Sting performs at the Nordbank Arena in Hamburg, northern Germany, 11 September 2007.Roland Maguina/AFP/Getty Images
Need plans this weekend? Look no further.
One of a Kind Show and Sale
Pick up hipster duds, unique housewares, visual art, contemporary jewellery, kids stuff and more – and get it all gift wrapped for free – then use the time you save to take in a fashion show, sample sweet and savoury foods, check out the latest in eco-conscious trends, try a free SWFDS sewing class and more (at the Vancouver Convention Centre, oneofakindvancouver.com).
Festival of Lights
Take in more than 1.4 million twinkling lights, make a wish at a candle shrine, soak in live music, steal a kiss at Lovers' Lookout, meet mischievous Scandinavian elves, then join Santa in his living room and stop by Mrs. Claus's kitchen for enough sweet treats to tide you over until the big day, at VanDusen Botanical Garden's Festival of Lights (until Jan. 2, vandusen.org).
Sting
See one of rock music's biggest icons strip down to the bare essentials to perform vintage Police hits and solo favourites on his Back to Bass tour (at the Queen E Sunday, ticketmaster.ca). Or venture further off the beaten path and see Will Wiesenfeld, a.k.a. Baths, a California musician known for his quirky and richly layered soundscapes (at the Electric Owl Saturday, ticketweb.ca).
Luge World Cup
Deck yourself in red and white, then cheer on some of the world's biggest lugers as they hurtle down an icy track at over 140 kilometres an hour at the International Luge Federation world cup – the first to be held at the Whistler Sliding Centre since the 2010 Games (Saturday, whistlerslidingcentre.com).
Hotel Bethlehem
Find out what really happened that night at the inn in this hilariously cheeky retelling of the nativity by award-winning playwright Drew McCreadie (at Studio 16 Saturday, and at the Shadbolt Dec. 14-18, rubyslippers.ca). For more seasonal theatrics, don't miss The Sound of Music at the Gateway in Richmond (until Dec. 31, gatewaytheatre.com), or rollicking holiday pantos, including Aladdin in North Van (until Dec. 18, northvanplayers.ca) and Mother Goose and the Brothers Dimm in White Rock (until Dec. 26, whiterockonline.com).
Happy People
Travel to one of the largest ecosystems in Russia, and meet the wild creatures and colourful peoples that call it home in Werner Herzog's latest documentary, Happy People: A Year in the Taiga (at Vancity Theatre Dec. 11-15, viff.org). More remote reaches? Head for the Antarctic in Herzog's breathtaking film Encounters at the End of the World (Dec. 13 and 15); meet an odd duck with a dangerous passion in Grizzly Man (Dec. 12); and travel to Eastern Siberia in Akira Kurosawa's Dersu Uzala (Dec. 11) – all at Vancity.
Free Holiday Movies
Wallet feeling a little thin after all that holiday shopping? Treat yourself to free movies – A Christmas Story and The Polar Express – and even free parking at Denman Cinemas (this weekend and next, denmancinemas.com). Or grab a few laughs at Victoria's Film Fest's quote-along screening of the legendary Monty Python and the Holy Grail, where you can yell "Bring out your dead," brave the killer rabbit and answer the questions three. Costumes encouraged (at the Vic Theatre Saturday, victoriafilmfestival.com).
Yuletide Music
Heart still feeling two sizes too small? Celebrate the season at holiday concerts including A Traditional Christmas – featuring the Vancouver Symphony and Bard on the Beach's Christopher Gaze (at various venues until Dec. 17, vancouversymphony.ca); Winter Harp, which offers medieval songs performed by candlelight on rare instruments (on Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland until Dec. 18, winterharp.com); the Vancouver Chamber Choir's performance of Handel's Messiah – a triennial event (at the Orpheum Saturday, vancouverchamberchoir.com); and the Vancouver Bach Choir's always popular Sing-Along Messiah (at the Orpheum Sunday, vancouverbachchoir.com).
Marcus Mosely Chorale
If you want a soul-heavy season, check out Vancouver's newest gospel choir, the Marcus Mosely chorale – featuring 66 singers and plenty of hand-clapping, toe-tapping fun. Guest artists include the Sojourners, the Hot Mammas and more (at St. Andrews-Wesley Sunday, ticketstonight.ca). More soul food? Don't miss the Universal Gospel Choir's seasonal concert, Light Up the Dark (in Kerrisdale Saturday, universalgospelchoir.ca).
Heritage Christmas
Get a taste of what Christmas was like before batteries were ever included at historical sites across B.C., including the Burnaby Village Museum's Heritage Christmas (until Jan. 1, burnabyvillagemuseum.ca), Barkerville's Old-Fashioned Victorian Christmas (Saturday and Sunday, barkerville.ca), and Victorian Christmas at O'Keefe Ranch in Vernon (Saturday and Sunday, okeeferanch.ca). Or take a step back in time on a Ghosts of Christmas Past walking tour in Victoria (until Dec. 31, discoverthepast.com).
Big Reds at Big White
Treat your taste buds to Big Reds at Big White, where over 30 winemakers are teaming up with the resort's finest chefs for an evening of fine food and drink Saturday; then round out your weekend with the Gray Monk Odyssey Brunch, where kids under 12 eat free (bigwhite.com).
Used Book Sidewalk Sale
Need a holiday read? Pick up great books without busting the budget at the Vancouver Public Library's Christmas Used Book Sidewalk Sale (at the VPL's Central Branch Saturday, vpl.ca).
Out There: Ice Skating
Haul out your skates from the back of the closet, string them up and take part in a quintessentially Canadian winter ritual: ice skating at an outdoor rink.
Show off your Axels and Lutzes at the revamped – and thankfully dome-covered – Robson Square, where admission is free and skate and helmet rentals are just a few bucks apiece. (Free for kids 12 and under.)
If you're on the other side of the strait, head for Centennial Square in Victoria, where you can practice your butterfly jumps and shotgun spins until the new year, or to Butchart Gardens, where you can take in lovely light displays as you glide around the rink at The Magic of Christmas.
Salchows a little lacking? Pick up tips from world champs at Grouse Mountain's Peak of Christmas, or hit the ice at Big White, which boasts the highest rink in the land.
For hours and info, visit Robson Square (yougottabehere.com), Centennial Square (victoria.ca), Grouse Mountain (grousemountain.com) and Big White (bigwhite.com).
Hot Ticket: Portraits and Scenes of Female Creatures
For years, they have been swimming in the mind of Amber Funk Barton – but now four female creatures are rising from the deep in the Vancouver choreographer's hotly anticipated creation, Portraits and Scenes of Female Creatures.
The piece follows four girls lost at sea, and their transformation into creatures of the bounding main. "When people think of mermaids or sirens, they think about what they do to the sailors, about their actions," says Ms. Barton. "For me the story is more about them and their journey."
Although she's known for infusing her work with colourful wit and humour, Ms. Barton tapped into her more serious side – and for the first time in her choreographic career, she will not be among the dancers on stage. But while Portraits and Scenes marks a new chapter, it promises to be just as magical.
"I love stories, I love fantasy, I love fiction – and I have to have a story or narrative to make movement," she says. "So I basically just created my own fairy tale."
Portraits and Scenes of Female Creatures is at the Firehall at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday (firehallartscentre.ca).