VANCOUVER - Vancouver and Victoria - page 93

After movie buffs have had their fill, literary types congregate on Granville Island
for the Vancouver International Writers Festival (Granville Island, 604/681-6330,
www.writersfest.bc.ca , late Oct.), a celebration of local and national literary talent. Most
events are open to the public and include lectures, a festival bookstore, talks, and readings
by around 100 leading writers, poets, and playwrights. They take place in island book-
stores, the Granville Island Hotel, and on Granville Island Stage.
Winter
For three weeks leading up to Christmas Eve, the waterways of Vancouver come alive
withthe Carol Ships Parade of Lights (onthewater,604/878-8999, www.carolships.org ,
Dec.). Each night a flotilla of up to 80 boats, each decorated with colorful lights, sails
around Burrard Inlet, Port Moody, Deep Cove, and around English Bay to False Creek
while onboard carolers sing the songs of Christmas through sound systems that can be
heard clearly from along the shoreline.
For the Festival of Lights (VanDusen Botanical Garden, 604/257-8666,
www.vancover.ca/vandusen , Dec.), throughout the month of December, Central Van-
couver's VanDusen Botanical Garden is transformed each evening by more than 80,000
lights and seasonal displays such as the nativity scene.
Although most folks spend New Year's Day recovering from the previous night's cel-
ebrations,upto2,000bravesoulsheaddowntoEnglishBayBeachandgo swimming. The
Polar Bear Swim (English Bay Beach, Jan. 1) was started in the early 1900s by a local
businessman, Peter Pantages, who took to the water every day of the year; to promote the
fact that it was possible to swim year-round, he formed the Polar Bear Club. On the first
day of 1920, a small group assembled at English Bay Beach dove into the frigid waters
and began a tradition that continues to this day. It starts at 2:30pm.
During Chinese New Year (Chinatown, late Jan./early Feb.), Chinatown comes alive
for two weeks with a colorful parade, music, dancing, and a spectacular display of fire-
works. The Chinese calendar is linked to the lunar New Year, which varies from late Janu-
ary to early February.
Shopping
Vancouverhasshoppingcenters,malls,andspecialtystoreseverywhere.HeadtoGastown
forFirstNationsartsandcrafts,RobsonStreetforboutiqueclothing,GranvilleStreetMall