Snow in Vancouver, Sunday February 27, 2011 at Robson Square, English Bay and Granville Island.
It is a little ironic that Sunday also happened to be the last day of the season for ice skating fans at Robson Square. To celebrate the occasion, TD Bank held a Winter Carnival that featured live DJ music, ice sculpting and street clowns. There were free coffee and chocolate drinks to go with the free skating for those who brought their own skates. Over at English Bay, the sandy beach was all covered in white, but that didn’t stop some ardent visitors who came to build a snowman or two. As one residents said, “Got to do somthing.” At Granville Island, cars parks were filled to 90% capacity. Many were enticed by the all-year round fresh seafood and vegetables, much of it from local suppliers.
Snow in other parts of Canada often turns into a headache for those who live in the city, but not in Vancouver. Much of the snow has already to began to melt in 24 hours as temperatures stayed a few degrees above freezing. VIDEO – 2011 snow in Vancouver Robson Square, English Bay & Granville ISland
1689 Johnston Street, Granville Island, Vancouver BC
Vancouver’s Eco Fashion Week 2011 Opening Night runway show was held at the Olympic Village Salt Building in Southeast Falsecreek on Feb 23, 2011. The event is a sustainable, recyclable, green wearing, organic fabric clothing design show. Fashion Designers: Dahlia Drive, (zero.O.lab), Peridot Kiss and Kim Cathers. Opus Bikes Presents Tonic Lifestyle Apparel, Sofia Clothing Downtown Betty. KenDor Textiles Presents WE3, Lav & Kush, Red Jade. Zero-O-Lab, Peridot Kiss, Kim Cathers.
The next such event would likely be the upcoming Vancouver Fashion Week (VFW) Fall/Winter 2011 (April 12-17, 2011) which has also featured eco-fashion in the past for the appreciation of the ethnical consumers.
The Eco Fashion Week (EFW) is a bi-annual fashion show that focuses on promoting and supporting the idea of sustainability, educate the public about care for the environment and by leading the clothing industry in creating apparel that is at once fashionable, trend-setting and earth-friendly.
The green wearing and organic clothing event is important to the city’s green economy sector as well. Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson recognized as such and stated that EFW helps position Vancouver as ‘the global capital of eco-friendly and sustainable fashion, nicely aligns with the City of Vancouver’s goal to be the “World’s Greenest City” by 2020’ as mentioned in the mayor’s letter of support to the show’s organizers.
The EFW 2011 dates are February 22-25, 2011 with a schedule of event that includes a fashion runway show each day on Feb 23-25 at the Salt Building and Shangri-La Hotel (Feb 23 only) in Vancouver. EFW is organized by Aveda (Myriam Laroche, Evie Ponce, Shauna Biggar, Ashleigh Said etc.)
A Brazilian Berimbau music and Capoeira martial arts performance by the Vancouver-based Ache Brasil that reflects an Afro-Brazilian tradition. In the 16th Century when Portugal ruled Brazil, the largest country in South America where the Amazon Jungle resided, African slaves were imported to work in the plantations. Totally unfamiliar with the surroundings of a new continent, most of these immigrants dared not to run away. To protect themselves against the abuse at the hands of their plantation masters and as a survival skill should they ever decided to escape, the African slaves began to develop Capoeira, a form of martial art and fighting and attacking skill. Today, the Capoeira Martial Arts is being regarded as one of Brazil’s most treasured cultural heritage and the fighting techniques forged long ago are being teached worldwide and have attracted a global following.
This live music and sports act was part of the Spirit of Africa Festival 2011 organized by the Caravan World Rhythms and took place at Vancouver’s St. James Hall in the West End on February 20, 2011.
VIDEO – Brazilian Berimbau & Capoeira Martial Arts
A group originally from Guinean, West Africa now living in the Pacific Northwest performed at the St. James Hall in Vancouver on Feb. 20, 2011. The sound of west African singing, dancing made for an exciting night as part of the Spirit of Africa Festival organized by the Caravan World Rhythms.
Also performing on the same night were Ache Brasil playing Berimbau music and displaying Capoeira martial arts skills developed by the imported African slaves to Brazil in the 16th Century and Zimbabwean Marimba by KUNAKA.
VIDEO – Guinean Africa Wali Afro-Brazilian Music & Dance
Fashion meets body painting in a wild night of partying, sounds like your idea of fun? Then you should have been there when the BCIT Marketing Association organized just such an event on February 11, 2011 at the Republic night club in downtown Vancouver and dubbed it Cirque d’Etrange.
The highlight of the evening was well-known Vancouver-based Eva Chen Couture who lend her famous Black Swan 2011 Collection first featured at the Vancouver Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2011 show. Other emerging designers included Nicole Guzzo, Christie Clayton, Miriam Melanson and others were invited to participate in a mini-fashion show with a live model body-paint art demo as a prelude.
Movies of silent film legend Charlie Chaplin played on HDTV overhead as models wore risqué dresses and trendy dos strutted the catwalk. Hot DJ tracks enhanced the strange circus atmosphere of the night. The crowd that jam-packed the joint clearly loved it. VIDEO – Eva Chen Black Swan 2011 Collection Featured in BCIT Cirque d’Etrange
Almost can’t believe it. But it was here, the first anniversary of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games on February 12, 2011 came and gone. Can’t deny it, there was a bit of sadness and many were a little depressed. The high we had lived during the 2010 Games was just too hard to attain again.
But people did respond to the call to come out to downtown Vancouver where the celebrations really got started at 4PM when the Olympic Cauldron was re-lit but was extinguished at 9PM. Many who came by later than that were disappointed. But there was still a large street party going on at Granville Mall where there was the Lunarfest 2011 and Robson Square where skating was free for the day. A live performance stage was set up right besides the ice skating rink where local and community artists were invited to entertain the crowd. It was obvious though that people came down to party and dance. So when The Freshest DJ Seko, Marvel, Rico Uno and Kutcorners came on stage to play tracks and spin discs, people participated, waved flags, danced and partied the night away in true Canadian fashion to celebrate the first anniversary of a landmark and history-making event that would defined Vancouver forever.
The Vancouver Boat Show 2011 was held from February 9-13, 2011. Everything about the marine sailing lifestyle is all here under one roof at the Vancouver Convention Centre and on an open ocean too at the False Creek Yacht Club. Two locations to serve the boat and yacht enthusiasts interested in pleasure crafts, water sport, nautical equipment, navigation tools, GPS, power engines, safety vests, diving gears, dingy, canoe etc.
Environmental concerns and sustainability practices are also one of the highlights of the show. Brock Elliott, owner of Campion Marine Inc. said that his company is committed to reducing carbon emission. The Kelowna BC based company is also the first boat manufacturer in the world to use Envirez, a renewable bio-derived resin from Ashland Performance Materials in boat-building, Mr. Elliot claimed.
The trade convention is also a family-friendly show. At the kids area, children can ride on paddleboats in a large pool. Besides the various manufacturers and industry power-players displaying their wares at their booths and exhibits, the back to basic stuff was not forgotten either. How about a one candle boat at the SS Master Society, a BC heritage boat club or the Wooden Boat Alley where you can learn about wooden boat building?
VIDEO – Vancouver Boat Show 2011
PHOTOS by Ray Van Eng / Vancouver21.com
Brock Elliott, Campion Marine Inc., Kelowna BC
One Candle Boat, SS Master Society
Vancouver Convention Centre, 1055 Canada Place, Vancouver BC
Jacqueline Conoir or JC Studio, a top Vancouver fashion design house is now ready to launch an all new Spring/Summer 2011 Collection debuted in the recent Vancouver Fashion Week 2010.
Founded in 1985, Jacqueline Conoir had a clear vision in mind: to make clothes that real woman would love to wear everyday for any occasion. With training at one of the top fashion schools in Paris, Rozemerie Cuevas brings sophistication and modern glamour to her Vancouver based label. With a reputation for classic tailoring with modern detailing, Jacqueline Conoir is produced locally where Rozemerie has a hands-on approach to ensure craftsmanship and attention to detail.
The extensive collection includes a broad repertoire of ready-to-wear, suiting and evening pieces and an upcoming new trend line launch representing a more youthful and edgier direction. Modern confidence infused with sexy femininity are the core traits of Jacqueline Conoir. Jacqueline Conoir http://jacquelineconoir.com/
VIDEO – Jacqueline Conoir SS2011 Collection
Jacqueline Conoir, 44, 6th Avenue West, Vancouver BC
Kung Hei Fat Choi! Welcome to the Year of The Rabbit in 2011 in the Chinese Lunar Year Calendar!
VIDEO – CNY 2011 Parade in Vancouver Chinatown
The Vancouver Chinese New Year Parade is one of the three largest processions in the city. I am guessing the other two being the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE) Parade and the Gay Parade where many of the boys and girls are half-naked. You don’t see that at the CNY 2011 parade in Chinatown for sure. For one thing, it is in the middle of winter right now although Vancouver is certainly one of the warmest spot in Canada.
On February 06, 2011, the parade started at the Millennium Gate on Carrall and Pender Street. It was said to have the largest assembly of traditional lion dance teams in Canada. Some 3,000+ participants from various culture groups and community centers. Tens of thousands spectators (some say 50,000) lined up along the parade route on Pender, Gore, Keefer and Columbia Street to watch the procession despite a light rain.
The CNY 2011 Parade is actually part of the 2011 Year of The Rabbit Vancouver Chinatown Spring festival in which a number of cultural sites in the Chinatown area were having their own cultural activities such as more lion and dragon dances, Chinese folk music performance and dancing, kung-fu demonstration, firecrackers, Cantonese and Chinese opera etc. As with Christmas, there are special Chinese new year songs that were sung at various gatherings throughout the area. These were located at the Dr. Sun Yat Sen Garden, Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Vancouver, Chinatown Plaza, and International Village. All within walking distance to one another.
One of the most popular deity in the Chinese New Year parade that everyone would clamor to meet was the Fortune God. He greeted everyone on his path and handed out red envelops known as ‘lai sze’ (Cantonese) or hóng b?o (Mandarin) which was meant to bring good luck to the recipient.
It is not just for the Chinese. Many other Asian countries such as Vietnam, The Philippines etc. also celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year.
How can one forget about Chinese food? To cap off the day’s activities, at 6 PM, a Spring Festival Gala banquet was held at the Floata Restaurant that was known as the ‘Thousand Guests Dinner’ with tickets available to the public at $35 a seat. The dinner was attended by many local politicians from the three levels of government. Alice Wong, MP, Ujjal Dosanjh, MP, John Yap, MLA, Jenny Kwan, MLA, Richard Lee, MLA, Gregor Robertson, Mayor of Vancouver, Suzanne Anton, Vancouver Councilor, Raymond Louie, Vancouver Councilor and others.
Millennium Gate, 30 West Pender Street, Vancouver, BC
