Looking Ahead: Vancouver in 2012

Here’s what the city of Vancouver has in store for 2012

 

Yes, the holidays are over and the blanket of winter bleakness hanging over Vancouver is seemingly endless, but things will get better, we promise! In fact, we dug up a whole list of things to look forward to.

 

Even if you think the End of Days are approaching (2012, the Mayan Calendar, Harold Camping’s inevitable new prediction, etc.), you’ve still got 12 whole months to get out there and make the most of this great city. Start your engines; mark you calendars; it’s go time.

 

PUSH Festival

If you’re into extravaganzas (and who isn’t?) the PUSH festival is your bag. Two weeks of groundbreaking theatre invade Vancouver, challenging conventions of storytelling and staging with innovative performance art, while renowned global artists and local players are mixed together for a one-of-a-kind theatre experience.

 

PUSH Passes and individual tickets are available now; whatever show(s) you choose, it’s sure to be a lot more fun than network television’s “winter premieres”.

 

When and where: January 17 to February 4. Various Locations

 

Dine Out Vancouver

Feast on top-notch cuisine during Dine Out Vancouver. (Image: Rebecca Bollwitt)

 

Frugal foodies, get ready for the 10th anniversary of Dine Out Vancouver. Eat your way through the city without breaking the bank as participating restaurants offer set three-course dinners for $18, $28, or $38 per person. These establishments won’t be revealed until January 9, so don’t make reservations just yet, but hundreds of venues are scheduled to participate. We’re hungry already.

 

When and where: January 20 to February 10. Various Locations

 

Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival

There’s plenty of wine to go around at the Playhouse Wine Festival. (Image: Dave Niddrie)

 

Wineos (pardon me, “oenophiles”) across the world look forward to this internationally acclaimed event all year long, and for a good reason: wine is awesome, and what’s classier than drinking it with the winemakers and distributors themselves?

 

There are 1,700 different types of vino to swill and sip along with educational seminars, so you can pretend you know what you’re doing during the aforementioned swilling and sipping. Cheers to that.

 

When and where: February 27 to March 4. Various Locations

 

Daylight Savings

Granville deserves better than the perpetual night of winter. (Image: richard winchell)

 

We’re heading towards daylight, having passed the longest day of the year last month. March 11 marks the sweetest moment of spring: the walk to the bus stop after work no longer has to take place in total darkness. Five p.m., I can’t want to see your beautiful face again.

 

When and where: March 11. Clocks Everywhere

 

Coldplay

They’re this underground band from England; I doubt you’ve heard of them. You should get in on the ground floor of this though—I have a feeling they’re going to be big.

 

When and where: April 21, Rogers Arena

 

Stanley Cup Playoffs

The Canucks will once again battle for their very first Stanley Cup come June. (Image: Iwona Erskine-Kellie)

 

Obviously our ice hockey sport team is going all the way for REAL this year. Many a fan is still wiping away the tears from last year’s near miss (and the associated, er, incident), but those millionaires in skates need all the support they can get, so get pumped!

 

Put on your hockey jersey outfit and maybe paint your face, if that’s what you’re into: the Canucks are have a long journey towards the cup, and the city is going to be even more excited this time around (and definitely better behaved, right? Right?)

 

When and where: Spring, Rogers Arena, every pub in the city

 

Anime Revolution

This is the norm look for people at the Anime Revolution convention. (Image: Cliff Nordman)

 

A lot of fun characters populate the Skytrain, but those headed to Anime conventions are by far my favourite: call me old-fashioned, but there’s something about a grown man dressed as a Digimon character that tickles my fancy.

 

The previous meeting point for cos-play, video game, and comic enthusiasts, Anime Evolution, disbanded in 2010 due to legal issues, so this new convention fills a Final Fantasy-shaped void in the community.

 

Visitors will enjoy displays, comics, animation, music, and of course, girls dressed as weirdly sexy Japanese animals. Fun for the whole family!

 

When and where: August 17 to 19. Vancouver Convention Centre

 

Vancouver International Film Festival

If you’re into movies that don’t have the word Transformers in the title, you’ve probably already got a game plan in place for this year’s Film Fest.

 

It’s one of the five largest in North America, after all, and showcases a dizzying array of flicks, from German docu-dramas to French-Canadian slapstick comedies, with something for everyone.

 

Where and where: September/October, Various Locations