.
reviewed
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Toronto Maple Leafs
The 13-time Stanley Cup–winning Toronto Maple Leafs slap the puck around the Air Canada Centre in the National Hockey League (NHL). Every game sells out, but a limited number of same-day tickets go on sale through Ticketmaster at 10am and at the Air Canada Centre ticket window from 5pm. You can also buy tickets via the website from season ticket-holders who aren't attending – expect to pay around $80 and up.
reviewed
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George Ultra Lounge
One of hedonistic Yaletown's favorite haunts, George attracts the local glitterati with its perfectly executed high-concept cocktails – anyone for a Sazerac, featuring bourbon in an 'absinthe-washed glass'? Work your way down the menu as you hone your chat-up lines on the locals, or just sink into that lip-shaped sofa in the corner and try to figure out what the giant swirly glass thing above the bar is. Food-wise, it's all about tasty side-dishes (the pork buns are especially recommended), while the DJs hit the turntables on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
reviewed
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St Augustine's
Looking like a regular neighborhood sports bar from the outside, step inside St Aug's and you'll find the largest array of on-tap microbrews in the city. Most are from BC – look out for highlights from Salt Spring Brewing, Central City Brewing and Tin Whistle Brewing – but there's usually an intriguing selection or three from south of the border. Drop by for Monday evening's cask night and you'll find an extra special tipple on offer. The food is of the standard pub-grub variety and if you drink too much, the SkyTrain station is just a few steps away.
reviewed
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Salt Tasting Room
Tucked along a cobbled back alley reputedly named after the area's former butcher trade, this chatty and atmospheric little brick-lined wine bar offers around 100 interesting tipples, most of which are unusually offered by the glass. Beer fans will also find a small menu of treats, including the excellent Anchor Liberty Ale. From your communal table perch, you should also peruse the giant blackboard of house-cured meats and regional cheeses, then go for a $15 tasting plate of three, served with piquant condiments – go for Brit-style piccalilli.
reviewed
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Railway Club
A local-legend, pub-style music venue, the upstairs 'Rail' is accessed via an unobtrusive wooden door next to a 7-Eleven. Don't be put off by the grungy-looking entrance: this is one of the city's friendliest bars and you'll fit right in as soon as you roll up to the bar – unusually for Vancouver, you have to order at the counter, since there's no table service. Expect regional microbrews from the likes of Tree Brewing and Central City (go for its ESB) and hit the hole-in-the-wall kitchen for late-night nosh, including burgers and quesadillas.
reviewed
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Narrow Lounge
Push through the door just around the corner on 3rd Ave – the red light above tells you if it's open or not – then descend into Vancouver's coolest small bar. Little bigger than a train carriage and lined with stuffed animal heads and junk-shop pictures, the hipster-luring Narrow is an atmospheric nook where the absence of windows means it always feels like midnight. Ask the friendly bar staff for recommendations (cocktails like the Bramble or beers including Blue Buck Ale are popular) and refuel with an 'unburger' – meatloaf on a baguette.
reviewed
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Fifth Avenue Cinemas
The popular Fifth Avenue screens indie, foreign flicks and blockbuster Hollywood schlock (those Kitsilano locals might look like intellectuals but they enjoy Iron Man as much as anyone else). Moviegoers can belly up to the lobby cappuccino bar for above-par baked goods before the show. A non-mandatory $12.50 annual membership provides about 15% savings on tickets throughout the year, while on Tuesday seats are $8 for everyone. Also check out the loveseats, where you can lift the padded divider and snuggle up with your movie buddy.
reviewed
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Dance Centre
Vancouver's dance headquarters, this cleverly reinvented old bank building offers a kaleidoscopic array of activities that arguably makes it Canada's foremost dance center. Home to resident companies – Ballet BC is based here – it also houses classes, workshops, performances and events throughout the year. For visiting dance nuts, there's almost always something on worth seeing (check the website). If you're really lucky the biennial Dance in Vancouver showcase of British Columbia's best contemporary offerings will be on during your visit.
reviewed
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Harbourfront Centre - Premiere Dance Theatre
A focal point for Canadian dance companies, the Harbourfront Centre also hosts a kaleidoscopic array of international touring troupes, usually performing at the two-tiered Premiere Dance Theatre in the Queen's Quay Terminal. Classical Indian dances, traditional folk performances and modern French comedies are among the productions staged here. Dancespeak, a chance to talk with the dancers, usually takes place on the second night of the performance run. Buy tickets at the Harbourfront box office at the York Quay Centre, 235 Queens Quay W.
reviewed
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Rime
Presenting a diverse grab-bag of musical genres but focusing on jazz and roots, this warm and welcoming Commercial Dr venue is a truly happening little joint. Enveloped by artworks and a funky décor, the interior is lined with little tables facing performers who know a thing or two about how to engage an audience. Sunday is artist-in-residence night, when a regular celebrated jazz exponent holds court, while the rest of the week ranges from folk to bluegrass and back again. There’s a good Mediterranean bistro menu, too.
reviewed
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Three Lions Café
Vying with the Irish Heather for the 'best Vancouver gastropub' title, this small, Brit-owned bar has a dedicated local following. Pulling both Tetley and London Pride on tap – as well as a good array of bottled ciders – the service here is excellent and the food (including great pies, Indian-style curries and a truly smashing lamb burger) is made-to-order from locally sourced ingredients. Drop by for the excellent weekend breakfast or try the ever-popular quiz night held every second Tuesday. Good spot to watch soccer games on TV.
reviewed
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Fringe Café
An ever-friendly locals' hangout, the tiny Fringe is a reminder of Kitsilano's counterculture heritage, from its funky, memorabilia-lined walls to its chatty, bar-propping regulars. Russell Brewing beers – here called Ugly Boy Lager and Dirty Girl Pale Ale – are usually on special, but there's also a surprisingly large array of international bottled brews that usually includes everything from Tyskie to Tuborg. If you're hungry, head for the Sherpa's Pie, the best of several hearty house-cooked entrées on the one-page menu.
reviewed
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1181
The West End's coolest gay bar, this loungey spot combines a chatty, sofa-strewn front space with a cozy back area that feels a lot more intimate. Separating the two is a sidebar staffed by friendly servers ever-ready to offer you tips on the local scene: this is also where the singletons sit, so you can expect to be the subject of some flirty attention as soon as you arrive. There's a good wine list and plenty of tempting cocktails, including the signature 1181 Margarita, made with Cointreau and lime-infused tequila.
reviewed
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O'doul's
Live nightly jazz attracts savvy locals to the watering hole of the Listel Vancouver hotel, where there's an impressive wine list of Old and New World classics and a surprisingly smashing BC beer selection from brewers like Crannog, Storm and Turning Point: go for the Hermann's Dark Lager. The shows are cover-free and you can also expect performers to drop by for some late-night jamming during the Jazz Festival. Service is excellent here and there's also a good grease-free bar menu.
reviewed
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Cascade Room
A great way to fast-track your way in with the local hipsters, this is the perfect contemporary reinvention of the trad neighborhood bar. Choice bottled beers like Anchor Steam and Young's Double Chocolate Stout feature, but the excellent 50-strong cocktail list is recommended: try a Cascade Room Cocktail of bourbon, pressed apple, lime juice, vanilla bean, bitters and egg white. Food is of fine gastropub quality, with the wine-braised beef and bubble and squeak worthy of praise. Drop by on Mondays for quiz night.
reviewed
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Mill Marine
The food here is nothing special, but the waterfront panoramic patio views of Coal Harbour and the North Shore mountains more than make up for it. There's a small but impressive beer selection – try the Whistler Brewing Pale Ale – as well as summer-friendly cocktail slushies, while the nosh is generally of the pizzas and pasta variety. If you're in this area on a sunny day, drop by: it's one of the best spots to catch a signature Vancouver vista – arrive before 5pm or you'll be wrestling the locals for a table.
reviewed
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Uva
Possibly the city's best wine bar, this little nook combines a heritage mosaic floor and swanky white vinyl chairs that add a dash of mod class. But despite the cool look, there's a welcome snob-free approach that will have you happily taste-tripping through a boutique drinks list carefully selected from Old and New World delights plus some exciting BC wines: go for the citrusy Joie Riesling. Combine your drinks with tasting plates from charcuterie to tangy cheese – make sure you have the sardine bruschetta.
reviewed
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Black Frog
A few steps from the Steam Clock but occupying a side-street blind spot, this smashing Edmontonian-run bar does everything right, from its friendly staff to its perfect pub-grub menu. In summer, aim to bask on the wood-deck patio – covered against the rain – and tuck into the full array of Big Rock beers from across the border in Alberta (Traditional Ale is the way to go). Food-wise, favorites include hearty burgers, sandwiches and baked Stilton, but consider the great two-person ploughman's lunch instead.
reviewed
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Cinemark Tinseltown
A Vancouver favorite, Tinseltown – incongruously located on the 3rd floor of a usually empty Chinatown shopping mall – combines blockbuster and art-house offerings, screened in a convivial but high-tech multiplex setting. Comfy, stadium seating is the norm here and it's the ideal place to shelter on a rainy Vancouver day, especially with its bottomless-coffee-cup policy. Drop by for the first showing of each movie on any day when all tickets are $8, or hit the crowded all-day-Tuesday discount day ($8.75).
reviewed
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Performing Arts Lodge Theatre
If you want to hang out at the other end of the age range, check out the Performing Arts Lodge Theatre, located in a swanky new Coal Harbour condominium block reserved for retired performance artists. While the building’s smashing upper-floor studio space hosts an eclectic array of visiting, sometimes-challenging shows throughout the year, the audience is often full of old luvvies who look like they might have a few good stories to tell about the profession during the interval.
reviewed
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Rickshaw Theatre
This recently renovated old venue has been completely revamped from its grungy old self (it used to be called the Shaw), showing that Eastside gentrification can be positive. In fact, the Rickshaw has quickly become the stage of choice for local and visiting punk and metal bands – acts like Propagandhi and Dillinger Escape Plan, plus BC lads 3 Inches of Blood – that are more used to playing in dive-bar hellholes when they hit Vancouver. Expect a mega moshpit experience with plenty of action.
reviewed
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Wolf & Hound
One of the city's best Irish bars, this perfectly comfy pub is also popular with assignment-avoiding UBC students. It's not surprising they can't tear themselves away: there's a den-like back room to watch sports, cover-free Celtic music on Friday and Saturday and a menu of comfort-food classics: go for the lamb stew or steak and Guinness pie. Harp, Kilkenny and Smithwick's Red Ale join Ireland's fave stout on the beer list: you can try all four in a sampler that's the same price as a pint.
reviewed
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Experimental Dance & Music
Formed by dancers in 1982, this challenging contemporary troupe adopts a creative multimedia approach that may mix film, music and/or art into its athletic and expressive works, many created through an improvisational process for which EDAM has become famous. If you’re lucky, the Echo Case – the company’s longest-established improvisational ensemble – will be performing during your visit. With its own on-site studio, EDAM also performs at venues around the city.
reviewed
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Carousel Theatre
Performing at Granville Island's Waterfront Theatre, this smashing child-focused theater company stages some great, wide-eyed fantasy productions that adults often enjoy just as much as their kids. Adaptations of children's classics such as The Wind in the Willows have featured in the past, with clever versions of Shakespeare works added to the mix for older children. There's also an excellent kids theater school in summer if you're traveling with a young thesp.
reviewed