BC Adventures – Our To Do Picks for June 2 – 8

Enjoy the Songfire Festival of Song, running June 3 to 24

What to do in BC this week

Brush Up Your Bargaining Skills at the Richmond Night Market – Weekends until October 8
On the hunt for a new handbag? Cheap bling? You’ll find these items and more at the annual Richmond Night Market, a bargain-friendly bazaar chock-a-block with cheap chic. Along with hundreds of booths boasting everything retail-worthy, it also features plenty of ethnic eats, dragon dances and martial arts, at a new waterfront location at 8351 River Rd (near Bridgeport SkyTrain Station) on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings until October 8.

Meet Gardening Gurus Christina Symons and John Gillespie – June 2
Green thumbs are made, not born. Even if you’ve been known to kill a cactus, B.C. authors and horticultural experts Christina Symons and John Gillespie can help you grow your gardening skills with a wealth of how-to tips outlined in their latest tome, Sow Simple, featured on June 2 at Save-On-Foods’ Local & Sustainable Day at Park & Tilford (333 Brooksbank Ave, North Van). Drop by from noon to 2 p.m. for a meet-and-greet with the local authors, along with inspiring gardening demos and displays.

Support Locals Living with HIV/AIDS at a Vegas-Style Drag Show – June 2
Queens of all incarnations will be converging at River Rock Show Theatre (8811 River Rd, Richmond) on June 2. And though plenty of heads may be topped with tiaras, it won’t be bluebloods busting out the best of burlesque at Fit for a Queen. Nope, 20 of Vancouver’s fabbest faux females headline this Vegas-style drag show that delivers a night of camp, kitsch and comedy to help support locals living with HIV/AIDS. Tickets for the 8 p.m. show are $33 at 604-280-4444.

Tea Off at the 50th Annual Oak Bay Tea Party- June 2 – 3
Even coffee lovers are guaranteed to get a kick out of the 50th annual Oak Bay Tea Party. That’s because tea-tasting is only one of the activities on the agenda at this Victoria-based bash, which also features a beachfront barbecue, bathtub races, live music, carnival rides and a military air show. Check out this cross-generational jamboree on June 2 and 3, kicking off with an opening-day parade from Windsor Park at 10:30 a.m.

Gear Up to End MS with the Fraser Valley Grape Escape MS Bike Tour – June 2 – 3
Multiple sclerosis is the No. 1 autoimmune disorder affecting young adults in Canada. Want to help put the brakes on this all-too-common condition? Then gear up for the Fraser Valley Grape Escape MS Bike Tour, a non-competitive cycle on June 2 and 3 that weaves among pastoral trails while making pit stops at award-winning wineries along the way, including Blackwood Lane and Domaine de Chaberton Estate.

Climb Aboard Thomas in Squamish – June 2, 3, 9 and 10
All aboard! Thomas-loving tots are in for trainloads of fun at West Coast Railway Heritage Park (39645 Government Rd, Squamish) this week. That’s because the loveable locomotive is set to chug into the station on June 2, 3, 9 and 10 to whisk kids off on a Day Out With Thomas: Mystery on the Rails Tour, a 25-minute train ride that includes oodles of onboard entertainment. Our advice? If you don’t want to face an enraged rugrat, you’d better snap up your $20 tickets pronto.

Tune in to the Songfire Festival of Song – June 3 – 24
Of music’s many genres, few are as little known as Art Song, described as a “dynamic fusion of music and poetry.” Luckily, the Songfire Festival of Song will get you up to speed fast with a month-long program of engaging performances and lectures, probing dialogues and thought-provoking workshops from June 3 to 24 at various Vancouver venues, including UBC. Ticket prices range from free to $40, online or at the door, cash only.

Listen to Connie Chung’s Message for Moms – June 5
Award-winning investigative reporter Connie Chung has been a powerful force in the news industry for more than 35 years. Off-screen, however, she didn’t prove quite as successful in her quest to conceive a child. Now the mother of an adopted son after failed attempts at IVF, the former CBS News anchor has got a message for other moms, which she’ll share on June 5 at the Centre in Vancouver for Performing Arts, starting at 7:30 p.m.

Check Out Hats Off Day at Burnaby’s Best Festival  – June 5
Each year since 2005, Burnaby Now readers have voted Hats Off Day as “Burnaby’s Best Festival.” See if it’s deserving of the designation on June 5 when Burnaby Heights merchants “take their hats off” to customers in a one-day street party held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., along Hastings Street between Boundary Road and Gamma Avenue. Enjoy scads of music, merriment and munchies, along with a main-street style parade kicking off at 9 a.m. from Beta Avenue.

Wine and Dine at the Vinos Wine Film Festival – June 8
Want to wine and dine like a Hollywood hotshot? Then check out the third annual Vinos Wine Film Festival on June 8 at Spirit Ridge Resort (1200 Rancher Creek Rd, Osoyoos). Like an Oscars party in the heart of Osoyoos’s famed wine country, it’s inspired by glitzy film fests like Sundance and Cannes, so make sure you’re camera-ready for your walk down the red carpet. Tickets for the festival, starting at 7 p.m., are $99 plus tax, available by calling 250-498-0666.

Support World Oceans Day with the Vancouver Aquarium – June 8
On June 8, the Vancouver Aquarium (845 Avison Way, Stanley Park) celebrates World Oceans Day with a beluga-inspired yoga class led by Vancouver’s famed yogi and “blissologist” Eoin Finn, followed by a healthy breakfast from Choices Markets and musical entertainment ranging from global hip-hop to organic beats. Tickets are $50, and directly support the Ocean Wise and SeaChoice sustainable seafood programs.

Feel the Rush with AdrenaLine Zipline Adventure Tours- anytime
Want to add some zip to your life? Look no further than AdrenaLine Zipline Adventure Tours (Vancouver, Victoria and Whistler), offering a two-hour experience you can brag about for a lifetime. After getting strapped into a seat harness, you’ll soar along steel cables at up to 60-km/h for a bird’s-eye view of 100 hectares of rainforest — all from 150 feet above the ground. And if you want to add some philanthropy to your fun, register for the Dare for Diabetes on June 3 to raise money (and a few goosebumps!) for a good cause.

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.