With more than 90 events at over 25 locations throughout the Downtown Eastside scheduled over twelve days in this year’s Festival (October 29 – November 9), choosing what to see and hear becomes a delightful challenge. Here is an even dozen exciting Top Festival Picks for 2014!

1. Hot Jazz at the Carnegie: A Downtown Eastside community and festival favourite, the Carnegie Jazz Band returns with their finger snappin’, toe tappin’ and head boppin’ hot music. The band is comprised of enthusiastic amateur jazz musicians under the wonderful tutelage of multi-instrumentalist and composer Brad Muirhead. Join the band for an evening of jazz standards, original songs by Brad Muirhead and members of the band, including a new jazz tune by Festival producer Terry Hunter. With special guest, local pro jazz-man Brian Harding on trombone.
Carnegie Theatre, 401 Main. Wednesday Oct 29, 7:30pm. Free

2. The Raymur Mothers: This festival highlight, produced by Theatre in the Raw, is an original full-length musical written by retired Vancouver Sun reporter Bob Sarti, music by award-winning composer and pianist Bill Sample, and directed by Jay Hamburger, Artistic Director of Theatre in the Raw. Featuring thirteen original and rousing songs, The Raymur Mothers tells the inspiring story of single mothers from the Raymur Place Social Housing Project in Strathcona/Downtown Eastside in the 1970s who succeeded in their fight to have a pedestrian overpass built over the CPR railroad tracks to enable their children to walk safely to school.
Russian Hall, 600 Campbell.
Preview: Wednesday Oct 29, 8pm. Pay as you can
Run: Thursday Oct 30 to Sunday Nov 9 (no shows on Nov 3 & 4).
Ticket info: www.theatreintheraw.ca

3. Keepers of the Flame: The Downtown Eastside is blessed with a wealth of great poets; poets who speak their truth with soul and fiery conviction. To pay tribute to, and to profile the great poets of the community, the festival is honoured to feature the monthly DTES Poets Open Mic at the Carnegie featuring Antonette Rea, and to present two events in honour of two extraordinary poets who have sadly left us: Carnegie’s 2^nd Poetry Slam in honour of the much loved friend of the festival and extraordinarily talented Zaccheus Jackson (2013 Vancouver Slam Poet Champion); and a tribute to the Downtown Eastside’s, and the City’s, most remarkable and passionate poet and social activist, a Celebration of Bud Osborn.
Carnegie Theatre, 401 Main. Saturday Nov 1
Poetry Slam 1pm  •  Celebration of Bud Osborn 3pm  •  DTES Poets Open Mic 7pm. Free

4. Women In The Round: A rare opportunity to celebrate the voices of indigenous women who have travelled the world sharing their lives and stories through their songs. The evening presents Juno award-winning vocalist, actor, director and general powerhouse Renae Morriseau; musicologist, technique expert, teacher and vocalist Sandy Scofield; rising star with loads of talent Niska Napoleon; and Downtown Eastside resident Dalannah Gail Bowen, a veteran of the Vancouver music scene and recent winner of the right to represent BC at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis. Accompanied on keyboard by Simon Kendall. Filled with variety and commonalities, the evening promises the sound of rich voices and magical moments.
InterUrban Gallery, 1 E. Hastings. Saturday Nov 1, 7:30pm. By donation

5. Sawagi Taiko & Tzokam: The festival is excited to bring to our community this unique collaboration of singing and drumming between the all-women Japanese drum group Sawagi Taiko and the First Nations performance group Tzokam. Led by composer, producer and traditional singer Russell Wallace, Tzokam is a Lil-wat family group who offer traditional and contemporary songs including drumming and dancing. The combination of these songs with the exploratory nature of Sawagi Taiko’s approach to the taiko art form makes for a fascinating afternoon of world culture and indigenous rhythms.
Djavad Mowafaghian World Art Centre, SFU Woodwards, 149 W. Hastings. Sunday Nov 2, 2pm. Free

6. Barrio Flamenco: Flamenco for the People: Celebrate the spirit of the Downtown Eastside with an unforgettable evening of live flamenco music and dance! Flamenco is an art form by and for the people, danced and played with spirit, ferocity, joy, laughter and tears. Hosted by flamenco dancer Kelty McKerracher, Barrio Flamenco features some of the most compelling flamenco artists in the city. An annual theatre-packed favourite!
Ironworks Studios, 235 Alexander St.  Sunday Nov 2, 7pm. By donation

7. Salt Water City Stories: Vancouver by another name: Huam Siu Fao (Salt Water City), the name Chinese immigrants called Vancouver back in the day, retains a memorable place in the hearts of Chinese Canadians. Sid Chow Tan, longtime east-sider, videographer and community activist, hosts this evening of stories, music, video and tribute to the mighty Lo Wah Kiu (old overseas Chinese), those who came before. Special quests include, among others, Sean Gunn, longtime activist, composer and musician improvising on electric bass.
Chapel Arts, 304 Dunlevy. Thursday Nov 6, 7pm. Free

8. Roaring Comedy: The Heart of the City Festival is thrilled to present an evening of standup comedy and magic that celebrates the funny bone and the art of illusion. The lineup features comics from Stand Up for Mental Health and founder David Granirer, including DTES favourite Paul Decarie; and the Downtown Eastside’s own inventive and witty Merlin “the most trusted name in magic!”
Gallery Gachet, 88 E. Cordova. Friday Nov 7, 7pm. Free

9. Celebrating Black Strathcona: The Downtown Eastside/Strathcona community is blessed with a rich history of Black Canadians who made significant contributions to our community and the City of Vancouver. To pay tribute to the black community of Vancouver’s historic east-end, Creative Cultural Collaborations Society, in partnership with Vancouver Moving Theatre, recently produced the Black Strathcona Interactive Media Project, the centre piece of which is ten short videos that celebrate some of the extraordinary people and places that made the community vibrant and unique. The festival is thrilled to present all ten videos, including among others: Vie’s Chicken & Steaks – Late night haven; Sleeping Car Porters – Fought for labour and civil rights; Jimi & Nora – Seminal musician with local roots; and Barbara Howard – One of the fastest women in the world. Also participating is Black Strathcona Interactive Media Project filmmaker Gordon McLennan, guest musicians and performers including Vanessa Richards and Kevan Cameron, and invited VIPs from the black community.
Carnegie Theatre, 401 Main. Saturday Nov 8, 2pm. Free

10. Reconciliation – Moving Forward Together: It has been a year since the extraordinary Reconciliation Week 2013 and the reconciliation walk across the Georgia Viaduct took place in Vancouver. The festival carries forward this important initiative between First Nations and settler communities with a “talk-umentary” evening of film, stories, guest speakers and live performance. Presentations include, among others: Angela White of the Indian Residential School Survivors Society will lead a conversation about the need for all communities to work together towards reconciliation; Imtiaz Popat will share a classical chant to Neelamjit Dhillon’s track “Crossing Pacific”, about the anchoring, isolation and ultimate denial of the would-be immigrants aboard the ship Komagata Maru in 1914; and a screening of the film Stolen Memories, about filmmaker Kagan Goh’s quest to return a photo album “stolen” from a Japanese Canadian family during the Japanese Canadian internment during WW II.
Carnegie Theatre, 401 Main. Saturday Nov 8, 6pm. Free

11. Ukrainian Hall Community Concert & Supper: The festival ends on a high note at the east-end’s historic Ukrainian Hall with lively music, invigorating dance and colourful costumes at Ukrainian Hall Community Concert & Supper. This annual favourite, produced with the Association of United Ukrainian Canadians, features the Barvinok Choir, Vancouver Folk Orchestra and the Dovbush Dancers. Special guests include, among others, Zeellia (led by Beverly Dobrinsky), Vancouver’s own Slavic soul band playing songs and dances from Ukraine, the Balkan states and the Canadian prairies. Immediately after the concert is the always delicious traditional Ukrainian Supper.
Ukrainian Hall, 805 E. Pender. Sunday Nov 9, Concert 3pm, Supper follows. $25
For advance tickets contact 604-254-3436

12. HISTORY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE WALKS: An always popular component of the festival. Put on your comfy shoes, grab an umbrella and come along.

The Great Vancouver Fire of 1886 Walking Tour, with Lisa Anne Smith: Re-visit the events of June 13, 1886 when an out-of-control clearing fire destroyed most of the newly-incorporated city of Vancouver in less that one hour. Author Lisa Anne Smith brings to life stories from her newly-released book Vancouver Is Ashes: The Great Fire of 1886. Learn how Vancouver rose from the ashes within weeks of the fire’s aftermath. The walking tour will progress from the east end of Gastown, through to the final commentary on the Main Street overpass leading to CRAB Park.
Saturday Nov 1, 10am. $10, pay what you can for local residents
Meet at SW corner of Victory Square, W. Pender & Hamilton.

Raymur Mothers Walking Tour: Take a walk with Carolyn Jerome and more “militant moms and kids” who participated in the Raymur Mothers direct action in 1971 to ensure the children’s safety. The one-hour walking tour will visit main historic points of interest and will share some of the stories that inspired Bob Sarti in the writing of his new play The Raymur Mothers.
Sunday Nov 2, 1pm. $10, pay what you can for local residents
Meet at Russian Hall, 800 Campbell. 

Contour Walking Tour: Pierre Leichner, one of the exhibiting artists in Contour, an installation and interactive community project taking place this fall in the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Public Park by Art is Land Network, leads a walking tour of the Park and the site specific installations. Learn a bit about the history and the Chinese traditions that inspired the builders of the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden and how the plantings informed the artists in the works created.
Sunday Nov 2, 2pm. Free
Meet at Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Public Park, 50 E. Pender. 

Black Strathcona Heritage Walking Tour: To pay tribute to the black community of Vancouver’s historic east-end, Strathcona’s Creative Cultural Collaborations Society, in partnership with Vancouver Moving Theatre, recently produced the Black Strathcona Interactive Media Project, the centre piece of which is ten short videos that celebrate some of the extraordinary people and places that made the community vibrant and unique. Walk the neighbourhood together, follow the map, use the QR codes on street plaques to access the videos on your or a fellow walker’s cell phone, and share with each other the black history of the historic East End.
Saturday Nov 8, 11am. $10, pay what you can for local residents
Meet at Jimi Hendrix Shrine, 207 Union.

DTES Renovictions Walking Tour: “Renoviction”: It might be a new word, but it’s already an old story for many low-income people in the Downtown Eastside. Renovictions are displacing more and more low-income people from the DTES and fueling escalating the rate of homelessness across the city. Join members of the Carnegie Community Action Project on a walking tour of renoviction sites and learn more about how to work to make sure that the DTES remains a low-income neighbourhood.
Saturday Nov 8, 11am. $10, Free for local residents
Meet on front steps of Carnegie, 401 Main.

The Jade Peony Walking Tour: The novel The Jade Peony, by Strathcona born and raised writer Wayson Choy, is much loved by Strathcona and Chinatown residents. The locations of the novel are under our feet and in the homes and shops we see as we walk our neighbourhood. Join John Atkin, author, historian, DTES/Strathcona resident and walking-history-encyclopedia on this walking tour that brings alive the stories and places of The Jade Peony.
Sunday Nov 9, 10am. $10, pay what you can for local residents
Meet at Chinese Cultural Centre courtyard, 50 E. Pender.

Most events are free or by suggested donation.

Program guides will be distributed throughout Downtown Eastside and along Main Street and Commercial Drive starting Thursday Oct 16. A list of locations will be posted here on the website. Follow us on Facebook or Twitter for all the latest updates.

The 2014 Downtown Eastside Heart of the City Festival has been made possible with the generous support of the Canada Council for the Arts, Canadian Heritage, BC Arts Council, BC Gaming, City of Vancouver Cultural Services and Great Beginnings Program, Friends of the Downtown Eastside, PricewaterhouseCoopers, BCGEU, program guide sponsor Port Metro Vancouver, and media sponsors Georgia Straight and CBC .

For information about the Festival events or to set up any interviews, please contact Festival Publicist Jodi Smith, JLS Entertainment. Tel: 604.736.4939. Email: jls@jlsentertainment.ca

 

 

With more than 80 events at over 20 locations throughout the Downtown Eastside scheduled over twelve days in this year’s Festival (October 24 – November 4), choosing what to see and hear becomes a delightful challenge. Here is our thrilling Top 14 Festival Picks for 2012!

1. Singing History: An evening of songs to celebrate the history of the Downtown Eastside community and its fight for human rights. Hear the uplifting voices and harmonies of Songtree, Quatro, The Diggers, Gathering Place Choir, Solidarity Notes Labour Choir and more! Led by Musical Director Earle Peach.
   Carnegie Theatre, 401 Main. Wed Oct 24, 7:30pm. Free
   Click for photo and video coverage of this event.
   
2. Howling Comedy: The Heart of the City Festival is tickled silly to present an evening of clowning and stand up comedy that celebrates the resilience and diversity of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. The lineup features comics from Stand Up for Mental Health and founder David Granirer, along with the wild and hilarious Sam Bob, Canadian comedy legend Gina Bastone, and local favourite Muriel Williams. What’s so funny about mental health? Let’s find out!
   Gallery Gachet, 88 E. Cordova. Thurs Oct 25, 7pm. Free
   Click for photo and video coverage of this event.
   
3. Festival Art Stroll: In the tradition of gallery crawls, the Festival presents its’ first Art Stroll to community galleries. This special event starts with a sidewalk procession led by Brad Muirhead and the Hastings Street Band and travels to Gallery Gachet for the opening reception of the Oppenheimer Park Community Art Show, and then from 6pm to 9pm, six more community focused galleries in the neighbourhood open their doors.
   Oppenheimer Park, 488 Powell. Fri Oct 26, Procession starts 5:30pm. Free
   Click here for photo and video coverage of the Procession
   Click here for photo and video coverage of the Art Show
   
4. Barrio Flamenco: Flamenco for the People: Celebrate the spirit of the Downtown Eastside with an unforgettable night of live flamenco music and dance! Flamenco is an art form by and for the people, danced and played with spirit, ferocity, joy, laughter and tears. The evening features some of the most compelling flamenco artists in the city, hosted by Kelty McKerracher.
   Carnegie Theatre, 401 Main. Fri Oct 26, 7:30pm. Free
   Click here for photo and video coverage of this event.
   
5. Survival, Strength, Sisterhood: Power of Women in the Downtown Eastside: A short film by Alejandro Zuluaga and Harsha Walia, based on a concept by the Downtown Eastside Power of Women Group. Join the filmmakers and participants for a screening of a film that focuses on the voices of women who live, love, and work in the Downtown Eastside, and celebrates the complex and diverse realities of women organizing for justice.
   Carnegie Theatre, 401 Main. Sat Oct 27, 4pm. Free
6. Film, Talk, Unplugged: Joe Keithley and Bloodied But Unbowed: Vancouver filmmaker Susanne Tabata’s documentary Bloodied But Unbowed tells a tale of rebellion and music – a chronicle of the late 1970s/early 1980s Vancouver punk rock scene. Following the screening, Joe Keithley, Canada’s godfather of punk and founder and lead guitarist of Vancouver punk band D.O.A., will participate in a Q & A and perform solo unplugged. A fabulous evening, as Joe says, to talk “about the good days in the future.”
   Carnegie Theatre, 401 Main. Sat Oct 27, Film 7:45pm, Performance 9pm. Free
   Click here for photo and video coverage of this event.
   
7. The Festival is thrilled to feature Evelyn Lau, City of Vancouver Poet Laureate at two festival events:
   1. Dream of Words: Poetry and Music: In the charmed setting of the Classical Chinese Garden, the Festival is delighted to present a jewel of an afternoon concert with Evelyn Lau, poet and historian Jim Wong-Chu, and Qiu Xia He and Andre Thibault of Silk Road Music.
      Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden, 578 Carrall. Sun Oct 28, 2pm. By donation to the Garden
      Click for photo and video coverage of this event.
      
   2. Eat Rice, Talk Story: Local Chinese Canadian writers including Bob Sung, Larry Wong, Steven Wong and Evelyn Lau share food and stories that celebrate the sharing of food and the nurturing of community. “The best medicine is socializing with family and friends.”
      Chinese Cultural Centre Museum, 555 Columbia. Tues Oct 30, 7:30pm. Free
      Click for photo and video coverage of this event.
      
8. The Wayne Lavallee Band: The unique fusion of Wayne Lavallee’s folk/rock acoustic style with traditional Cree chanting has made this West Coast artist an in demand performer whose work is fresh and innovative. A Juno nominee and award-winning musician, this is a great opportunity for Vancouver audiences to hear Wayne with his full band.
   InterUrban Gallery, 1 E. Hastings. Sun Oct 28, 7:30pm. Free
   Click for photo and video coverage of this event.
   
9. TinPan Chef: A Cooking Competition and Food Forum: Six chefs, three teams, six hotplates, three boxes from the FoodBank, one hour! TinPan Chef is a cooking competition and food forum that uses sealed food boxes from the FoodBank to draw attention to the challenges of maintaining a healthy diet on a limited income. Diane Brown of the One Pot Cookbook leads the team, with judges from the community scoring the dishes for taste, appearance and creativity.
   Carnegie Theatre, 401 Main. Mon Oct 29, 12:30pm. Free
   Click for photo and video coverage of this event.
   
10. Building: a Social Writing Evening: Join the Downtown Eastside’s exciting Thursdays Writing Collective directed by Elee Kraljii Gardiner for a raucous social writing session of creative writing prompts based on architectural and poetic space. Geist magazine has said the Thursdays Writing Collective is “the biggest, boldest, and by far the most vital conspiracy of writers operating in Vancouver at present.” Participants will have the opportunity to share what they’ve written.
    Dunlevy Snackbar, 433 Dunlevy. Thurs Nov 1, 7pm. Free
11. DTES Front and Centre: Ballads, Blues & Rock ‘n Roll: An exciting evening of original ballads and blues, and favourite rock ‘n roll tunes; featuring members of the Downtown Eastside community and regulars of the Carnegie Music program including Patrick Foley, Mike Richter, Corinthian Clark, Darren Morgan, Stan Hudac, and Dalannah Gail Bowen.
    Carnegie Theatre, 401 Main. Fri Nov 2, 7:30pm. Free
12. Kutz & Dawgs, a new Hip Hop Musical: Inspired by the story lines of Romeo and Juliet and West Side Story, culturally and socially diverse youth cast members in collaboration with professional artists created an original hip hop musical. In this thought-provoking work, the young performers portray rivalling Kutz (alley cats) and Dawgs (junkyard dogs) in a cautionary tale that explores the destructive force of gang violence. Artistic Director Elaine Carol directed and co-wrote the script with original music by composers Paul Bray, Ndidi Cascade and Cris Derkson, choreography by Dianna David and fight choreography by David Bloom.
    Russian Hall, 600 Campbell, Friday November 2, 8pm. Sliding scale $5 – $20
13. Dal Richards Combo & Carnegie Jazz Band with special guests: The legendary Dal Richards Combo kicks of this evening of hot jazz; followed by the Carnegie Jazz Band, the Downtown Eastside’s enthusiastic amateur jazz band under the wonderful tutelage of multi-instrumentalist and composer Brad Muirhead. Joining the Carnegie Jazz Band is special guest vocalist Dalannah Gail Bowen and Juno award winning trombonist Hugh Fraser. Bring your dancing shoes!
    Ukrainian Hall, 805 E. Pender. Sat Nov 3, 8pm. Sliding scale $2 – $20
    Click for photos and video coverage of this event.
    
14. Ukrainian Hall’s Community Concert, Supper & Community Dance: The festival ends on a high note with three special events on one day at the Ukrainian Hall. Start your afternoon with the Association of United Ukrainian Canadians Community Concert, featuring the Barvinok Choir, the Vancouver Folk Orchestra and the Dovbush Dancers. Lively music, invigorating dance and colourful costumes beckon us. Special guests include Axe Capoeira with dynamic Brazilian dances and percussion; brilliant spoken word artist Zaccheus Jackson; and a thrilling aural treat of gamelan, bagpipes and Ukrainian singing with Mearingstone and guests. Immediately after the concert is a delicious traditional Ukrainian Supper, followed by the Community Dance with the musical fun of Russell Shumsky (marimba, percussion), Bud Kurz (guitar), Kathleen Nisbet (fiddle) and dance caller Marlin Prowell. Grab your friends, neighbours, the whole family, and head on down to this toe-tappin’ heartwarming event.
    Click for photos and video coverage of this event.
    Ukrainian Hall, 805 E. Pender. Sun Nov 4, Concert 3pm, Supper follows. $20
    For advance sales contact 604-254-3436.
    Dance 7:30pm, pay what you can
    Click for photos and video coverage of the Community Dance.
    

 

Most events are free or by suggested donation.

The 2012 Downtown Eastside Heart of the City Festival has been made possible with the generous support of the Canada Council for the Arts, Canadian Heritage, BC Arts Council, BC Gaming, City of Vancouver Cultural Services and Great Beginnings Program, Friends of the Downtown Eastside, VanCity Savings, PricewaterhouseCoopers, BCGEU, program guide sponsor Port Metro Vancouver, and media sponsors Georgia Straight and CTV.

For information about the Festival events or to set up any interviews, please contact Festival Publicist Jodi Smith, JLS Entertainment. Tel: (604) 736.4939. Email: jlsmgmt@lightspeed.ca