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CTV News
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Festivals celebrating dumplings, blues and African cultures in Metro Vancouver this weekend
The 2023 African Descent Festival is seen in this photo from the event's website. ( Summer festival season continues this weekend with a variety of fun, free things to do across Metro Vancouver. Here are some events to check out. KitsFest Kitsilano Beach is playing host to the 17th annual KitsFest this weekend. The multi-sport competition and street party began Thursday and will continue through Sunday, featuring tournaments for everything from basketball to chess, as well as live painting, dance, yoga, flag football and more. This year, pickleball is making its KitsFest debut. Daily music performances, a movie night and a beer garden are also on tap. A full schedule of events can be found on the KitsFest website. African Descent Festival Head to English Bay Saturday and Sunday for the African Descent Festival. The two-day celebration of music, art and culture is intended to showcase the 'diversity of people of African descent within Vancouver, while recognizing and promoting attitudes of oneness among all ethnic groups and communities,' according to organizers. Admission is free, but donations are welcome. The event runs from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. each day. BC Dumpling Festival Saturday marks the fourth annual BC Dumpling Festival at Coquitlam's Town Centre Park. As the name implies, the event celebrates dumplings from a variety of cultures. It also features community vendors and live entertainment, including a dumpling-eating contest. The free festival runs from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and more information is available on its website. Dumpling festival A previous year's BC Dumpling Festival is seen from above in this photo from the festival website. ( Burnaby Blues and Roots Festival Another one-day festival happening Saturday is the Burnaby Blues and Roots Festival in Deer Lake Park. The free event runs from 3:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., but organizers invite guests to enjoy additional live blues and roots music beforehand at the Burnaby Village Museum from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Headliner Ani DiFranco is scheduled to take the stage at 8:30 p.m. A full list of performers and additional information can be found on the City of Burnaby website. Pleasant Day Festival Elsewhere on Saturday, Main Street in Vancouver's Mount Pleasant neighbourhood will shut down between 16th and King Edward avenues for the Pleasant Day Festival. Hosted by the Mount Pleasant Business Improvement Association, the free event promises 'live performances across four outdoor stages, an all-local vendor market, dozens of food trucks and restaurant pop-ups, and interactive zones for all ages,' according to organizers. Astro Arts Festival Elsewhere in Mount Pleasant this weekend, the Astro Arts Festival will aim to continue the legacy of the now-defunct Vancouver Mural Festival. Centred around 'Astro Alley,' the laneway behind Astro Club at 165 W. 4th Ave., the multi-day block party and art show begins Friday with the opening night of the club's 100 Amigos exhibition. On Saturday and Sunday, murals will be unveiled and a celebration featuring live art, open studios, DJs and a beer garden will be held from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day. Visit the festival website for more information. Railtown Rooftop Party Across the city at 611 Alexander St., Light Organ Records and the Strathcona Business Improvement Association will host the Railtown Rooftop Party on Saturday. Also known as the Summerlight Indie Music Festival, the free concert featuring local musicians, a vendor market and a beer garden will run from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monsoon Festival of Performing Arts The 10th annual Monsoon Festival of Performing Arts began Thursday and is scheduled to continue through Aug. 17. Organized by the South Asian Arts Society, the event aims to celebrate South Asia's monsoon season in the Lower Mainland by 'welcoming the storm' with 'theatre, music and dance performances, thought-provoking discussions, a marketplace of visual art, dance classes, development workshops and more.' A schedule of performances and ticket information can be found on the Monsoon Festival website. For the sports fans The B.C. Lions and Vancouver Whitecaps are on the road this weekend, but the Vancouver Canadians are hosting the Hilsboro Hops at Nat Bailey Stadium. Games are scheduled for Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday and ticket information can be found online. Elsewhere, Vancouver FC hosts Pacific FC in Canadian Premier League action on Sunday at 3 p.m. in Langley. With files from MOVE 103.5's Leanne McLaren
CBC
30-07-2025
- Climate
- CBC
Feeling bad about being inside during the summer? Sunshine guilt isn't uncommon
Social Sharing Around half past noon on a Tuesday in late July, Casey Blustein zipped a tennis racket into his backpack and made the quick walk to the waterfront tennis courts at Vancouver's Kitsilano Beach. He had an hour for lunch and wasn't about to spend it near his desk when the temperature had hit a prime 25 C. "We live in Canada, so we only have four months of summer," said Blustein. "When you're sitting at home doing nothing, you're feeling guilty. Like, there's always something more I could be doing." Blustein, 32, measures the time since his move from Toronto by his summers spent in Vancouver — this year is his fourth. "I don't even turn my Xbox on the entire summer. Catch up on shows? Whatever. There's always someone at the beach, there's always a bike ride you could be going on," he said. "You see videos of people in the backcountry and it's like, 'Ah, I could be going and doing that.' Why would I want to be in the city doing nothing?" Psychologists say it's not uncommon to feel pressure to spend as much time outside as possible during the fleeting summer months, which can lead some people to feel badly if they're stuck inside. So-called "sunshine guilt" is especially acute in Canada, experts say, because of the sense of urgency to maximize nice weather before it's gone. Summertime sadness Changing seasons often bring up different emotions as routines change — and summer is no exception. Seasonal affective disorder can affect people during hotter months and climate anxiety can hit harder as temperatures spike and wildfires begin. For some, it can manifest as anxiety about making the most of a beautiful day rather than "wasting" hours on downtime or work inside. And videos on Instagram or TikTok showing friends and family having what looks like a great time can compound those feelings. "We have the fear of missing out. You're like, 'Okay, I need to go, I need to enjoy the summer because it's really not long,'" said Yohana Combari, 27, a Montrealer who wanted to spend the last of her five-day West Coast vacation parked on a beach blanket in Kitsilano. "I want to enjoy every minute." WATCH | How seasonal affective disorder can still happen in the summer: Summertime sadness is a real thing. Here's what you need to know 2 months ago Growing up in Mexico City, Aurora Tejeida, 36, used to take sunny days for granted. Not anymore. Having lived in Vancouver for more than a decade, she's moved her sapphic novel book club outside for the summer. This month, they'll meet at Kitsilano Beach to talk about Anna Dorn's Perfume and Pain. ("Not my favourite this year," she said.) "I feel like I need to take advantage of a sunny day whenever I have the chance," the communications manager said in an interview from her home on Commercial Drive. "The guilt is so overwhelming that, towards the end of the summer, I'm kind of ready for fall because then you don't have to feel guilty about staying home and watching a movie or something." Robyn Manzano, a registered psychologist and the clinic director of Refresh Counselling in Calgary, said summertime shame and guilt come up in her practice all the time. Her suggestion? Tiny — be it a few minutes spent outside in the morning with a mug of coffee or a walk around the block after dinner. "It could just be, 'OK, I'm going to go stand outside for a little bit and bask in the sun," she said. "Or the thing that I'm doing indoors, can I take it outside? Or, you know, can I have a picnic? Can I read my book outside? Can I watch whatever it is outside?" She also said summer doesn't have to be perfect to be great — and rest is nothing to feel guilty about. "I think people forget about what they need and think, 'But I should be outside because it's sunny,'" she said. "But if you're thinking, 'I need a day where I just crawl into the couch and read a book or watch a movie' ... Well, that's what you need right now." During the summer, Blustein tries to structure his workday so he can get meetings out of the way in the morning and spend the rest of the day on paperwork, emails and Slack messages. He doesn't mind the urgency of the summer season pushing him to do more but can understand why others might have a hard time. "I'm a pretty big extrovert, so I don't need the battery recharging time — but a lot of people do," he said, rushing to start his tennis game before his lunch break ended. "I don't know how they get that in the summer."
