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This week in BC, extend your Valentine's celebration with that special someone at the Fairmont Pacific Rim, eat a cupcake to support the SPCA, learn how to cook healthy comfort food with chef Antonio Cerullo, and more
Valentine’s Day may be over, but that’s no reason to let the sizzle fizzle for another year. Keep the romance raging with Fairmont Pacific Rim’s Aphrodisiac Affair Package. Enjoy a couple’s “how-to” massage in Willow Stream Spa, oysters and champagne in the Lobby Lounge and an aphrodisiac-inspired chef’s tasting menu for two in ORU. After this red-hot evening you may need to “get a room” — and luckily this package, available until February 28, comes with one!
Did you know that Victoria boasts the second-highest number of restaurants per capita in North America? That’s why it’s the perfect place to host Dine Around & Stay in Town, a price-slashing promo running from February 21 to March 10. Eat up the deals at 50-plus dining spots, all serving special three-course meals for $20, $30 or $40 per person, while more than 20 hotels are offering reduced room rates.
Most of us don’t need a good excuse to eat a cupcake. But here’s one anyway: February 25 is National Cupcake Day, when you can chow down guilt-free to raise funds for the SPCA and Humane Societies across Canada. All you have to do is register for free online, bake some cupcakes then encourage friends, family and colleagues to indulge for the price of a donation. Funds will go to rescue injured, abandoned and neglected pets — and if that’s not icing on the cupcake, we don’t know what is.
From sweet treats to greasy spoons, the typical North American diet really does amount to “die” with a “t.” The good news? Many of us now recognize we are what we eat and try not to trash our bodies with junk food. If that sounds like you, check out the heart-healthy cooking class led by Choices chef Antonio Cerullo on February 25 at The Annex (2615 W. 16th Ave, Vancouver). From 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., you’ll learn how to make delicious comfort foods that are good for both heart and soul. Register for $30.
Every year at around this time Vancouver experiences one of its biggest influxes of international visitors. We know it’s not for our gloomy winter weather, so we’re guessing it must be for the Vancouver International Wine Festival, celebrating its 35th anniversary from February 25 to March 3. Let’s hope you’re thirsty, because this year’s sip-fest salutes 1,700 wines from over 175 wineries in 15 countries and includes seven days of seminars, dinners, lunches and brunches at some of Vancouver’s finest restaurants and hotels.
Ballet buffs: we’re betting you’ve never seen Swan Lake like this before — performed by the National Ballet of China for the first time ever in Canada. Held from February 27 to March 2 at Vancouver’s Queen Elizabeth Theatre, this classic production, choreographed by Russian prima ballerina Natalia Makarova, is renowned for “pushing dancers to the limits of their technical and artistic skill.” Tickets from $55 to $110 are available at 1-855-985-2787 or ticketmaster.ca
Before Brennan and Booth, Mulder and Scully and even Batman and Robin, there was Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. Now the cleverest crime-fighting duo of ’em all reunites at Deep Cove Shaw Theatre (4360 Gallant Ave, North Vancouver) in Holmes & Watson Save the Empire! On stage from February 27 to March 16, this family-friendly musical mystery sees the two scrambling to solve a deadly puzzle by midnight, a task that involves discovering (Queen) Victoria’s secret. Tickets for the 8 p.m. show are $18, with discounts for seniors and students.
Award-winning Vancouver playwright Marcus Youssef has a “difficult” relationship with his mother. When he discovers a storage locker full of her journals, he begins to delve into her history — and his own — on a journey that ultimately leads to How Has My Love Affected You?, a play filled with humour, tension, affection and truth, running from February 28 to March 23 at the Revue Stage in Vancouver. Tickets available online or by phone at 604-687-1644.
The biggest French fling this side of Quebec has got to be Festival du Bois, taking place from March 1 to 3 at Mackin Park in Maillardville/Coquitlam. This 24th annual celebration salutes Canada’s other official language with music, dance, crafts and food for the whole family, along with ice carvers in action and plenty of French-Canadian fare like tourtière, maple taffy on snow and homemade poutine. All the action happens under massive heated tents, including one specially geared for kids.
If you want a jump on the hottest spring styles, check out the West Coast Women’s Show, happening March 1 to 3 at Vancouver’s PNE Forum. Along with fashion shows and designer shopping, this all-female expo features over 200 exhibitors specializing in everything from health and wellness to décor and travel. And did we mention the live entertainment, celebrity sightings (including soap star Joshua Morrow, shown) and free food samples? Tickets are $10 at the door.
Originally published in TVW. For daily programming updates and on-screen Entertainment news, subscribe to the free TVW e-newsletters, or purchase a subscription to the weekly magazine.
