2021 Schedule

Many of this year's events can be enjoyed from the comfort of your home (or in our viewing room at the Carnegie Theatre), while others can be enjoyed in person (with COVD-19 protocols in place) including our Art in the Streets programming. Many of this year's online events are set up through EventBrite and you are able to reserve a spot ahead of time, which offers some great benefits, including the opportunity to interact with many of the events through Zoom.

In case you are not able to pick up one of our printed program guides (available throughout the Downtown Eastside) you can peruse it online HERE (view full screen for the best experience).

Enjoy!

NEED HELP? Contact boxoffice.heartfestival@gmail.com

Art in the Streets

Pre-Festival

Wednesday October 27

FESTIVAL OPENING CEREMONY
Wednesday October 27, 4pm
Live Stream, Registration Available
Free, donations appreciated

Register

Join Terry Hunter, Festival Artistic Producer, and invited guests for the Festival’s 18th Opening Ceremony, live streamed on the Festival website. Guided by this year’s theme, Stories We Need to Hear, we take strength from the compelling lived wisdom and creativity of Downtown Eastside-involved artists and residents who illuminate the community’s diverse and rich traditions, knowledge systems, ancestral languages, cultural roots and stories.

Carnegie’s Elder in Residence Leslie Nelson and Carnegie’s Matriarch in Residence Marr Dorvault, joined by Kat Norris, Festival Elder in Residence, will lead the ceremony’s cultural work. Diane Wood, DTES poet diva, will share one of her poems, and there will be a reading of the powerful poem “Telling Stories” by the late and beloved Sandy Cameron. The Carnegie’s lexwst’í:lem drum group will share a new honour song for the voices of the children being heard across the land. Plus, a special pre-recorded treat for the Festival opening: Larissa Healey and Peter Stillwater present two spirit-lifting grass dances, accompanied by Love Medicine drum group.

MEET THE ARTISTS
50 Years of Creative Collaboration: Terry Hunter & Savannah Walling, with Mildred Grace German
Wednesday October 27, 5pm - 7pm
Exhibition October 27 - November 27
Carnegie 3rd floor Gallery, 401 Main Free
Terry Hunter (Nang Gulgaa) and Savannah Walling (hl Gat’saa), co-founders of Vancouver Moving Theatre and Downtown Eastside Heart of the City Festival, with exhibit designer Mildred Grace German invite you to visit this retrospective photo exhibit that artfully celebrates the 50th anniversary of Terry and Savannah’s collaborative creative journey. Drop in for an informal conversation with the artists. For more information about the exhibit, see the Visual Arts.

SPOKEN WORD
SANDY CAMERON MEMORIAL WRITING CONTEST AWARD CEREMONY
Wednesday October 27, 7pm
Carnegie Theatre, 401 Main
Live stream, Registration available
Free, donations appreciated

Register

An exciting and inspiring event, this award ceremony will be live streamed and a number of the award-winning writers will read the work they submitted to the contest. Now in its sixth year, the writing contest was established to honour Sandy Cameron, one of the best-loved writers to publish work in the Carnegie Newsletter. Sandy consistently contributed essays and poetry, sharing stories of the low income neighbourhood's one hundred year struggle for human rights. The contest supports local writers and encourages never-before-published writers to submit their work for publication. The free twice monthly Carnegie Newsletter is available online at www.carnegienewsletter.org. Limited drop-in audience, first come first serve.

SPOKEN WORD
The Story of the Carnegie Newsletter According to Paul Taylor
Wednesday October 27, 8pm
Carnegie Theatre, 401 Main
Live Stream, Registration available
Free, donations appreciated

Register

The Downtown Eastside community relies on the Carnegie Newsletter as the source of news from the ground up and this year the newsletter recognizes their 35th year of publication! This evening, join editor Paul Taylor to hear him tell the story of the resilient and undaunted Carnegie
Newsletter. What drives the people behind the newsletter? What newsletter has lasted so long and been so consistent in offering opportunities to community members to publish their writing, artwork, event notices and other information? The fearless and determined Paul R Taylor has been the editor since day one. Current circumstances forced the newsletter to move online and to a one-pager but writers, contributors, artists continue to create and the newsletter continues to publish their work. The free twice-monthly newsletter is available online at www.carnegienewsletter.org. Limited in-person audience, first come first serve.

ART INSTALLATION
WE LIVE HERE
Wednesday October 27, 8pm - 9:30pm
Also on October 28 & 29
Jack Chow Insurance parking lot
500 blk Carrall at East Pender Free
Produced by Radix Theatre, We Live Here is a dramatic, large-scale video exhibition of visual art created by Downtown Eastside artists. Radix began working with 10 artists last year to test and develop the idea. This year they added another 20 artists to complete the project. Working with a Downtown Eastside curatorial team of Jerry Whitehead, Wendy Peeters and Jared Sharpe, the participating artists took inspiration from the phrase "we live here" to create new paintings while an overhead video camera captured their painting process. Those videos are then played back at hyper-speed via large-scale outdoor video projection in the parking lot next to Jack Chow Insurance on Carrall at East Pender. A different group of 10 artists will be displayed each night in a repeating 15 minute video. We Live Here is sponsored by the Portland Hotel Society.

Thursday October 28

SHADOW THEATRE
ZOOM SHADOW
Thursday October 28, 1pm - 2:30pm
Online, Registration available
Free, donations appreciated

Register

The Festival is thrilled to present the first seven stories of a new shadow theatre project created by our long-standing colleagues from Runaway Moon Theatre (Enderby BC/Secwepemc homelands). Zoom Shadow, created over the internet in seven different homes, features storytellers who each recount a memory of something of immeasurable value that has helped shape their world. Actor/puppeteer Sarah Redmond and designer/puppeteer Cathy Stubington have worked with storytellers Mariel Belanger, Harper Friedman, Sheila Campbell and Ama Nishihara, Harper Friedman, Rene Hugo, Sophie Yendoe, and Sanchez and Elishka Hugo Rucka; while composer Joelysa Pankanea has added a layer of magic to the soundtrack. Following the presentation the artists will be on Zoom to hear your impressions and answer questions. Runaway Moon Theatre are longtime friends of the festival: inspiring mentors in development of the 2003 Downtown Eastside Community Play; and collaborators with Vancouver Moving Theatre on The Minotaur Dreams.

VIEWING ROOM
IN PERSON: TELLING OUR STORIES
Thursday October 28, 5pm - 9pm
Carnegie Theatre, 401 Main Free
As many community members are without access to internet service, we have set up a viewing room at Carnegie to watch in person: Telling Our Stories live streaming from the Lost + Found Cafe. If the event at Lost + Found Cafe has reached its capacity, you have the option to view the event via live stream at the Carnegie. The viewing room is also open on the evenings of Friday October 29, Sunday October 31 and Tuesday November 2. See each day in the schedule for specific details. Limited capacity, controlled entry and COVID safety protocols in place.

SPOKEN WORD
IN PERSON: TELLING OUR STORIES
Thursday October 28, 7pm - 8:30pm
Lost + Found Cafe, 33 W. Hastings
In person & Live stream
Free, donations appreciated

Register

Writers haven’t stopped writing with COVID restrictions and the Festival is pleased to present an evening of readings in person. Musician Earle Peach reads from his newly-published book Questions to the Moon. Earle began by writing down his songs and along the way discovered he had a lot to say about himself and the role songwriting plays in his life. Barbara Jackson, Earle’s lovely partner in life and in the duo Songtree, will join him to bring some of the songs to life. Special appearance by Penny Goldsmith, publisher of Lazara Press, to read a couple poems by the late and beloved Sandy Cameron.

We also welcome writers from the DTES Writers Collective who launched their first anthology Continuum at last year’s Festival and found a way to write together within the limits of COVID. They are pleased to again share writings from the heart of our community. Members of Fire Writers, a writing group based in the Carnegie Learning Centre, will also share their words with us.

With limited capacity in the Lost + Found Cafe, we will live stream the event onto the Festival website as well as to the viewing room set up in the Carnegie Theatre.

Limited live audience capacity, proof of vaccination required. Registration above; seats held until event start time.

OPENING RECEPTION
MASS REINCARNATION OF WISH FRAGMENTS
願片大量転生 (GANHEN TAIRYOU TENSEI)
Thursday October 28, 6pm - 8pm
Exhibition October 28 - December 15
SUM Gallery, #425 - 268 Keefer
Free, Registration required
Eva Wong and Naoko Fukumaru’s collaboration brings together the traditional Japanese practices of origami and kintsugi to tell a tale of queer transformation. This exhibit will showcase 1,000 origami butterflies, made by community members from their Butterfly Workshops, bursting out of a kintsugi cocoon. The written wishes of workshop participants will be hidden within the folds of each butterfly, carried away to be answered by the gods. Kintsugi, long considered a metaphor for the embracing of one’s imperfections, is the art of repairing broken pottery by mending the cracks with gold. Paired with the butterfly’s story of transformation, Mass Reincarnation of Wish Fragments reflects themes that are common in 2SLGBTQ+ culture, especially the transgender experience. Register at https://bit.ly/HOTC-Sum

RADIO
ARTS RATIONAL
Thursday October 28, 9pm - 11pm
Live Broadcast Co-op Radio CFRO 100.5FM
Gerry Kowalenko regularly hosts in-depth Interviews and commentary on the local arts scene. For this evening Jay Hamburger hosts a special Festival hour on Arts Rational. Jay talks with two Festival artists whose work is presented in Indigenous Journeys: Solos for Three Women (online Nov 3): local actor, writer, artist, and community activist Priscillia Mays Tait will talk about her performance of Chemukh’s Dream, as well as her work in Theatre Terrific’s Windows; and Co-op Radio’s own Gunargie O’Sullivan will share the story of The dance within
the dance is the dance, her creation-in-progress for Indigenous Journeys. Rounding out the program with intricate melodies and chords is musical guest Mike Richter.

Friday October 29

OPEN HOUSE
VANCOUVER POLICE MUSEUM & ARCHIVES
Friday October 29, 11am - 4pm
Vancouver Police Museum, 2nd Floor, 240 E. Cordova
Free admission today
One of Vancouver’s most interesting attractions, the Vancouver Police Museum & Archives is located in the former Coroner’s Court and City Analyst Laboratory building. Built in 1932, the heritage structure houses an historical collection: the history of the Vancouver Police Department and Vancouver Coroner's Services. Check out the Museum's Healing Waters: Healing Through Culture exhibit: a collection of shared stories from the Pulling Together canoe journeys, in partnership with the Pulling Together Canoe Society and the Heart of the City Festival. COVID measures in place; proof of vaccination not required, but masks are mandatory. For more information: 604.665.3346 or www.vancouverpolicemuseum.ca or check out facebook and twitter! Everyone welcome.

VIEWING ROOM
Friday October 29, 5pm - 9pm
Carnegie Theatre, 401 Main Free
Due to the COVID pandemic, the Heart of the City Festival has had to adapt. We are presenting events online and on the Festival website, as well as in-person events. As many community members do not have access to internet service, we have set up a viewing room in the Carnegie Theatre to view archived or On Demand material. Also on the evenings of Thursday October 28, Sunday October 31 and Tuesday November 2. See each day in the schedule for specific details. Limited capacity, controlled entry and safety protocols in place.

CONVERSATION
LI KEUR, RIEL’S HEART OF THE NORTH - CROSS-CULTURAL ARTISTIC COLLABORATION, A WAY FORWARD IN RECONCILIATION?
Friday October 29, 1pm - 2:30pm
Online, Registration Required
Free, donations are appreciated

Register

Métis poet Suzanne Steele, composer Neil Weisensel, and Métis choreographer Yvonne Chartrand speak about Li Keur, Riel's Heart of the North, a new musical theatre production to be presented in Winnipeg in February 2022. Join the three artistic leads as they converse about artistic process, cross-cultural collaboration, the Métis diaspora, Indigenous languages and protocols, and the implications for Métis communities across Canada, including Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.

THEATRE
#WHATNOW
Opening Night Friday October 29, 8pm
Thursday October 28 to Sunday October 31
Wednesday November 3 to Sunday November 7
8pm Wed to Sat | 3pm Sunday matinees
Sunday Nov 7 ASL Performance
Russian Hall, 600 Campbell
Tickets from $15; 2 for 1 preview Thurs Oct 28
Tickets: www.alleytheatre.ca/productions/whatnow
#whatnow is a multi-perspective documentary theatre and dance creation about the #metoo movement. Hours of audio interviews, real life stories and reflections come to life through “headphone verbatim”, as recordings are played through earphones to actors, who repeat what they hear. Co-directed by Amber Barton and Marisa Emma Smith with performers Siobhan Sloane-Seale, Yvonne Wallace, Patrick Dodd, Sabrina Symington and Emily Grace Brook. Facilitated conversations follow each performance. Produced by Alley Theatre in partnership with Good Night Out Vancouver. Running time: approx. 80 minutes. Licensed bar. COVID measures in place, proof of vaccination required.

Gender-specific performances are offered to allow for honest and supported environments for audiences to respond to the performance with other people of the gender with whom they identify: Sunday October 31 will be for female audience members only; Wednesday November 3 will be for trans and non-binary audience members only; and Thursday November 4 will be for male audience members only.

Saturday October 30

WALKING TOUR
CHINATOWN HISTORIC LANEWAYS WALKING TOUR
Saturday October 30, 10am - 11:30am
Limited capacity, Registration required
$10 / low income pay what you can

Register

Join local historian and walking encyclopedia John Atkin on this walk to explore the fascinating historic laneways of Chinatown. John will open your eyes to the importance of Chinatown’s laneways and their vital role in the City of Vancouver’s initiatives towards Chinatown World Heritage Site. Explore the unique BC Hydro H-frame structures now under threat of removal, as well as stories of historic shops, markets and legendary businesses like the Green and Orange Door cafes. Limited capacity, registration info on Festival website. Once you are registered, you will receive the location of the starting point of the walk.

WORKSHOP
LOVE LETTER TO SELF: FICTIONAL
SELF-PORTRAITURE THROUGH DRAWING
Saturday October 30, 10am - 12pm
Online via Zoom
Limited capacity, Registration required
Free, donations are appreciated

Register

In today’s workshop with semillites hernández velasco, you will learn a few tips and tricks to start drawing self-portraits. How can we draw ourselves without drawing our bodies? We can re-imagine our bodies as plants, animals, food, anything we can imagine. Self-portraits are a tool to create our own representations. Through fiction, we can reimagine ourselves in ways that reality can't. This is an opportunity to create a love letter to our bodies and minds for taking us this far in life! semillites (he/they) is a trans and brown visual artist and printmaker who comes from a family of campesinos (peasants) in central México; he tries to put his ancestors' teachings into his artworks. With a deep love for colours and collective work, semillites’ mediums range from drawing to textile art, music, graphic design and anything he can learn. Presented by WePress. For this workshop you will need access to paper and drawing tools (pencils, pens, markers, charcoal, etc). All levels of experience welcome.

CONVERSATION
A VANCOUVER DANCE STORY: CHAOS EDITION
Saturday October 30, 2pm – 4pm
Scotiabank Dance Centre, Faris Theatre, 677 Davie
Free event, all ages
A Vancouver Dance Story: Chaos Edition, an event in three parts, highlights the emergence of contemporary dance in Vancouver through archives, digital media, oral history, documentary film, and live conversation. The afternoon features the launch of Coming Out of Chaos: A Vancouver Dance Story, an online exhibition and oral history project centering on Karen Jamieson’s Coming Out of Chaos (1982) and its enduring resonance throughout contemporary dance and interdisciplinary arts. The launch includes a screening of the documentary film Terminal City Dance At Work (1981) by Michael Goldberg; followed by a conversation between original Terminal City Dance members Savannah Walling, Terry Hunter, and Karen Jamieson, moderated by dance historian and editor of Dance International Kaija Pepper. Today’s program traces the lineages of creative and choreographic influences between local dance practitioners, as well as the origins of Terminal City Dance Society and its evolution into The VDC Dance Centre Society. Presented by Karen Jamieson Dance, in partnership with the Downtown Eastside Heart of the City Festival and The Dance Centre. The launch is produced by KJD and Creative Director/Dance Archivist Emma Metcalfe Hurst. Limited capacity, masks mandatory, and proof of vaccination required.

Note: the film Terminal City Dance At Work will be available On Demand on the Festival website starting Sunday October 31.

FILM
SHORT FILMS WITH ALL BODIES DANCE PROJECT
Saturday October 30, 7pm - 8pm
Carnegie Theatre, 401 Main Free
Join All Bodies Dance Project for an evening of innovative contemporary dance films that challenge preconceived societal ideas of what dance can be. They’ll show Sanctuary, Parts of Me and Near/Far, a new film they created during COVID. The screening of these three films will be followed by a short Q&A with dancers and choreographers. Limited audience capacity, first come first serve.

COMEDY
MERLIN COSMOS: MAGIC - IT’S PERSONAL
Saturday October 30, 7pm - 8:30pm
Online
Free, Registration available

Register

Merlin's approach to magic is as a storyteller in the style of a stand-up comic. Usually we expect magicians to focus on the effect of magic as a source of mystery and wonder. For Merlin, magic is personal and a large part of his view of the world. This makes his magic unique. Much of his magic and stories have been developed during Merlin’s time living in the Downtown Eastside and are presented in a light-hearted fashion with an emphasis on fun. For this performance, you are encouraged to participate. Grab a deck of cards for a magic trick you can do at home. Pre-recorded at the Firehall Arts Centre, presented online, followed by live Q&A with Merlin. All ages can enjoy together. Guaranteed to be fun!

Sunday October 31

WALKING TOUR
CHINATOWN GHOSTS: ANCESTORS ALL AROUND US
Led by Doris and June Chow / Youth Collaborative for Chinatown
青心在唐人街
Sunday October 31, 10:30am - 11:45am
$10 / low-income pay what you can
Limited capacity, Registration required

Register

Ancestors are all around us in Chinatown. In this tour, learn to see and hear their stories and teachings in the everyday shops and spaces of the neighbourhood while you hear how the living maintain relationships with those deceased. Led by Doris and June Chow / Youth Collaborative for Chinatown. Limited capacity, registration required. Once you are registered, you will receive the location of the starting point of the walk.

ART TALK
50 YEARS OF CREATIVE COLLABORATION:
Transformational Encounters & Turning Points
Sunday October 31, 1pm – 3pm
Online, Registration required
Free, donations appreciated

Register

Terry Hunter (Nang Gulgaa) and Savannah Walling (hl Gat’saa), co-founders of Vancouver Moving Theatre and Downtown Eastside Heart of the City Festival, invite you to this online sharing to honour a few of the transformational encounters and turning points they experienced over their fifty years creative journey. Joined by special guests including Michael Clague, Rosemary Georgeson, Karen Jamieson, Renae Morriseau, John Endo Greenaway, Joseph Pepe Danza, James Fagan Tait, Teresa Vandertuin, and Mildred Grace German.

This event features stories, memories, photos and conversations with long-time colleagues about the impacts of shared journeys: from Simon Fraser University’s non-credit arts program to the avant-garde collective Terminal City Dance; from international touring of drum dance theatre repertoire to theatre co-productions and birth of their son Montana; from the Downtown Eastside Community Play (2003) and Downtown Eastside Heart of the City Festival (2004+) to cross cultural co-productions, from Indigenous led co-productions and cultural work to the community play national network… while living and working on Coast Salish homelands within the Downtown Eastside community from 1979 to today.

COMMUNITY CELEBRATION
EVIL CULT SINGALONG WITH THE LEGION OF FLYING MONKEYS!
Sunday October 31, 4pm
MacLean Park, 710 Keefer Free
The Legion of Flying Monkeys return to MacLean Park with their wildly original instruments and innovative jumpy tunes for their annual Evil* Cult Singalong! Bring your children and adults in costume for a rousing fun time in the park. With musicians Elaine Joe, Jamie Macdonald, Dennis R. Tokarsky, Sean Mythical Man Veley, and David Gowman.

*Caution, children will be exposed to humanist and socialist lyrics!

VIEWING ROOM
Sunday October 31, 5pm - 9pm
Carnegie Theatre, 401 Main Free
It’s Hallowe’en, costumes welcome! Due to the Covid pandemic, the Heart of the City Festival is presenting events online and on the Festival website. As many community members are without access to internet service, we have set up a viewing room at the Carnegie Theatre to view archived or On Demand material. Also on the evenings of Thursday October 28, Friday October 29 and Tuesday November 2. See each day in the schedule for specific details. There is limited capacity in the room, with controlled entry and safety protocols in place.

Monday November 1

RADIO
WHEN SPIRIT WHISPERS ON CO-OP RADIO
Monday November 1, 1pm - 2:30pm
Live Broadcast Co-op Radio CFRO 100.5FM
In the landscape of reconciliation, host Gunargie O’Sullivan focuses on the current relationship between Canada and First Nations in urban Vancouver. Today, Gunargie will broadcast live from the Vigil for the 215+ children at the Vancouver Art Gallery. She’ll talk with artist Tamara Bell who began the vigil by placing 215 pairs of shoes on the gallery steps, along with other contributors, guardians and volunteers.

CELEBRATION
DAY OF THE DEAD ALTAR
Monday November 1, 2pm - 5pm
Listening Post, 382 Main Free
Join “Lady Die” outside the Listening Post on Sunday afternoon where we will create a sidewalk community altar. People passing by are invited to light a candle to honour their dead loved ones. COVID protocols in place; we encourage contributors to care for each other by wearing face masks.

The tradition of the Day of the Dead can be traced back to the pre-Conquest Aztecs and is a holiday celebrated annually by many in Latin America...and in the Downtown Eastside community. At this time of year the souls of our loved ones who have passed are believed to return to visit us. Families honour their ancestors by creating altars and making offerings of their favourite food, alcohol, tobacco and sugar skulls. Decorations of yellow marigolds and harvest vegetables can symbolize death, and candles are lit to welcome the souls of the dead. Hasta la vista.

MUSIC
Bells of St. James’
Monday November 1, 2pm
St. James' Anglican Church, 303 E. Cordova Free
At 2pm come to the corner of Gore and E. Cordova, or stop outdoors in the surrounding neighbourhood and listen for the ringing of the bells from St. James' Anglican Church: a special presentation for the Festival on All Saints’ Day. "The bells at St. James”, with a full octave range, were cast in 1937 in Loughborough, England and continue sounding to this day. The tenor bell, weighing two tons, is the bell that’s heard tolling, and for special occasions, all eight bells play together.

FILM
FINDING GROUNDS FOR GOODNESS
Monday November 1
4pm - 5:30pm PST (7pm - 8:30pm EST)
Online

Register

A selection of short films from Jumblies Theatre (Toronto) and partners across the land on the theme of 'social goodness'. Jumblies multi-year Grounds for Goodness project is an artful exploration of 'social goodness' – why and how people sometimes act in good ways towards each other. As it has adapted to community-engaged art-making during pandemic times, this project has generated a wonderful, varied and whimsical collection of short videos with communities and artists from around Canada. Join us for a sampling hosted by Jumblies staff, including the premiere presentation of Finding Grounds for Goodness in the Downtown Eastside, created during last year's Heart of the City Festival with DTES community members, and Vancouver and Toronto artists. We are delighted to welcome Jumblies Theatre, who have advised and partnered with Vancouver Moving Theatre on projects involving the Downtown Eastside community since 2003.

ROUNDTABLE
HELP WIN FULL RENT CONTROL IN THE DTES
Monday November 1, 7pm
Online, Registration required
Free, donations are appreciated

Register

Join the Right to Remain Collective and friends in a roundtable dialogue about winning rent control in privately-owned single room occupancy hotels (SROs), housing of last resort for 4,700 Downtown Eastside residents. After decades of community advocacy for rent control, this November a final vote is coming to Vancouver City Council that will determine if and how the City will implement rent control in SROs. Find out how we got to this point, how rent control should work in SROs, and what you can do to help win this historic battle for tenants of the Downtown Eastside.

The roundtable of tenants, academics, and community organizers will include: Indigenous opening with Norm Leech (Vancouver Aboriginal Community Policing Centre); tenants Tom DeGrey, Nicole Baxter, Joshua Gillen (Right to Remain Collective); experts in housing, tenants' rights and the law Dr. Alexandra Flynn (UBC), Dr. Jeff Masuda (UVic – Right to Remain Collective), Emily Rogers (Together Against Poverty Society); and community organizers Wendy Pedersen (DTES SRO Collaborative), Tintin Yang (DTES Neighbourhood House).

For more information: www.righttoremain.ca

Tuesday November 2

CULTURAL SHARING
HEARTS BEAT 2021
Tuesday November 2, 12pm – 2pm (7pm – 9pm GMT)
Live Stream, Registration available
Free, donations appreciated

Register

Listen to the stories of Hearts Beat, a musical exploration of the shared traditions of drums, dance and song between Indigenous and Irish cultures.

Join us virtually to watch both live stream and pre-recorded performances with lexwst’í:lem drum group, Ceól Abú Irish musicians, and the De Danaan Irish dancers. More artists to be announced soon. We are honoured that Chief Bill Williams, Consul General Frank Flood and Eamonn McKee, Ambassador of Ireland to Canada, will participate in the event.

This afternoon of entertainment promises to foster intercultural learning, spark new connections, and inspire our hearts and minds. Hearts Beat is proud to be part of the 18th Annual Heart of the City Festival and is a collaboration between the Carnegie Community Centre Indigenous Programs, the UBC Learning Exchange, the Irish Consulate, and Carnegie Community Centre Association. For inquiries please contact Suzie O’Shea at suzie.oshea@ubc.ca or Nicole Bird nicole.bird@vancouver.ca. Registration via Eventbrite.

ART TALK
MY ART IS ACTIVISM, PART III
Tuesday November 2, 3pm - 4:30pm
Online, Registration Available
Free, donations appreciated

Register

Longtime Downtown Eastside documentarian and organizer Sid Chow Tan shares selections from his extraordinary archival video collection of volunteer-produced video journalism. Sid’s choices of videos highlight Chinese Canadian social movements and direct action in Chinatown, particularly community media and redress for Chinese head tax and exclusion. Sid is grateful for the community television volunteers and staff who made possible the production, broadcast and archive of these videos. Sid also thanks the Downtown Eastside Small Arts Grant and Heart of the City Festival for their support. Online presentation followed by Q&A with Sid.

THEATRE
MADE IN CANADA: AN AGRICULTURAL SONG CYCLE
Tuesday November 2, 3pm - 4pm
Oppenheimer Park, 488 Powell Free
Made in Canada: an agricultural song cycle braids a musical journey to share narratives of the people who harvest our food and nourish us through the pandemic. Mariachi influences blend with lyrics sourced from the words of seasonal temporary foreign workers, news articles, and legal text surrounding the Temporary Foreign Workers Program. With musicians Ray Alergria, Mark D’Angelo, Catherine Hiltz, Molly Mackinnon, Barry Mirochnick, Christine Quintana and Manuela Sosa. In honour of Dia de los Muertos, the show opens with a musical guest to acknowledge and celebrate loved ones who have passed. Originally slated pre-COVID as a live theatre show, the work has evolved into an album featuring songs composed by Mishelle Cuttler, with Spanish and English lyrics by Pedro Chamale. Produced by Rice and Beans Theatre. With good memories of the play’s reading in 2018 at the DTES Neighbourhood House, the festival is delighted to welcome back Made in Canada. You can find more info as well as the companion podcast at micsongcycle.ca.

RADIO
GOING INDIGENOUS ON CO-OP RADIO
Tuesday November 2, 1pm - 2:30pm
Live Broadcast Co-op Radio CFRO 100.5FM
Hosted by Gunargie O’Sullivan, the program Going Indigenous with Miss GVS is an exploration of Indigenous art and language in the Downtown Eastside. For the fourth of her radio programs for this year’s Heart of the City Festival, Gunargie will go live from the DTES and talk to people and artists who live and work on the neighbourhood’s streets about stories we need to hear. Gunargie will be live remote and/or live streaming. Listen to Co-op Radio!

SHOWCASE
DTES FRONT & CENTRE: IN MEMORY OF JOYCE MORGAN
Tuesday November 2, 7pm
Online, Registration available Free

Register

This special Downtown Eastside community music showcase honours Joyce Morgan, a pianist and longtime beloved Carnegie Community Centre volunteer. Featuring a lineup of musicians and friends of Joyce from the Carnegie Community Centre music program, including Joyce’s daughter Heidi Morgan with Earle Peach, Christie McPhee, Peggy Wilson, Murray Black, Brice Tabish, Mike Richter, John Cote, Shawn Giroux, Marj Gorrell, and the Carnegie Jazz Quintet with Brad Muirhead, Mark Boreen, Terry Hunter and special guests Brent Gubbels and Stan Taylor. Pre-recorded at Firehall Arts Centre, presented online, followed by live Q&A with participating musicians.

VIEWING ROOM
DTES FRONT & CENTRE: IN MEMORY OF JOYCE MORGAN
Tuesday November 2, 5pm - 9pm
Carnegie Theatre, 401 Main Free
Due to the COVID pandemic, the festival is also presenting events online and on the festival website. As many community members are without access to internet service, we have set up a viewing room at the Carnegie to watch the online presentation of DTES Front & Centre: In Memory of Joyce Morgan. If you don’t have data or can’t open the Festival website, come to the Viewing Room at Carnegie Theatre and view the musical program. The viewing room is also open on the evenings of Thursday October 28, Friday October 29, and Sunday October 31. See each day in the schedule for specific details. Limited capacity, controlled entry and safety protocols in place.

Wednesday November 3

COMMUNITY
LOCAL STORIES SPELLING BEE
Wednesday November 3, 1pm - 3pm
Carnegie Learning Centre, 3rd floor 401 Main
Free, sign up at the Learning Centre
The Learning Centre is holding an old-fashioned Spelling Bee to celebrate this year’s Heart of the City Festival. The words in the Spelling Bee will be drawn from local stories and neighbourhood sites. All of the words used in the final Spelling Bee will be on a Study Sheet that participants can pick up after Tuesday October 12. Brush up your spelling. Be prepared for names like Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Gardens, Tsleil-Waututh, and words from local stories like Dissonance and Sandstone Lady. Join us for fun, learning and arguments about spelling! Prizes for everyone who participates! Because of COVID Safety precautions, we have room for thirteen people in the Learning Centre. If more than ten sign up for the contest, we will have two sessions and more prizes.

EXHIBITION
BEYOND THE FRAME GALLERY DROP-IN
Wednesday November 3, 1pm - 5pm
Exhibit runs November 3 - November 6
InterUrban Gallery, 1 E. Hastings, entrance on Carrall Free
Beyond the Frame is a collaborative project, led by Megaphone Magazine, connecting community storytellers with local artists to create original comic works. At this exhibition, view process works from initial sketches to final comics, of storyteller and artist collaborators Yvonne Mark and Louie Wilson; Kris Cronk and Tajliya Jamal; Joan Morelli and Tiffany Muñoz; Suzanne Kilroy/Huculak and Whess Harmon; and Mark Irvine and TJ Felix. Since August 2021, one comic has been published each month in Megaphone, concluding with a final issue in December. Limited capacity, first come first serve, COVID measures in place.

EXHIBITION TOUR
SHO SHO ESQUIRO: DOCTRINE OF DISCOVERY
Wednesday, November 3, 2pm - 3pm
Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art, 639 Hornby
Free admission 2pm - 3pm
Explore important stories told through the exquisite clothing and paintings of Sho Sho Esquiro. Her work celebrates the beauty, strength and resilience of First Nations communities in the face of historical and ongoing trauma. The Bill Reid Gallery thanks their Community Access Partner, Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association (DVBIA) for their continued support, and the Festival thanks Bill Reid Gallery for their ongoing support of the Downtown Eastside community.

CULTURAL SHARING
OPENINGS
Wednesday November 3 to Saturday November 6, 7:30pm
Firehall Arts Centre, 280 E. Cordova
This is a wonderful opportunity to listen and learn from a series of four conversations and presentations that centre Indigenous Elders, Knowledge Keepers and Artists from many different nations sharing stories of resilience, hope and humour.

Collaborators Rosemary Georgeson (Coast Salish/Sahtu Dene) and Donna Spencer (hybrid settler) have gathered together: ground-breaking Indigenous women in the arts to share how they tell their stories through film, on stage and in literature; members from the LGBTQ2+ community to share queer Indigenous stories in the arts; leaders in the resurgence of canoe culture; and individuals who like to make people laugh. Presented by Firehall Arts Centre in partnership with Vancouver Moving Theatre.

This series builds on the success of In the Beginning: Cultural Sharing, presented at the 2020 Heart of the City Festival, collaboratively led by Georgeson and Spencer, and co-produced by Firehall Arts Centre and Vancouver Moving Theatre.

OPENINGS: Women standing their ground in the arts
Wednesday November 3, 7:30pm
Also November 4, 5, & 6
Firehall Arts Centre, 280 E. Cordova
Sliding scale from $15-$35 (incl s/c & GST)
Tickets at door or advance sales: 604-689-0926; boxoffice@firehallartscentre.ca, or www.firehallartscentre.ca

OPERA
THE PROP MASTER’S DREAM – A CANTONESE OPERA WORKSHOP
溫며華邏鳳鳴粵劇團너獻 “돛야댕師돨尋몽夢 - 粵劇묏鱗렌”
Wednesday November 3, 2pm - 3:30pm PST
2021 쾨 11 墩 03 휑
苟敎 2:00 – 3:30 時 (格틱捏時間)
Vancouver Cantonese Opera presents an online workshop that shares the behind-the-scenes making of The Prop Master’s Dream, a new fusion opera inspired by the true-life story of Wah Kwan Gwan (1929-2000). Wah Kwan was an Indigenous Cantonese Opera performer and prop maker who was adopted at birth by a Chinese opera family and raised in Guangdong before returning to Vancouver’s Chinatown. Vancouver Cantonese Opera will share Wah Kwan’s story, rare archival images of Chinatown, and their experimental approach to the music. This Cantonese and English Zoom event is free and open to all ages.

되記 Zoom 殮꺄，請點擊鹿苟聯線：

bit.ly/HOTC-PropMaster

THEATRE
INDIGENOUS JOURNEYS: SOLOS BY THREE WOMEN
Wednesday November 3, 7pm - 9pm
Online, Registration available
Free, donations are appreciated

Register

Three new solos by three powerful Downtown Eastside involved women profiling their creative and personal experiences.

Chemukh's Dream is written and performed by Priscillia Mays Tait (Babine / Gitxsan / Wetsuwet’en). Priscillia shares her magical story of “Chemukh’s Dream” where Chemukh, Annie Sue and the crew travel to the heavens above, meet a special relative and explore the universe. (20 min)

Tell Us When They Came is written and performed by Kat Zu'comulwat Norris (Lyackson First Nation) and directed by Sam Bob. Kat’s powerful voice takes us on a journey of Indigenous strength, grief, joy and resilience through her own lived experience. (20 min)

The dance within the dance is the dance, a work-in-progress written and performed by Gunargie O’Sullivan aka ga'axstasalas (Kwakuilth Nation), is an emotional journey with narration and movement that reveals how loss of culture, family and land can lead to addictions, and how culture, family and land can also lead us out of addiction to points of recovery. (17 min) As an introduction to Gunargie’s presentation, we offer Grandchild (pre-recorded in CRAB Park) a dance poem with Dallas, Laryssa Kuypers, Austin Kuypers and Anthony Favel. (5 min)

Pre-recorded at the Firehall Arts Centre, presented online, followed by live Q&A with the artists.

Thursday November 4

EXHIBITION
BEYOND THE FRAME GALLERY DROP-IN
Thursday November 4, 1pm - 5pm
Exhibit runs November 3 - November 6
InterUrban Gallery, 1 E. Hastings, entrance on Carrall Free
Beyond the Frame is a collaborative project led by Megaphone Magazine connecting community storytellers with local artists to create original comic works. At this exhibition, view process works from initial sketches to final comics of storyteller and artist collaborators Yvonne Mark and Louie Wilson; Kris Cronk and Tajliya Jamal; Joan Morelli and Tiffany Muñoz; Suzanne Kilroy/Huculak and Whess Harmon; and Mark Irvine and TJ Felix. Since August 2021, one comic has been published each month in Megaphone and will conclude with a final issue in December. Limited capacity, first come first serve, COVID measures in place.

WORKSHOP
SHADOW SIGN FOR BEDROOM PROTEST & SHADOWS WE CAST
Thursday November 4, 7pm - 8:30pm
Online via Zoom Free

Register

Join ART ACTION EARWIG in their Shadow Sign For Bedroom Protest workshop. Explore your thoughts about the climate crisis via shadow signs. Included in this online event is their short film Shadows We Cast (2021, 12 min). Let’s empower our actions and celebrate our strengths together, despite today’s many forms of isolation. By cutting into paper a thought or message, a sign is made that you can share by shining a flashlight (or cell-phone light) through paper onto a wall or sheet. The artists will facilitate casual conversations about our (inter)actions as human allies living with COVID-19 challenges during the climate crisis. Refugees and various shades of engagement welcome! Photographed or screen captured signs can be uploaded from www.PotentCity.space. For non-visual participants, a Voice Sign making option will be available. To learn more about what to bring, go to: www.earwig.space/workshops

COMMUNITY
STORIES WE NEED TO SHARE
Thursday November 4, 3pm - 5pm
Listening Post, 382 Main Free
You are invited to come and share your story at the Listening Post; listen to stories of others in a sharing circle; or share your story of this time in history that is powerfully shaping the world. Based in the Downtown Eastside for twenty-one years, the Listening Post engages in simple practices of listening, sitting in silence, welcoming the community, and with the help of many volunteers over the years, they have stories that need to be shared. The Listening Post has a display of photos of community members in their masks – a time we all hope will pass but is still with us. COVID protocols in place. Limited capacity, first come first seated.

RADIO
KLA HOW YA ON CO-OP RADIO
Thursday November 4, 5pm - 6pm
Live Broadcast Co-op Radio CFRO 100.5FM
Kla How Ya host Gunargie O’Sullivan provides updates and interviews on news and current events. This is an opportunity to hear what people directly involved or affected have to say about today’s issues and possible solutions. Today, Gunargie will interview Indigenous artists taking part in this year’s Heart of the City Festival, and will be live remote and/or live streaming. Listen to Co-op Radio!

THEATRE
WINDOWS
Thursday Nov 4, 2pm - 3:30pm
Online, Registration available Free

Register

WINDOWS is a shared collaborative musical gaze INTO and OUT through windows revealing funny, sad, surprising, cherished stories expressed in poetry, movement, song, puppetry, imagery of all shades and rhythms. This original multimedia theatre work was created through a comprehensive community-engaged process, by, with and for artists of all abilities, and premiered online last month. Following the presentation, join director Susanna Uchatius and other project participants for a live online Q&A. With COVID restrictions, the universe has gifted us with an opportunity to connect with artists who feel more comfortable participating in artistic experiences from their homes. WINDOWS gives us an intimate look into the daily lives of this community during a time of deep transformation, and Theatre Terrific gladly accepted this offering.

RADIO
ARTS RATIONAL
Thursday November 4, 9pm - 11pm
Live Broadcast Co-op Radio CFRO 100.5FM
As the DTES Heart of the City Festival heads into its final weekend, many exciting programs are still to come. Hosted by Gerry Kowalenko and guests, Arts Rational features interviews and commentary on the local arts scene. For this special Festival evening, host Jay Hamburger profiles Earle Peach, musician, choral leader, activist and now writer. Earle will share songs and stories from his newly-published book Questions to the Moon. Also hear stories from Paul Taylor, the intrepid editor of the Carnegie Newsletter, celebrating the 35th anniversary of publication. If anyone knows the ins and outs of the Downtown Eastside, it’s Paul Taylor! Guest poet is Patrick Foley, who finds delicate rhymes to explore tough subjects.

READING
GRACE EIKO THOMSON: CHIRU SAKURA (FALLING CHERRY BLOSSOMS)
Thursday November 4, 7pm
Massy Arts Gallery, 23 E. Pender
Free, Registration required

Register

Esteemed elder and activist Grace Eiko Thomson reads and talks about her book Chiru Sakura (Falling Cherry Blossoms), a chronicle of her and her mother’s journey through racism, internment and oppression. As an advocate for reconciliation, Grace openly shares her story with the next generations. Throughout her story, Grace returns to her mother’s teachings of hope and resilience symbolized in the cherry blossoms around what was once their home. Grace also details her life-long advocacy for the rights of Canadians of Japanese ancestry. In conversation with John Endo Greenaway, artist and editor (The Bulletin). Limited capacity, proof of vaccination required. Registration on the Festival website. Seats held until event start time.

Friday November 5

DIALOGUE
7th SYMPOSIUM ON RECONCILIATION & REDRESS IN THE ARTS
Friday November 5, 10am - 2pm
Online, Registration required
Free, donations are appreciated

Register

The 7th Symposium on Reconciliation & Redress in the Arts, inspired by this year’s festival theme, Stories We Need to Hear, is designed as a training day for settlers and migrants seeking a deeper understanding on applying reconciliation and redress in their own lives, organisations, sector, and community. Produced by Voor Urban Labs and Vancouver Moving Theatre in partnership with the Heart of the City Festival. There are two sessions today:

Making Coast Salish Territorial Acknowledgements Matter
The video of the 2016 Symposium on territorial acknowledgements has been watched over 10,000 times. Here we are five years later amid current political dimensions with the failure of Canada's reconciliation program, set against the cultural and economic resurgence of Coast Salish Peoples. We will revisit some of this video’s key questions.

Settler Policy Action on Sovereign Land, Economics & Culture
Let's deep dive and hear from senior and emerging Coast Salish artists talk about landback, redress in arts and culture policy, and how your organisation can play a bigger role in resourcing Coast Salish resurgence. Tickets and registration via Eventbrite: redress2021.eventbrite.ca

EXHIBITION
BEYOND THE FRAME GALLERY DROP-IN
Friday November 5, 1pm - 5pm
Exhibit tour today 1pm - 2pm
InterUrban Gallery, 1 E. Hastings Free
Learn more about the ideas and processes behind Beyond the Frame — a collaborative storytelling and comics project organized by Melanie Kwan and published by Megaphone Magazine. Today at 1pm Melanie will lead a “tour” and discuss the importance of comics as a storytelling form, along with the goals and challenges of forging new creative relationships in an unprecedented time of isolation. Comics have often been underrepresented in traditional publishing, despite being an accessible and dynamic mode of storytelling. Beyond the Frame celebrates the comic medium within a collaborative process, bringing together the unique voices of local storytellers and artists to create original works. Limited capacity, first come first serve, COVID preventions in place.

CULTURAL SHARING
OPEN HOUSE BILL REID GALLERY
Friday November 5, 2pm - 5pm
Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art, 639 Hornby
Free admission 2pm - 5pm
Drop by the Bill Reid Gallery to visit the current exhibitions including Sho Sho Esquiro: Doctrine of Discovery. Enjoy crafts, songs and stories with members of the Carnegie Cultural Sharing Program and the lexwst'i:lem Drum Group. The Bill Reid Gallery thanks their Community Access Partner, Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association (DVBIA) for their continued support, and the Festival thanks them for their continuing support of the DTES community.

CEREMONY
SURVIVORS TOTEM POLE REFURBISHMENT CLOSING CEREMONY
Friday November 5, 6pm - 7pm
Pigeon Park, E. Hastings & Carrall Free
The public is welcome to join the closing ceremony to celebrate the refurbishment of the Survivors Totem Pole in Pigeon Park. In 2016, in a process led by Sacred Circle Society and Haida/Coast Salish carver Bernie Skundaal Williams (Gul-Kitt-Jaad / Golden Spruce Woman) and her team of local carvers, the Survivors Pole was raised in ceremony “to connect DTES people with the traditional holders of the land, the Coast Salish people. The pole is a celebration of where we are as a community and will be a lasting symbol of resistance, persistence and inclusion.” The physical and cultural refurbishment of the Survivors Totem Pole has been led by Bernie working with her team, and supported by Vancouver Moving Theatre and the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation.

MUSIC
100 BLOCK ROCK II
Friday November 5, 7:30pm - 9:30pm
Carnegie Theatre, 401 Main
Live stream, Registration available
Free, donations are appreciated

Register

Join Emcee Eris Nyx for the launch of 100 Block Rock II, a compilation LP featuring music from some of Vancouver's most marginalized community of artists – people working, living and creating in the Downtown Eastside. The evening’s roster includes pre-recorded performances with Chaos Disorder and Panic, Big City, DTES GF, Ian Cameron, Karen Colville, Keifer Tribe, Iceman, Robert William, Tangent Quo and more. From folk to punk and pop to funk, 100 Block Rock is the platform for these people to speak for themselves: in the voices of a community constantly on the verge of extinction from a drug war, colonial genocide, gentrification and the lack of political will to create substantial change. We are unable to invite everyone to join us indoors in the Carnegie Theatre, so we will live stream the program on the Festival website. Limited in-person capacity. First come first serve. COVID preventions in place.

Saturday November 6

VISUAL ARTS
Vancouver Outsider Arts Festival Touring Show
Meet the artists, Saturday November 6, 12pm - 3pm
Exhibition Oct 29 - Dec 29
Lost + Found Cafe, 33 W. Hastings Free
Meet the artists of the Vancouver Outsider Arts Festival Touring Show! This year the Outsider Arts Festival, presented by the Community Arts Council of Vancouver, inaugurates an exhibit that features up to twelve visual artists and three performers selected by their fellow participating festival artists. The first stop on the tour is Vancouver’s Lost + Found Café and in the new year will tour to places beyond. The Vancouver Outsider Arts Festival offers visual and performing artists facing social exclusion and other barriers opportunities for exhibition and sales, performance and participation, connection, and learning. VOAF is Canada’s first and only festival for Outsider Art. Limited capacity, first come first serve, proof of vaccination required.

CONVERSATION
FIGHTING FOR SPACE: DRUG USERS’ RESPONSE TO THE OVERDOSE CRISIS
Saturday November 6, 1pm - 2:30pm
Online, Registration required
Free, donations are appreciated

Register

Author and award-winning journalist Travis Lupick shares stories from his book Fighting for Space: How a Group of Drug Users Transformed One City’s Struggle with Addiction (Arsenal Pulp Press, 2018). He then brings the narrative to the current day with stories from his recent book Light
Up the Night: America’s Drug Overdose Crisis and the Drug Users Fighting for Survival (New Press, 2021). Joining Travis in conversation is Ann Livingston, a leader in the movement for harm-reduction and co-founder of VANDU, and Eris Nyx, artist, producer, iconoclast, and activist for safe drug use and decriminalization. Registration required.

EXHIBITION
BEYOND THE FRAME GALLERY DROP-IN
Saturday November 6, 1pm - 5pm
Exhibit runs November 3 - November 6
InterUrban Gallery, 1 E. Hastings, entrance on Carrall Free
Beyond the Frame is a collaborative project led by Megaphone Magazine connecting community storytellers with local artists to create original comic works. At this exhibition, view process works from initial sketches to final comics, of storyteller and artist collaborators Yvonne Mark and Louie Wilson; Kris Cronk and Tajliya Jamal; Joan Morelli and Tiffany Muñoz; Suzanne Kilroy/Huculak and Whess Harmon; and Mark Irvine and TJ Felix. Since August 2021, one comic has been published each month in Megaphone, concluding with a final issue in December. Limited capacity, first come first serve, COVID measures in place.

SHOWCASE
DTES POETRY NIGHT
Saturday November 6, 7pm - 9:30pm
Carnegie Theatre, 401 Main Free
Downtown Eastside poets and writers have been meeting on the first Saturday of the month for many years, with an open mic hosted by Diane Wood. They've been forced into hiatus by the COVID pandemic but that hasn't stopped the poets from writing. They are eager to return and share their words with you. The evening is free, friendly, for local talent both on the microphone and in the audience. Diane returns as host and invites you to sign up for a 10 minute spot at the Open Mic. The theatre has limited capacity so first come first serve. COVID practices in place.

FILM
WILDFIBRES: Clothing from Undomesticated
Plants in the City
Saturday November 6, 3:30pm - 5pm
Online, Registration available
Free, donations are appreciated

Register

In this short film, filmmaker Martin Borden follows Sharon Kallis, lead artist and executive director of EartHand Gleaners, step by step as she realizes her dream of creating a coat from nettles. From the seeding and planting, to the carding and knitting, Borden documents the process in the fascinating film Wildfibres, produced by Union Street Films and EartHand Gleaners Society. Join Martin and Sharon for the web premiere and in conversation about their long time collaboration, with a live Q&A.

THEATRE
INCARCERATED: TRUTH IN SHADOWS (ILLICIT PROJECTS)
Saturday November 6, 8pm
Online, Registration available
Free, donations are appreciated

Register

The Festival is pleased to welcome back the innovative shadow theatre ensemble Illicit Projects with a new creation. Illicit presents three shadow plays dedicated to people who have faced unjust treatment in Canada’s incarceration system: Full Circle, written and performed by Martha Kahnapace; Without
Prejudice by Dennis Gates; and The Revolving Door by Kerri Moore. Created with shadow designers, original music, sound design and videography, these stories of systemic racism and inequities are also stories of strength, the search for belonging, and the fiery hope that we can create a better kinder world together. An Illicit Projects production in partnership with the UBC Transformative Health & Justice Research Cluster, Megaphone Magazine and Vancouver Foundation. Pre-recorded, presented online, followed by live Q&A with participating storytellers and other guests.

Sunday November 7

MUSIC
POINTED STICKS Up On The Roof!
Sunday November 7, 4:45pm
Chapel Arts, 304 Dunlevy Free
Things are looking up! Way up! On Sunday, November 7th, the legendary power punk pop band are performing a special set from the Chapel Arts rooftop! Vancouver’s Pointed Sticks have been bringing their acclaimed rock n’ roll fun around town and around the world since 1978. They have toured Japan (twice), Europe, as well as headlining festivals around North America. They are currently in the midst of recording a brand new album this year, their fourth, and have a new European tour slated for 2022. The boys are proud to be closing this year's Heart of the City Festival and the Festival thanks Chapel Arts for presenting a wonderful finale! Don’t miss this unique performance from one of Vancouver's most celebrated bands. Rain or shine.

CULTURAL SHARING
Ukrainian Day
Sunday November 7, 10am – 4pm
Online, Registration Available
Free / donations appreciated

A day of cultural sharing featuring Ukrainian arts, cuisine, personal stories and more.

The final day of the Heart of the City Festival is a celebration of the resilience of community as the Association of United Ukrainian Canadians Vancouver (AUUC) shares their beautiful Ukrainian culture for the festival’s special Ukrainian Day.

The AUUC invites us to join them online to share their recipes and history through thought-provoking reflections and discussion, and timeless traditional crafts handed down through generations. The day’s events culminate at the Festival Closing Ceremony, which will include a lovely video that documents the continuing dance classes for children and young people that showcase the rich and diverse Ukrainian culture.

Pre-register via Eventbrite

10am – 11am Ukrainian Kitchen: Pyrohy Making Workshop

Register

Dumplings, those delectable little parcels usually made of dough and filled with a variety of fillings, can be found across many cultures. But none conjure up images of delicious Ukrainian pyrohy smothered in sauteed onions with a generous dollop of sour cream quite like the ones served at our Pyrohy Lunches and Dinners. Today we will share the AUUC Vancouver Hall’s pyrohy recipe and the method we use to make them. While we make hundreds for our Lunches and Dinners, we will provide you with a recipe for a family-sized portion. Following the demonstration, our culinary experts will be on hand to take your questions live on Zoom.

11am – 2pm Pyrohy, Borshch and Craft Sales
If you wish to purchase some of the pyrohy we will be demonstrating, come to the Ukrainian Hall, 805 E. Pender Street, between 11am and 2pm to purchase a frozen takeout portion. As a special bonus, you can also purchase our famous homemade borshch. Online pre-orders can be made by visiting auuc-vancouver.square.site/online-sales.

Order

In addition, our very talented crafters will have items for you to purchase so be sure to visit them when you come to purchase your food items. Homemade soaps, candles, Christmas decorations as well as old treasures will be available for sale.

At this time, we are requiring all those who wish to enter our building to be masked and fully vaccinated. For those who wish to make purchases but are unable to enter our building, we will provide alternate means for the pick-up of pyrohy and borshch orders/sales. Please inform us when you arrive and one of our volunteers will be happy to assist with orders and payments if required.

11:30am – 12:30pm Elders’ Stories

Register

Join host Beverly Dobrinsky with guests Larry Kleparchuk, Audrey Moysiuk and Libby Griffin for a lively and fun interweaving of stories, legends and personal histories, with a song or two added to the mix. Larry, Audrey and Libby are longstanding members of the Ukrainian Hall with whom Beverly has had the honour since 2001 of conducting and singing in the Barvinok Choir. Beverly met all three in the 1980s when she first joined the choir herself as a singer. She has gathered them together to share stories of their lives, all originating in Alberta and eventually coming here to Vancouver. Beverly, also a prairie import (from Manitoba), interestingly collected songs from Ukrainian elders in Alberta in the 90s, where she ended up in the rural area where Libby was born and raised. We look forward to learning about their journeys and how this affects all of us today. There will be an opportunity for the viewers to ask questions.

1pm – 2:30pm Costume Treasures: From Baba’s Trunk to the Stage

Register

This multimedia presentation will open a window into the roots, influences and evolution of Ukrainian clothing, and its development into the beautiful, intricate costumes you see on stage today. In this 65-minute presentation, the Dovbush Dancers model both historical pieces and pieces from their current wardrobe, with short dance excerpts from the regions where these costumes originated. A Q&A will be part of this event, culminating in a Fashion Show highlighting the Dovbush Dancers’ wardrobe, fusing Ukrainian pieces with current fashion. Join us and immerse yourself in the beauty of Ukrainian cultural clothing. Following the presentation, members of the AUUC costume team will be on hand to take your questions live on Zoom.

3pm Festival Closing Ceremony

Register

We invite everyone to the Closing Ceremony, live streamed on the Festival website. Join the dynamic hosting duo of Terry Hunter, Festival Artistic Producer, and Dianna Kleparchuk, AUUC Vancouver Board President, who will introduce the closing afternoon.

The Festival is pleased to present a video documenting performances by the Dovbush School of Ukrainian Dance, produced by Orange Pulp Projects. After a year and a half of dancers’ dashed hopes, cancelled performances, and isolated online classes, they created a video to share with the community. A video that reveals the young dancers’ commitment, adaptability, and the joy they find in dance and celebrating Ukrainian culture.

Get ready to share good cheer, live music and many thanks; online so you can take part wherever you are, keep safe, physically distant and know that the Heart of the City Festival is strong because of our Downtown Eastside community!

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