Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Entertainment
You won't run out of options if you're looking for a good time here. Van-
couver is packed with activities ranging from high to low brow, perfect
for those who like catching a play one night, watching a football match
the next, and rocking out at a gig in a grungy bar another. Whatever
you do first, ask the locals for tips and they'll likely point out some
grassroots happenings you never knew existed.
Live Music
Superstar acts typically hit the stages at sports stadiums and downtown theaters (and
with the big venue comes a big ticket price), while smaller indie bands crowd broom-
closet-sized spaces at a rag-tag of local-fave venues around town. Zulu Records (
Click
here
)
and Red Cat Records (
Click here
) are experts on the local scene and sell tickets to
many grassroots shows. And the scene here is not all about brooding indie bands: Van-
couver has a wide array of musical tastes and, with some digging, you'll find jazz, folk,
classical and opera performances around the city, often with annual festivals to match.
Film
While some independent movie theaters have closed in recent years, there are still plenty
of places to catch blockbusters as well as a couple of downtown art-house cinemas for
those who like subtitles rather than car chases: visit
www.cinemaclock.com
to see what's
on while you're here. Visiting cinephiles will be thrilled at the huge range of movie fest-
ivals. Consider the highly popular Vancouver International Film Festival (
Click here
)
in
late September, as well as smaller film fests such as
DOXA
(
www.doxafestival.ca
)
and
the
Vancouver Asian Film Festival
(
www.vaff.org
). And when all you want is some
popcorn fun, hit the summer alfresco screenings in Stanley Park, staged by
Fresh Air
Cinema
(
www.freshaircinema.ca
).
Theater
Vancouver has a long history of treading the boards. The Arts Club Theatre Company is
the city's leading troupe (particularly at its Granville Island stronghold), and there are
many stages dotted around the city. Look out for challenging, fringe-like shows and vis-
iting companies at the Cultch (
Click here
)
and Firehall Arts Centre (
Click here
)
.
