Festivals goers attend the Squamish Valley Music Festival in Squamish, British Columbia on August 9, 2014.Ben Nelms/The Globe and Mail
SQUAMISH VALLEY MUSIC FESTIVAL | It doesn't take very long to get to Squamish and it always has something great going on. This weekend, it's the Squamish Valley Music Festival. Local and international artists will play to sun-soaked crowds Friday Saturday and Sunday. From Mumford & Sons, Alabama Shakes, Elliott Brood and Angus + Julia Stone to Drake, k-os, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Bahamas and Odesza, the line-up is varied and straight-up awesome. On-site camping is available (no campfires). Pro-tip: Scoot into Squamish proper on Saturday morning to fill your guts at the Farmer's Market.
Aug. 7-9 | 39641 Loggers Lane, Squamish | Various $ | www.squamishfestival.com
AIRSHOW | Make the trek out to Abbotsford for the annual Air Show this weekend. Poke around the cockpits of old-school buddies like Spitfires, Hurricanes and Mustangs; check out CF-18s and F-22 Raptors; and be impressed by the agility of Canadian Forces Snowbirds pilots. You don't have to be an airplane wonk going in, but you just might be after you leave. The collective size, speed and history of the planes in this show is immense and impressive.
Aug. 7-9 | Various times | Abbotsford International Airport | $30 ($50/3days) | www.abbotsfordairshow.com
FILM | Run & Gun is a Vancouver-wide film competition that challenges participants to write, shoot and edit a five-minute flick. Cool, right? The snag is that they have to complete the whole process in under 48 hours. Movies were made a few weeks back and the time has now come to take a seat and watch the results. Head to The Rio Theatre to check out 15 shorts, have a few drinks, meet filmmakers, actors and their friends and find out who the 2015 juried winners will be. Tickets are expected to sell out so get moving and grab yours now.
Aug. 8 | 9 p.m. | Rio Theatre (1660 E. Broadway) | $10
SALT AIR | An afternoon in Steveston is like a mini-holiday. Take a break from the city and head out this weekend for the Richmond Maritime Festival. Take in the live entertainment and maritime exhibits, gobble up fresh seafood, walk the docks of the old shipyard, board sail boats, historic fishing boats, tugs and more.
Aug. 8 (11 a.m. – 8 p.m.); Aug. 9 (11 a.m. – 5 p.m.) | Britannia Heritage Shipyards, Steveston | Free | www.richmondmaritimefestival.ca
STARS | Every year around this time, stargazers and naturalists flee the bright lights of the city to catch the the Perseid meteor shower. It is visible from mid-July each year but the most pronounced activity goes down in the pre-dawn hours this weekend. Pretty much any open sky free of light will do the trick, but if you want to really get into it with telescopes, guided walks and information sessions from the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, hustle out to Aldergrove for a Meteor Shower Watch & Walk. Camping is an option. No fires, but food will be available from the Aldergrove Elks Lodge #66.
Aug. 8 | 8 – 11 p.m. (campers must arrive between 5 and 8 p.m.) | Aldergrove Lake Regional Park | $2 |
COOK | Members of the UBC Farm Maya in Exile Garden are putting on one of their famous cooking classes this Saturday. Learn how to make sopa de calabaza (pumpkin soup); tortillas with squash flowers and green beans; sweet bread and traditional Mayan-style coffee. There will also be some talk about medicinal and culinary uses for various herbs and vegetables grown right there in the Mayan garden.
Sat., Aug. 8 | 2:30 – 5 p.m. | UBC Farm (3461 Ross Dr., UBC) | $30
PARADE | Chariot Fest, a procession of float-sized Indian chariots (adorned with flowers and carrying representations of deities) leaves Beach Ave. at Howe St. on Sunday at 11:30 a.m. and parades along Beach to finish at the Second Beach parking lot in Stanley Park where a festival (including a free vegetarian lunch for 10,000) will take place. Expect dancing, yoga and meditation as well as cheerful music, bright colours and good food. Everyone welcome.
Sun., Aug. 9 | 11:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. | Second Beach, Stanley Park | Free
DUMPLING TIME | It's finally time for the highly anticipated Golden Dumpling Cook Off & Derby. Seventeen top-notch restaurants including Bao Bei, Cinara, Bestie, The Acorn, Maenam, Wildebeest, Au Comptoir and Annalena will compete to win the Golden Dumpling. Guests are invited to taste each competitor's entry using their dumpling passport ($55). In past years, this event has sold out, so make your move today.
Sun., Aug. 9 | 1 - 5 p.m. | Food Cart Festival Grounds (215 W. 1st Ave.) | www.goldendumpling.ca