BC Adventures – Our To Do Picks for March 12 – 18

Cirque’s QUIDAM stops in Vancouver March 9-13

What to do in BC this week

See Cirque du Soleil’s QUIDAM – March 9 – 13
Justin Bieber, Wayne Gretzky and Rachel McAdams are just a few of the contributions Canada has made to world culture. Another is Montreal’s award-winning Cirque du Soleil. You’ll be left in no doubt as to why if you catch this high-flying band of acrobats at Rogers Arena (800 Griffiths Way) from March 9 to 13 for QUIDAM, a dazzling production that has thrilled more than 100 million people in 300 cities across five continents. Tickets for the show, featuring an international cast of 52 acrobats, musicians and singers, are $45 to $95, with discounts for seniors, students and kids. Buy yours online or call Ticketmaster at 604-280-4444.

Catch Jesus Hopped the “A” Train – March 11 – April 2

On New York’s Rikers Island, two men sit in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day. Lucius Jenkins is a serial killer who awaits execution; Angel Cruz stands accused of a murder he doesn’t believe was a crime. One has found God; the other needs to find himself. That’s the nutshell plot primer for Jesus Hopped the “A” Train, a “visceral, gritty and harrowing” drama about “contradiction, contrition and hypocrisy” by the author of The Last Days of Judas Iscariot. Catch this Glass City Theatre production from March 11 to April 2 at Pacific Theatre (1440 W 12th Avenue, Vancouver). Tickets are available online, by email at tickets@pacifictheatre.org or by phone at 604-731-5518.

Do the BMO St. Patrick’s Day 5K
 – March 12
Rather than just guzzle green beer, why not do something good for yourself — and others — to salute St. Patrick? On March 12, you can join the BMO St. Patrick’s Day 5K in support of the Canadian Diabetes Association. The disease, afflicting over 250,000 British Columbians, costs our provincial health care system an estimated $2 million per day. Help fight it with your feet by walking, jogging or racing the Stanley Park seawall, beginning from the Brockton Cricket Pavilion at 10 a.m. Afterward, head over to Brockton Club House at 11:15 a.m. for your own souvenir beer glass before moving on to Granville Island Brewing’s After Party.

Go Green on Dunbar – March 12

St. Paddy’s Day season is a good time to go green. The Dunbar Village Business Association thinks so too, which is why it’s hosting a grab bag of green activities during Going Green on Dunbar on March 12, including everything from Irish music and dance to transportation and sustainability exhibits to free pedicab rides in the new Dunbar Street bike lanes. While kids are a shoo-in for the on-site scavenger hunt, adults are apt to enjoy the many prize draws and green product features at participating merchant locations. Check it out at three activity areas throughout Vancouver’s Dunbar Village, including at 18th, 29th and 41st avenues, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

See The Sea Horse – until March 12

After more than 30 years, The Sea Horse is still afloat. And for good reason, judging by reviews that have described this “primal powerhouse” of a play as a full-blooded love story that doesn’t make you feel like you’ve just downed a bottle of corn syrup. The gist of this B.C.-set story that Bill Millerd of the Arts Club Theatre calls one of his favourites? Let’s just say it involves a stormy romance between a hard-bitten harridan and a seaman of “limited means but unlimited dreams” that sets sail until March 12 at Coquitlam’s Evergreen Cultural Centre and at Burnaby’s Shadbolt Centre for the Arts on March 14. For more details, call 604-687-1644.

Chase Leprechauns at Powder King – March 12
If you happen to spot leprechauns darting around Powder King Mountain Resort (Mile 122 John Hart Highway, Prince George); don’t worry; you’re not hallucinating. It’s all part of an early St. Patrick’s Day celebration taking place mountainside on March 12 from 9 a.m. to noon. While kids will love playing chase-the-leprechaun for chocolate coins, parents are more apt to enjoy the delicious dinner specials in the lodge and pub. For further information, call toll-free at 1-866-769-5464.

Take a Cocktail Tour – March 13-15
What’s shaking in Vancouver this week? Cocktails — and lots of ’em. From March 13 to 15, Tales of the Cocktail on Tour brings a taste of New Orleans’ famed festival to Vancouver with a spirited three-day schedule of seminars, dinners, competitions and special events taking place at various venues, including the Fairmont Pacific Rim (1038 Canada Place). Along with loads of mixology, you’ll find plenty of fun mixers, too, including the B.C. Bar Crawl on March 14 that takes guests on a wild romp to 16 of Vancouver’s best bars — Market by Jean-Georges, The Refinery and West, among them — to sample a selection of signature cocktails.

Attend Celtic Fest – March 16 – 20
Irish eyes, and everyone else’s, are sure to be smiling for the seventh annual Celtic Fest — and it won’t just be because of the green beer, either. As the largest festival of its kind in Western Canada, this St. Paddy’s Day party lives up to its billing with a full-scale street parade, marketplace and dozens of family-friendly events unfolding from March 16 to 20 at various downtown Vancouver venues. The parade kicks off at 11 a.m. from Howe and Drake streets, but if you can’t wait until then to kick it up Celtic style, head over to A Whisky Kiss scotch tasting at Doolin’s Irish Pub (654 Nelson St., Vancouver) on March 16, starting at 5:30 p.m. A complete event schedule is online, or you can pick up a program guide at Blenz outlets in the Lower Mainland and Okanagan.


Sail over to the Kamloops Boat Show – March 18-20
Does sailing float your boat? Then heads up, Okanaganers: Check out the Kamloops Boat Show from March 18 to 20 at the Dome Sports Centre (348 Chilcotin Street) to browse among dozens of makes and models showcased by some of the world’s leading manufacturers. Admission is free, too, which gives you a little extra pocket money should you fall for some of the latest marine accessories on preview at the on-site marketplace. Swing by on Friday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visit tourismkamloops.com or call 250-828-0858 for details.

See Yippies in Love – March 17-27

You’ve probably heard of Yuppies, but have you ever heard of Yippies? If not, you likely will, thanks to Theatre in the Raw’s production of Yippies in Love, running on selected dates from March 17 to 27 at Woodwards SkyRoom (10th Floor, 131 West Hastings Street, Vancouver). Set in Vancouver in the turbulent days of the early ’70s, it’s about two counter-culture revolutionaries who pit their ideals, desires and frailties against the Establishment. If this sounds like 
your thing, call 604-708-5477 for tickets 
or information, including details on panel discussions following the March 20 and 23 performances.

See Meat Loaf – March 18-19
One meat loaf even vegetarians will like? Grammy Award-winning rocker Meat Loaf, whose 1977 hit song “Paradise by the Dashboard Light” provided the soundtrack for many a teen’s most memorable moments. Enjoy a blast from your not-so-innocent past when the singer makes a two-night pitstop at Boulevard Casino’s Red Robinson Show Theatre (2080 United Boulevard, Coquitlam) on March 18 and 19, starting at 8 p.m. A tip? Baby boomers might be big on this one, so you should probably snap up tickets like a Bat Out of Hell to avoid disappointment. Tickets are available for $99.50 and $119.50, plus service charges, at all Ticketmaster outlets, charge-by-phone at 604-280-4444.

Book the Rosedale’s Canucks Package – until April 7
Instead of kicking back on the couch to catch the next Canucks game, wouldn’t it be way cooler to catch the on-ice action from the stands at Rogers Arena? With Rosedale on Robson’s (838 Hamilton Street, Vancouver) Vancouver Canucks Package, you can do just that by scoring one night’s accommodation at the dog-friendly digs, plus two home-game tickets. Book your complete sports package, starting from $140 per person based on double occupancy, until April 7 by calling 604-689-8033.

Originally published in TV Week. For daily updates, subscribe to the free TV Week e-newsletter, or purchase a subscription to the weekly magazine.