BC Adventures – Our To Do Picks for October 1-7

Credit: TVW

The Light in the Piazza runs until October 9 at the Normal Rothstein Theatre

What to do in BC this week

Don’t Miss the Vancouver International Flamenco Festival
 – September 26 – October 2
Our multi-culti community has its benefits, including setting the stage for the 22nd annual Vancouver International Flamenco Festival. Taking place at various venues from September 26 to October 2, it features renowned performer Javier Baron — 2008 winner of Spain’s revered National Dance Award — along with a roster of national and local artists performing a range of styles from traditional to contemporary and solo to ensemble.


Attend the Art of the Cocktail – October 1-3

There’s no shortage of things to do in Victoria, and from October 1 to 3, here’s another: the Art of the Cocktail, a three-day celebration of the art, craft and tradition of mixology. Held at the Crystal Garden (713 Douglas St., Victoria), this fundraiser for the Victoria Film Festival showcases the city’s most notable mixologists and distillers in a variety of workshops, demos and tasting sessions.


Celebrate Oktoberfest – October 1, 7 and 8
Halloween’s just around the corner, but the only magical brew on tap these days is at Oktoberfest. Held at the Alpen Club (4875 Victoria Drive, Vancouver) on October 1, 7 and 8, this Bavarian-style beer bash rolls out German brew, music and eats, starting at 7 p.m. Cost is $30 per person, including HST — but if you really want to go all out, you can always spring for the special VIP package.


Check out Outdoor Art in Gastown – October 2-5

No need to bust major bank on museum fees when you can check out outdoor artwork for free this week in Gastown. We’re talking about James Stewart’s inaugural exhibition Pangea, a series of strikingly life-like bronze sculptures that “represent the best techniques of the old and the new worlds.” Check it out until October 2 at 5 West Pender Street in downtown Vancouver.


Catch Nikki Yanofsky – October 5

At an age when most teenyboppers are chomping gum and dreaming of Justin Bieber, 17-year-old Nikki Yanofsky, a jazz-pop ingenue from Montreal, is taking centre stage at the Orpheum Theatre (884 Granville St., Vancouver) in a special presentation with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra on October 5. You’ll see the talented teen rolling out an infectious repertoire of jazz and pop standards, starting at 8 p.m.


See The Light in the Piazza – until October 9
A play penned by a six-time Tony Award-winning writer has got to be good, right? That theory holds true for Adam Guettel’s The Light in the Piazza, a Broadway musical that explores the struggle between wisdom and hope. Running until October 9 at the Norman and Annette Rothstein Theatre (950 W. 41st Ave., Vancouver), this feel-good play inspired a New York Observer critic to call it: “A work of such consummate beauty, truth, energy and accomplishment that you leave the theatre filled with joy and revived by hope for the future.” Buy tickets at ticketstonight.ca.


See Circle Mirror Transformation – until October 22

Called “absorbing, unblinking and sharply funny,” Circle Mirror Transformation was penned by 28-year-old American wunderkind Annie Baker, who brings her “original voice, appealing quirkiness and an astute sense of what makes people tick” to the Granville Island Stage (1585 Johnston St., Vancouver) until October 22. This “comedy of secrets,” directed by local thespian Nicola Cavendish, follows four Vermont acting students whose wackiest moments occur off-stage.


Toast 40 Years at the Burnaby Village Museum – until October 29

Let’s face it, 40 isn’t often a birthday that’s met with delight — unless you’re talking about Burnaby Village Museum (6501 Deer Lake Ave.). The popular tourist attraction, a “living village” that recreates 1920s Canadiana, is celebrating this major milestone by offering complimentary admission. Take advantage of the 40 and Free promotion on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. until October 29.


Book Golf Vancouver Island’s Victoria Couples Package – until October 31
Forget being a golf widow. Couples can get in the swing of things together with Golf Vancouver Island’s Victoria Couples Golf Package. Until October 31, along with two nights of luxury accommodation, the promo includes a wine and chocolate welcome gift, a round of golf at your choice of one of four courses and either a $90 gift certificate for The Bay Shopping Centre or a four-hour tour of Butchart Gardens, complete with afternoon tea.


Have High Tea at Butchart Gardens – throughout October
Thinking of paying a visit to Vancouver Island’s Butchart Gardens (800 Benvenuto Ave., Brentwood Bay)? If you go during October, you’ll be just in time to take advantage of the special Autumn Admission and High Tea promotion, which entitles you to savour the season’s sizzling hues of red, russet and gold then kick back at the Dining Room Restaurant for a sumptuous high tea. Cost is $45.22 per person, excluding tax.


Stay at Poet’s Cove Resort – anytime
There’s a good reason why Poet’s Cove Resort & Spa (9801 Spalding Road, Pender Island) was just voted “Best Resort Hotel – Gulf Islands” in the Georgia Straight’s 2011 Readers’ Choice Awards. That’s because the luxury lodge, tucked in the heart of Bedwell Harbour, offers a perfect mix of pristine wilderness and elegant sophistication, along with a full-service spa and a top-notch restaurant serving up regional cuisine that’s among the best in the West.

Shop Whistler Blackcomb’s Legendary Turkey Sale – October 7-10
Haven’t bought your Thanksgiving Day bird yet? Word to the wise: Don’t bother shopping for one at Whistler Blackcomb’s Legendary Turkey Sale, taking place from October 7 to 10 at Blackcomb Daylodge. Misleading moniker aside, this shopping extravaganza doesn’t feature a single frozen fowl — just scads of name-brand ski and snowboard equipment, all priced for huge pre-season savings. 

Originally published in TVW. For daily updates, subscribe to the free TVW e-newsletter, or purchase a subscription to the weekly magazine.