Vancouver
From watching eagles soar to identifying edible spring plants to kayaking by Jericho Beach, the first annual Wild About Vancouver Outdoor Education Festival has a little bit of everything to draw and engage families of all age and sizes.
Each event has an educational component. There’s a pollinator workshop about bees, a medicine walk with a Musqueam elder, a poetry reading and more. Everyone is invited to come together for a week of exploration, to be involved with the wealth of outdoor education learning experiences available within the city. One of the event’s goals is to unite and create sustainable networks between organizations and citizens, especially youth, First Nations, seniors, new Canadians, schools and families.
The festival has started and will continue until April 22. For more info, visit wildaboutvancouver.com.
Also happening throughout the city is this year’s EAT! Vancouver Food and Cooking Festival. It will start on April 27 and run through to May 3. In its 13th year, this week-long festival will showcase the city’s extraordinary culinary culture.
There will be a pastry panel available to field questions from the public and industry professionals. For the next Canadian master chef and food lovers, there’s hands-on workshops, a dinner series, a Canadian flavours gala and more.
To learn about specific events, visit eat-vancouver.com.
Downtown
Journaling has been proven to reduce stress by letting people write about their feelings, especially anger, sadness and other painful emotions. Releasing the intensity of these feelings is said to allow you to feel calmer and stay in the present. However, not everyone is keen on putting pen to paper so why not blog?
That’s where an Introduction to WordPress Blogging workshop at the Central branch of the Vancouver Public Library, 350 West Georgia St., comes in. Participants will learn the basics of blogging, create a free WordPress account and customize the settings.
This workshop is on Level 7 from 10:15 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. Registration is required.
To register, call 604-331-3603 or email info@vpl.ca.
Also happening at the Central library downtown is a Digital and Internet Safety workshop on April 19 from 12:30 to 2 p.m. Be savvy online. Avoid identity theft, protect your data and learn ways to secure your computer and devices. Get tips on how to use digital devices and the Internet safely and wisely.
Registration is also required. To register, call 604-331-3603 or email info@vpl.ca.
South Vancouver/Sunset
Back by popular demand, the baker’s market will be open on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Moberly Arts and Cultural Centre, 7646 Prince Albert St. There will be French macarons, croissants, bread, scones, toffees and cupcakes. There’s also the option of gluten-free or organic baked goods. The event is held indoors with free parking, free samples and free admission. For more info, visit bakersmarket.com.
West End
There are countless mysteries, myths and misconceptions about the history of Stanley Park. During Stanley Park’s Secrets Historical Walking Tour, many hidden stories and rare historical photographs will be shared. Everyone will meet at the viewing plaza overlooking Lost Lagoon at the foot of Alberni Street.
The event is on April 19 from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Admission is $10 per person and drop-in only. Part of the proceeds go to the Stanley Park Ecology Society.
Granville Island
Juno nominee Peter Katz will perform in a benefit concert for the KidSafe Project Society, a Vancouver-based charity whose mission is to provide nurturing safe havens for vulnerable inner-city children when schools are traditionally closed. With one in five children in Metro Vancouver living in poverty, the sad but common reality for thousands of local children is that school breaks are times of loneliness, hunger and instability.
The fundraising concert will be at Performance Works on Granville Island, 1218 Cartwright St., on May 21 at 8 p.m. For more info, visit the event section on kidsafe.ca.
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