k.d. langHandout
Caribbean Days
Bring a little heat to this wintery summer at Caribbean Days, a North Van celebration of the rhythms, dances, foods, carnivals and culture from places where the sun makes more than brief cameo appearances (caribbeandays.ca). Not yet blinded by that unfamiliar glowing ball in the sky? Join Axé Capoeira for a huge Afro-Brazilian block party on Robson between Granville and Georgia (Saturday, axecapoeira.com), then hit the beach party at the Waldorf, complete with all-night surf music, a live set by Indian Wars and a bikini contest (Saturday, waldorfhotel.com).
RBC Canadian Open
Put a little swing into your weekend at the RBC Canadian Open golf tournament, which has attracted PGA stars such as world No. 1 Luke Donald and World Golf Hall of Famer Ernie Els, as well as Paul Casey, Jim Furyk, Rickie Fowler, Matt Kuchar and many more - right in our own backyard (at Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club, rbccanadianopen.com).
Taste
Choose from more than 100 wines and sample the summer bounty from land and sea at Taste, Victoria's festival of food and wine that offers everything from an al fresco dinner on a family farm to a gourmet pig roast on the patio of the Hotel Grand Pacific (victoriataste.com).
Canadian Cheese Rolling Festival
Still feeling peckish? Check out the Canadian Cheese Rolling Festival, a lactose-heavy event that includes cheese tastings, seminars, cheese bowling, mechanical cow milking and more - and large rounds of cheese hurtling down hillsides (Saturday, canadiancheeserolling.ca). Care for a little fruit with your cheese? Head for the UBC Blueberry Festival, which includes a blueberry pancake breakfast, fresh-baked scones and muffins, and local blueberries by the flat (Saturday, food.ubc.ca).
K.D. Lang in Kelowna
Treat yourself to a concert by Canadian country trailblazer and quintessential performer k.d. lang - who dropped jaws around the globe with her rendition of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah at the Olympic opening ceremony - as she returns to B.C. with her band the Siss Boom Bang (Sunday, ticketmaster.ca). For a little less country and a little more rock 'n' roll, don't miss indie favourites Yuck at the Biltmore (Saturday, ticketmaster.ca), or explore sound and media arts at the Signal and Noise Festival (until July 27, signalandnoise.ca).
World Harp Congress
More sounds to soothe the soul? Hear more than 100 of the finest harpists on the planet at the World Harp Congress and Festival, where artists from more than 40 countries - including acclaimed New York jazz harpist Park Stickney, Germany's Rüdiger Oppermann, and South Americans Celso Duarte and Eduardo Betancourt - gather to perform Irish music, Latin, jazz, classical, baroque, Chinese music and more for the first time in Canada (Sunday until July 30, worldharpcongress.org).
YVR at 80
It started out as a single runway and a tiny wood-frame building on the edge of Richmond, but the Vancouver International Airport has since become one of the world's most celebrated hubs - and you can help mark its 80th anniversary at a special community open house featuring a photo gallery, live DJs and musicians, a vintage-aircraft display, and a fire-truck ballet on the airfield (Saturday, yvr.ca).
Leaky Heaven Circus
Descend into the world of devils, demons and shady deals as the always eclectic Leaky Heaven Circus returns with its latest show Project X (Faust) (through Sunday, leakyheaven.com). For more cutting-edge drama, don't miss the Neanderthal Arts Festival, a showcase of experimental theatre that features a play about a pregnant brother, a musical about a bigamist, a Dadaist take on contemporary life, a Beckett-like parable about a man building a chair and more (until July 31, thal.ca).
Out-of-Town Fests
Looking for a great excuse to get out of town? Head for fun fests around the province, including the jazz- and blues-heavy Rarearth Music Fest at Silver Star (rarearthjazzandbluesfest.com), the Discovery Coast Music Festival in beautiful Bella Coola (bellacoolamusic.org), the 24th annual Mission Folk Music Festival (missionfolkmusicfestival.ca), the Islands Folk Festival at Providence Farm in Duncan (folkfest.bc.ca), and Littlefest featuring the Handsome Family, Alex Cuba, the Plaid Tongued Devils and more at the edge of the aptly named Valhalla Provincial Park (Saturday, littlefest.ca).
Slow Food Cycle Tours
Enjoy life in the slow lane on a Slow Food Cycle Tour, where you can ride a 25-kilometre route visiting farms, meeting farmers, sampling foods and picking up fresh meats, veggies, fruits, cheeses and prepared foods as you go. And don't worry about loading up too much - the route is blissfully flat (Saturday, slowfoodvancouver.com). Want a foodie fest with serious buzz? Hit the free Honeybee Festival in Cloverdale (honeybeecentre.com).
RightHere@globeandmail.com