Vancouver
Nightlife and Entertainment
Vancouver gives you plenty to do come sunset, laying on a varied and cosmopolitan blend of both live and dance music . Clubs are more adventurous than in many a Canadian city, particularly the fly-by-night alternative dives in the Italian quarter on Commercial Drive and in the backstreets off Gastown and Chinatown. There’s also a choice of smarter and more conventional clubs, a handful of discos and a smattering of gay and lesbian clubs and bars.
Summer nightlife often takes to the streets in West Coast fashion, with outdoor bars and (to a certain extent) beaches becoming venues in their own right. Fine weather also allows the city to host a range of festivals , from jazz to theatre, and the performing arts are as widely available as you’d expect in a city as culturally self-conscious as Vancouver.
The most comprehensive listings guide to all the goings-on is Georgia Straight , a free weekly published on Thursday; the monthly Night Moves concentrates more on live music. These are available in larger stores and street boxes around the city. For detailed information on gay and lesbian events, check out X-xtra , a free monthly magazine aimed specifically at the gay and lesbian community, which is available at clubs, bookshops and many of the Georgia Straight distribution points. Many other free magazines devoted to different musical genres and activities are available at the same points, but they come and go quickly. Tickets for many major events are sold through Ticketmaster, based at 1304 Hornby St, which has forty outlets throughout the city (tel 280-4444 for concerts, tel 280-4400 for sporting events and tel 280-3311 for the performing arts); they’ll sometimes unload discounted tickets for midweek and matinee performances.
Live Music and Clubs
Vancouver’s live-music venues showcase a variety of musical styles, but mainstream rock groups are the most common bill of fare; the city is also a fertile breeding ground for punk bands, with particularly vocal fans. Jazz is generally hot news in Vancouver, with a dozen spots specializing in the genre (ring the Jazz Hot Line at tel 682-0706 for current and upcoming events). And, while Vancouver isn’t as cowpoke as, say, Calgary, it does have several clubs dedicated to country music , though many are in the outer suburbs.
Many venues also double as clubs and discos, and as in any city with a healthy alternative scene there are also plenty of fun, one-off clubs that have an irritating habit of cropping up and disappearing at speed. Cover charges are usually nominal, and tickets are often available (sometimes free) at record shops. At the other end of the spectrum, the 60,000-seat Pacific Coliseum is on the touring itinerary of most international acts
Performaing Arts and CinemaVancouver serves up enough highbrow culture to suit the whole spectrum of its cosmopolitan population, with plenty of unusual and avant-garde performances to spice up the more mainstream fare you’d expect of a major North American city. The main focus for the city’s performing arts is the Queen Elizabeth Theatre (tel 299-9000) at 600 Hamilton St at Georgia, which plays host to a steady procession of visiting theatre, opera and dance troupes, and even the occasional big rock band. Recently it’s been joined by the new Ford Centre for the Performing Arts opposite the central library at 777 Homer St (tel 280-2222 or 602-0616). For information on the Vancouver arts scene, call the Arts Hotline (tel 684-ARTS or 684-2787) or visit their office at 938 Howe St. The refurbished Orpheum Theatre , 884 Granville at Smithe (tel 665-3050), is Vancouver’s oldest theatre and headquarters of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. There’s also a special line for information relating to dance (tel 872-0432). Tickets can be obtained from individual box offices or through the Ticketmaster agency (tel 280-3311).
The western capital of Canada’s film industry, Vancouver is increasingly favoured by Hollywood studios in their pursuit of cheaper locations and production deals. It’s therefore no surprise that the spread of cinemas is good. Home-produced and Hollywood first-run films play in the downtown cinemas on “Theatre Row” - the two blocks of Granville between Robson and Nelson streets - and other big complexes, and there’s no shortage of cinemas for more esoteric productions.