Vancouver Adventures: Our Picks for June 3 to 9

Check out some new music, enjoy Shakespearean classics on the beach, get boozy at Vancouver Craft Beer Week + more

Check out some new music, enjoy Shakespearean classics on the beach, get boozy at Vancouver Craft Beer Week + more

 

1. Music Waste – Thursday, June 1 to Sunday, June 4

Eighty bands will be playing at 20 venues as part of Vancouver’s alternative art, comedy and music festival. New local bands and up-and-coming artists will be performing an eclectic range of genres as part of the three-day festival.
$15 passes online or at Red Cat, Zulu, Neptoon, Audiopile and Selector’s

 

2. Hats Off Day – Saturday, June 3

Burnaby’s biggest festival returns with a colourful parade and a giant block party when Hastings Street between Boundary Road and Gamma Avenue is shut down for festivities. Local businesses take their ‘hats off’ to the community and sponsor music and entertainment, with plenty of street eats to keep everyone well-fed.  
Free entry, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Hastings Street, more information here

 

3. The Glades Open Day – Saturday, June 3

Garden lovers can see The Glades in Surrey in full bloom with rare and unusual rhododendrons, azaleas, and heritage trees. Check out the ponds, paths and colourful blooms in this private woodland garden, which is open a few times a year to the public.
Entry by donation, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., The Glades, 561 172 Street, Surrey

 

4. VCBW Festival – Saturday, June 3 to Sunday, June 4

Vancouver Craft Beer Week celebrates local brews with over 100 craft breweries and cideries pouring 300+ beer and ciders at the 8th annual weekend festival. Western Canada’s biggest craft beer festival also has brewing demos, market stalls, food trucks, live music, DJs and art installations, as well as a pop-up barber shop and a games area with pinball and foosball.
Tickets are $39.99 and include two drink tokens (more can be purchased for $1.50 each) and a 4 oz souvenir taster mug, 1 p.m. to 6 p.m., PNE Fairgrounds 

 

5. Tom Lee Music Grand Opening – Saturday, June 3 to Sunday, 4

Tom Lee Music had been a Granville Street veteran store for 30 years and has now moved to a new location that has revitalized two old movie theatres to create a high-ceiling space with amazing acoustics. New technology and specialty equipment, interactive exhibits and rare and one-of-a-kind instruments will be on display. Free music performances and workshops take place across the opening weekend.
Opening time 10 a.m., 728 Granville Street, Granville and Georgia (above London Drugs)

 

6. Def Leppard – Tuesday, June 6

Stars of the ’80s/’90s English new wave heavy metal scene, Def Leppard are musical legends and one of the world’s best-selling musical acts. Rock out with them in Vancouver, where they will be accompanied by guests Poison and Tesla.
Tickets from $139, 7 p.m., Rogers Arena

 

7. Surrey Greek Food Festival – Friday, June 9 to Sunday, June 18

Celebrate the tastes and sounds of Greece at the 26th annual Surrey Greek Food Festival. In addition to tasty eats, there will be live entertainment from around the globe and kids can enjoy traditional crafts and face painting between 12 and 2 p.m. on the weekends.
Weekdays 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., and weekends 12 p.m. to 10 p.m., 13181 96th Ave, Surrey

 

8. Velopalooza – Friday, June 9 to Sunday, June 25

Get out and about on two wheels and explore the city with two weeks of bike-based fun, including expos, pop-up performances, beach crawls, bike clinics, raves and ’90s-, Pink Floyd- and Led Zeppelin-themed rides. Bike polo, long-distance rides and brewery tours will also take place during the festival.
Most events are free, variety of locations 

 

 

9. Bard on the Beach – Saturday, September 23

Back for the summer season, the Bard Village is open for beachside performances of Shakespearean classics Much Ado About Nothing, The Winter’s Tale, The Merchant of Venice and The Two Gentlemen of Verona.
Tickets available online or at box office, season pass $199, 1695 Whyte Ave

 

10. Playland at the PNE – Sunday, September 17

Signaling the unofficial start to the summer, Playland at the PNE is now open for weekends and holidays, with three new family-friendly rides in action. Bug Whirled is the new spinning coaster ride, The Flutterbye has visitors pedalling into the sky and the Dizzy Drop is for those brave enough to take the plunge.
Tickets $33 online or $36 at the gate ($25 for kids), season passes also available; open weekends and holidays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.