Caroline Rocher of Alonzo King LINES Ballet which will perform at the Vancouver International Dance Festival.Handout
Ignorance
See one of Canada's most inventive – and hilarious – theatre companies as The Old Trout Puppet Workshop presents Ignorance, a puppet documentary about the human species' evolution from blissfully unaware cave-dwellers to deeply dissatisfied iPhone toters, and how we might once again find satisfaction. Also make sure to check out their creation website, where you can see drafts of the script, input from the public and more (until March 10, thecultch.com, theoldtrouts.org/ignorance).
Gordon
Follow a crook who takes refuge in his father's house with his sidekick – but doesn't come clean about the true nature of his business – in Gordon, a criminally funny comedy by veteran Vancouver playwright and director Morris Panych (until March 24, artsclub.com).
Outdoor Adventure and Travel Show
Get set for a fabulous summer in the great outdoors at the Outdoor Adventure and Travel Show, where you can try a white water demo pool, find out about adventures from exploring B.C. caves to climbing Kilimanjaro, learn how to train smarter, and pick up photography tips so you can capture all those perfect moments. And if your ideal summer adventure requires 18 holes, don't miss the Golf Show (at the Vancouver Convention Centre, vancouverconventioncentre.com).
BC Boat and Sportsmen's Show
Hip-waders, flannel and camo more your style? Hit the BC Boat and Sportsmen's Show and the BC Hunting Show at Tradex in Abbotsford, where you can take a fly fishing seminar, pan for gold with Yukon Dan, learn about birds of prey, pick up tips from big game hunter Keith Beasley and meet Othmar Vohringer, who has the corner on deer and wild turkey behaviour (fvtradex.com). And if Fido and Fifi are feeling left out of the trade show flurry, make sure to pop into the Pet Expo at the PNE (pne.ca).
Western Front Gala Dinner and Auction
Eat fine food, bid on great art and help fund one of Vancouver's favourite cultural hubs at Let There Be Light: Western Front's 39th Annual Gala Dinner and Auction, which features a three-course dinner, complementary bevvies, live music and an auction where you can vie for works by Ian Wallace, Karin Bubas, Geoffrey Farmer, Angela Grossmann and many more (Saturday, front.bc.ca). Got little art lovers in tow? Don't miss Family Fuse Weekend, where they can learn a powwow dance, see the making of a graffiti mural, find out how to write a hip-hop song and more (vanartgallery.bc.ca).
Steven Osborne
Catch a rare Vancouver appearance by spellbinding British pianist Steven Osborne, who returns to western shores with a program that includes Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, Ravel's Gaspard de la Nuit, Prokofiev's Visions Fugitives and Rachmaninov's Piano Sonata No. 2 (at the Chan Sunday, ticketmaster.ca). For music that really sings, head for a 25th anniversary season concert by the renowned Elektra Women's Choir (at Ryerson United Church Sunday, elektra.ca).
Vancouver International Dance Festival
Watch stunning ballet fused with music from around the globe as the Alonzo King LINES Ballet presents Resin, a work that explores the rhythm and melody of Sephardic music, and Scheherazade, a re-envisioning of the ancient tale of 1,001 Nights that's set to the music of tabla master Zakir Hussain at the Vancouver International Dance Festival – a celebration of ground-breaking dance that also features Japan's Natsu Nakajima, Montreal's Lucie Grégoire and Yoshito Ohno, San Fran's InkBoat, Vancouver's Kokoro Dance and more (through March 11, vidf.ca).
Hike for Hunger
Take a hike and help feed those with less at the family-friendly Hike For Hunger, a 2-km walk around Bear Creek Park that kicks off with a by-donation pancake breakfast. All proceeds to the Surrey Food Bank (Saturday, surreyfoodbank.org). Want to pick up the pace? Shake off those winter cobwebs at the Mountain Equipment Co-op Raindance 5K/10K run in North Van (Sunday, mec.ca).
Vancouver Scrabble Tournament
Test your word-making mettle against pros from California, Texas, New York and beyond at the Vancouver Scrabble Tournament – featuring dictionary-memorizing top seed James Leong, whose season win percentage is 85 per cent, and Richmond resident Dean Saldanha, a Canadian National Scrabble Championship finalist who was at one time ranked 32nd in the world (at the Hilton Vancouver Airport in Richmond, vancouverscrabble.org).
Andrew W.K.
See enigmatic rocker Andrew W.K. as he celebrates the 10th anniversary of his landmark album I Get Wet – which was almost as famous for its bloody-nosed cover as it was for the songs – by performing it live from start to finish (at the Commodore with the Evaporators Saturday, ticketmaster.ca). If hip-hop is more your vibe, see fast-rising Pittsburgh rapper Mac Miller, whose Twitter and YouTube followings are in the millions (Sunday, voguetheatre.com).
Tourist In Your Own Hometown
Wander Butchart Gardens, explore the Maritime Museum of BC, take a Victoria Harbour Ferry tour, check out miniature world, get a behind-the-scenes peek at the legislature and more – and all on a single $10 dollar pass – at Victoria's Tourist in Your Own Hometown (through March 4, attractionsvictoria.com). And while you're on the sunnier side of the drink, start counting those spring blooms at the totally unscientific Victoria Flower Count (until March 7, flowercount.com).
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