BC Adventures – Our To Do Picks for July 21 – 27

This week in BC: Head to the Surrey Fusion Fest, bike along Kettle Valley Railway, get bendy at the Fairmont and more

Catch the quirky BoucheWhacked troupe at the Neanderthal Arts Festival

What to do in BC this week

Rev Up at Sturgis North – July 18-22
Motorcycles and heavy metal go together like rock stars and supermodels, so the second annual Sturgis North is revving up to deliver plenty of both from July 18 to 22 at Vernon’s Motoplex Speedway (9531 Hwy 97 North). This road warrior roundup includes classic rock survivors like Blue Oyster Cult, Foghat, Jerry Doucette and Kim Mitchell, along with testosterone-fuelled fun ranging from stunt performers and charity rides to a beer garden and daily show and shines.
 
Catch the Best in Busk – July 20-29
Contrary to popular belief, it takes talent to sit on the sidewalk and strum out music for moolah. Don’t believe us? Check out the International Buskers Festival, held from July 20 to 29 at Victoria’s Bastion Square and Inner Harbour. Expect to be stepping around sidewalk squatters at every turn ‘cause buskers from around the world will converge in the capitol to present ten days of performances on open-air stages, including daily lunchtime shows at the Bay Centre (1150 Government St). Admission is by donation.

Get Sporty at the Vancouver International Rugby 7s Tournament – July 21
Sports action is just one of the activities in store at the Vancouver International Rugby 7s Tournament on July 21 at Swangard Stadium (3883 Imperial St, Burnaby). Along with non-stop on-field action, you’ll also find live entertainment, a beer garden, ethnic food court, multi-culti exhibitions and a family fun zone. What’s more, game fans can raise a toast to their favourite team at an after-party at the Hilton Metrotown Hotel, starting at 9 p.m.

Experience a Taste of Africa in Burnaby – July 21
National flags will be flying in Burnaby on July 21, but they won’t be Canada’s familiar red and white. Nope, the colours in question will be green, yellow and red — in keeping with the Ethiopian Community Summer Festival, held at Rene Memorial Park (6961 Sperling Ave). Offering a little taste of Africa in Edmonds, the bash welcomes revelers of all ages and cultures for food, fun and festivities, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Light it up at the Illuminaires Lantern Festival – July 21
Celebrating “the light within us,” the 24th annual Illuminares Lantern Festival on July 21 is expected to attract thousands of revelers to Trout Lake and John Hendry Park (Victoria Drive and 15th Ave, Vancouver), a trendy neighbourhood transformed for the night into a whimsical wonderland full of flickering candles, stilt walkers, jugglers and musicians. Catch this community carnival for free, starting at 6 p.m.

Head to the Surrey Fusion Fest – July 21
Fusion might be slightly out of favour when it comes to food, but it’s a can’t-miss concept when it comes to music. Case in point? The Surrey Fusion Festival, a rockin’ roundup of international and local artists, including Los Lobos, Hawksley Workman and Walk Off the Earth. Held on July 21 and 22 at Holland Park (13428 Old Yale Rd), this free fest is billed as the “ultimate celebration of music, food and culture,” thanks to 30 international pavilions, a multi-culti food fair and authentic Aboriginal Pow Wow.

Catch Experimental Art at the Neanderthal Arts Festival – July 21
“Discover the Next Big Thing . . . In Your Own Back Yard.” That’s the tagline for the Neanderthal Arts Festival, taking place from July 19 to 29 at the Vancouver East Cultural Centre. The name is a bit of a misnomer, though, ’cause there’s nothing archaic about the program of cutting-edge performances. So if you like your art experimental, you’ll find no shortage of “eclectic and challenging” plays from local and national theatre companies, including a troupe of quirky Quebecers called BoucheWhacked.

Watch a Free Movie at Stanley Park – July 24
If you’ve seen concession-stand prices, you know that a trip to the movies is no longer a cheap night out. The exception? The Chevron Summer Cinema Series, screening free family films on Tuesdays throughout July and August at Second Beach in Stanley Park. Bring your own lawn chairs or blanket and settle in for some cinema under the stars, beginning at dusk. On July 24, check out The Lion King and, in lieu of admission fees, donations are accepted for the Red Cross.

Grab Your Ticket for Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story – until August 26 
“Oh, Boy!” you’re lucky if you managed to snag tickets to Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story, “the world’s most successful rock ’n’ roll musical” playing at the Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage (2750 Granville St, Vancouver) until August 26. That’s because the last time this touring production hit town, more than 60 performances sold out. Chalk it up to word-of-mouth raves for a celebratory show that boasts all of Buddy’s best tunes. Tickets start at $29 by calling 604-687-1644.

Search out Your Star Sign at the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre – every Saturday
For 3,000 years, the zodiac consisted of 12 signs. Now, thanks to an upstart astronomer, we have a 13th — Ophiuchus — that occupies the time frame once reserved for Sagittarius. So, with all the sun signs since reshuffled, you might not really be a Leo or Libra, Cancer or Capricorn. Unravel the mystery at Vancouver’s H.R. MacMillan Space Centre, unspooling its astronomy show Mansions of the Sun on Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. until September 1.

Bike along the Kettle Valley Railway – this summer
Award-winning wine country is only one of Kelowna’s claims to fame. Another is Monashee Adventure Tours’ B.C. High Line Tour, a three-day bike blitz that was rated among the Top 25 Best New Trips in the World by National Geographic. On this B&B-based tour, cyclists will wend along the 250-mile Kettle Valley Railway, across three mountain ranges, dozens of canyons, acres of Ponderosa pines and 18 trestle bridges, while making meal stops at various Okanagan wineries.

Get Bendy at the Fairmont – every Wednesday and Saturday
Vancouverites are known as an exercise-obsessed bunch. So it’s no surprise that some of us have been greeting the dawn at the Fairmont Waterfront’s Sunrise Rooftop Yoga. Giving new meaning to “sun salutations,” yoginis have been downward-dogging on the open-air patio, overlooking panoramic ocean and mountain views. Check out the one-hour classes, taught by some of the city’s best instructors, on Wednesdays and Saturdays, starting at 7:30 a.m., then rev up afterward with a free energy drink made from the hotel’s own bee apiary.

Originally published in TVW. For daily programming updates and on-screen Entertainment news, subscribe to the free TVW e-newsletters, or purchase a subscription to the weekly magazine.