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Vancouver Adventures: Our Picks for March 26 to April 1

This week: tour Stanley Park on the Easter Train, eat at Chambar in the middle of the night, release your inner Dancing Queen + more

By Heather Cameron /

Credit: City of Vancouver

Stanley Park Easter Train – now until March 28

Catch a ride on the Stanley Park Train from now until Easter Monday for an “egg-citing” tour of Stanley Park. Following the train ride, kids will enjoy an Easter egg hunt, themed games and crafts, face-painting stations and even a chance to meet the Easter Bunny. Adults are required to accompany their children for the train ride and egg hunt, at a reduced admission cost.

Children: $13.75; Accompanying adults (required): $8
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Last egg hunt is at 4:30 p.m.)



Credit: Market by Jean-Georges

Sakura-inspired Tasting Menu at Market by Jean-Georges – now until April 30

Inspired by the stunning cherry blossoms that colour the city each spring, Market by Jean-Georges executive chef Ken Nakano has created an entire sakura tasting menu that pays homage to his Japanese heritage. The menu, based on recipes and Japanese cooking techniques his mother shared throughout his Vancouver upbringing, includes sidestripe shrimp with eggplant salad, green beans, grated daikon momiji and sake vinaigrette, as well as savoury sablefish marinated in sake lees, crispy rice and edamame purée. Guests are encouraged to pair the sakura menu with the award-winning Junmai Sake by Aritsan SakeMaker.

$98 per person
Market by Jean-Georges at the Shangri-La Hotel, 1115 Alberni Street



Credit: RD Cane, courtesy of Odd Society

BC Distilled – March 25 and 26

Canada’s premier craft and micro-distillery festival is back and bigger than ever. BC Distilled features 27 B.C. artisan distilleries pouring locally made gin, whisky, liqueurs, vodka and more this weekend. The event kicks off Friday night at the BC Whisky Preview Tasting (already sold out) which gives guests a sneak peek at “almost whiskies” that have not yet hit their full three-year barrel maturity. The fun continues on Saturday at the Main Tasting Event with proceeds supporting the Pacific Assistance Dogs Society.

Whisky preview: 6:30 to 9 p.m. at the Westin Bayshore, 1601 Bayshore Drive
Main tasting: 6:30 to 9 p.m. at the Croatian Cultural Centre, 3250 Commercial Drive



Credit: Instagram/Vancouver Brewery Tours

Big Lebowski Brewery & Bowling Tour – March 26

If you’re a fan of The Big Lebowski, you won’t want to miss Vancouver Brewery Tours’ latest event. The Coen brothers-inspired tasting tour features “oat soda” samples at each brewery stop in honour of His Dudeness. The afternoon tour is available in two sessions, each starting at Big Rock Urban Brewery & Eatery and concluding at Grandview Lanes Bowling Centre. Beer, bowling and a Vancouver Brewery Tours beer glass is included in the cost.

$85, 12 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. or 2 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Tour starts at Waterfront Skytrain Station, 601 West Cordova Street



Credit: Chambar

Chambar’s #SweetRelief – March 26 and 27

Chambar Restaurant staff is sacrificing a good night’s sleep to raise money for community programs in Liberia following last year’s devastating Ebola outbreak. The popular restaurant’s #SweetRelief fundraising event is a 24-hour marathon of delicious dining with 100 per cent of sales going to The Universal Outreach Foundation, with a goal of raising $50,000. Chambar will be serving dinner from 4 p.m. on Saturday until 4 a.m. Sunday morning, at which point the menu switches to brunch to coincide with Easter morning.

568 Beatty Street
Dinner menu: March 26, 4 p.m. to 4 a.m.
Brunch menu: March 27 (Easter Sunday), 4 a.m. to 3 p.m.



Credit: Sea to Sky Gondola

Sea to Sky Gondola Easter Egg Hunt and Brunch – March 27

Celebrate Easter and the start of spring with a decadent brunch at the Sea to Sky Gondola. With two brunch seatings, a children’s Easter egg hunt and an arts and craft station, this brunch event promises to please the whole family.

10 a.m. and 12 p.m.; Sea to Sky Gondola, 36800 Hwy 99, Squamish
General price (brunch + lift ticket): $63; Passholder price (brunch): $35
Kids passholder price (brunch): $19; Kids under six: free



Credit: Facebook/Tacofino

Tacofino Tequila Dinner – March 29

If you’re a Tacofino fan (and who isn’t?), you’ll want to stop by the East Village location for their Tequila Dinner this Tuesday. Hosted in collaboration with Jonathan Smolensky of Sovereign Wine and Spirits, guests will taste a four-course menu that pairs Tacofino’s Mexican-influenced fare with an array of similarly inspired spirits including blanco, reposado and añejo tequila.

$49, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Tacofino Commissary, 2327 East Hastings Street



Credit: Mamma Mia!/Joan Marcus

Mamma Mia! – March 29 to April 3

Beloved ABBA musical Mamma Mia! hits the Queen E this week with an entire program of the band’s greatest hits. The feel-good story about a young girl’s search for her father includes Dancing Queen, S.O.S., Take A Chance on Me and more fun classics that are sure to have audience members dancing in their seats.

Queen Elizabeth Theatre, 650 Hamilton Street
March 29 to April 1 at 8 p.m.; April 2 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.; April 3 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., Tickets start at $35



Credit: Ellie Goulding

Ellie Goulding – April 1

British singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Ellie Goulding is making one stop north of the border on her 2016 tour. Goulding is fresh off her first Grammy nomination for Best Pop Solo Performance with Love Me Like You Do. The 30-year-old is touring her latest album, Delirium, which debuted at number three on the UK Albums Chart and US Billboard 200 upon its release last November.

Tickets start at $32.25; Doors open at 6 p.m.; Show starts at 7 p.m.
Rogers Arena, 800 Griffiths Way



Credit: Facebook/DanceHouse

Companhia Urbana de Dança – April 1 and 2

What do you get when you put eight talented dancers from the slums of Brazil under the direction of highly acclaimed choreographer Sonia Destri Lei? The Companhia Urbana de Dança: a high-energy troupe that combines hip-hop, samba, capoeira and contemporary dance for dynamic performances around the world. DanceHouse presents the acclaimed group at the Vancouver Playhouse, where they will perform ID: Entidades and Na Pista, both set to scores by Brazilian composer Rodrigo Marçal.

$35, Pre-show talk 7:15 p.m.; Curtain 8 p.m.
Vancouver Playhouse, 600 Hamilton Street