Vancouver's Vaisakhi parade and several other events to check out this weekend
A crowd enjoys a previous year's Vaisakhi parade in Vancouver. (Khalsa Diwan Society)
A spring festival, a breakdancing competition and a concert of video game music are among the many events on offer in Metro Vancouver this weekend. Here are some to check out.
Vaisakhi parade
The biggest event of the weekend is likely to be the annual Nagar Kirtan – Vancouver's Vaisakhi parade.
Thousands of people are expected to take to the streets of South Vancouver for what organizers describe as an "open concept parade" and street festival.
A formal procession is scheduled to begin on Marine Drive at Ross Street at 11 a.m. and make its way up Main Street to 49th Avenue and back, but vegetarian food stalls will be set up along the route from as early as 9 a.m.
The Vancouver Vaisakhi parade is one of the largest Sikh parades in the world, according to organizers, who invite people of all backgrounds to attend. More information about the event and the holiday can be found on the Khalsa Diwan Society website.
Art Vancouver
A four-day art fair will take over the east building of the Vancouver Convention Centre this weekend, bringing with it more than 100 artists and exhibitors, demonstrations, talks and classes.
Founded and organized by the Vancouver Visual Art Foundation, Art Vancouver started in 2015 and drew more than 11,000 visitors to last year's event.
To buy tickets, see a schedule of events and learn more, visit the Art Vancouver website.
Sexy Laundry
This weekend also marks the opening of a new production of Vancouver playwright Michele Riml's "Sexy Laundry."
The hit play tells the story of Alex and Henry, a couple who books a "naughty hotel retreat" in an effort to rekindle their lacklustre sex life after 25 years of marriage.
The show opens Thursday night at the Granville Island Stage and will run through May 12, with performances every day except Mondays during that span. More information and tickets can be found through the Arts Club Theatre Company website.
Chinese unicorn dance workshop
Chinatown Together and the Vancouver Tsung Tsin Hakka Association will host a free "unicorn dance" workshop at the Sun Yat Sen Courtyard on Carrall Street Saturday afternoon.
While Chinese lion and dragon dances are well known, the tradition of qilin or unicorn dancing is less broadly recognized. According to organizers, qilins – also known as unicorns – are "an integral part" of the culture of the Hakka people, a subgroup of Han Chinese people with its own language and cultural practices.
Saturday's event begins at 3:30 p.m., and organizers say it will be the first time in almost a decade that Hakka qilin dances have been performed in Vancouver. More information about the free workshop can be found online.
Free poetry reading
The Simon Fraser University English department will host the second annual Phyllis Webb Memorial Reading at the Segal Building on Granville Street Saturday evening.
The reading honours a Canadian poet with a cash award and a celebration of their work, and is presented in memory of award-winning poet and Order of Canada recipient Phyllis Webb. This year's honouree is Liz Howard.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the reading begins at 7 p.m. While the event is free, tickets can be reserved online.
Regional breaking competition
Across the harbour in North Vancouver on Saturday night, some of Canada's best breakdancers will be competing for a spot in the Red Bull BC One national finals next month.
The competition bills itself as "the premier one-on-one breaking competition in the world." Winners from the B.C. event will join other regional winners from competitions in Calgary and Montreal at the national finals in Toronto on May 24. The winners of that event will compete in a global contest in Rio de Janeiro.
Tickets for Saturday's event can be purchased online.
Broadway and video games in concert
Sunday brings a pair of Vancouver Pops concerts at UBC's Chan Centre for the Performing Arts.
First, at 3 p.m., the orchestra will present "Walkin' on Broadway," a concert of songs from Grease, Mamma Mia, and The Sound of Music.
Then, at 7 p.m., the orchestra will present its "Adventures Concert," featuring music from classic and best-selling video games.
Both 60-minute, intermission-free performances are billed as "short and sweet," "family friendly and wallet friendly." Tickets can be purchased through the UBC website.
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