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January 15, 2026: Vancouver’s biggest food festival returns

January 15, 2026: Vancouver’s biggest food festival returns

Plus: Heated Rivalry, French wines, and a New York romcom

January 15, 2026

Hey there. We’ve made it halfway through the first month of the year. That’s like one-24th of the year as a whole.

For comparison, that’s five minutes into a two-hour movie—not bad. Or, you’re about seven and a half minutes into Oppenheimer: things have almost started happening. Or, if you’re somehow watching an early version of Avengers: Doomsday a year before it drops, you’ve sat through almost 10 whole minutes of superhero nonsense. Who thought a four-hour Marvel movie was a good idea? Four-hour media has its place already: European arthouse films, anime marathons, and niche YouTube essays eviscerating people you’ve never heard of. And you’d be 10 minutes into those, too.

— V.
Senior editor

— FEATURE —

Dine Out Vancouver returns with 450 restaurants and counting

We’re eating good this winter: Dine Out Vancouver is back, and with it hundreds of restaurants offering discounts, deals, and delights. This year sees the return of Street Food City, the 10th year of the World Chef Exchange, and dozens more culinary events. Check out the full list of participating restaurants here.

— PERKS OF THE WEEK —

For a short time, you can get the Straight Insiders membership for 50% OFF!

When you purchase a subscription, you help our editorial team challenge traditional media narratives by highlighting intimate stories in the arts, culture, music, and beyond. Your membership helps us tell richer stories about Vancouver.

To unlock up to $100 worth of free stuff every month, become a Straight Insider for just $4.25/month on an annual plan.

The answer to homelessness is housing

Low-barrier supportive housing and sheltering are the most humane and cost-effective response to homelessness.

Since 1993, PHS Community Services Society has provided supportive housing, food and resources for people who are unhoused or at risk of homelessness.

Their community supports have grown over the decades to include Insite and other safer consumption services, harm reduction supports, recovery programs, Indigenous health programs, affordable dentistry and low-barrier banking.

Supportive housing brings people who are in crisis out of the cold and rain, back to living with stability, hope and dignity.

And it costs less than trying to police away homelessness, with stays in hospitals, jail cells or institutions.

Housing is the answer to homelessness.

Your donations provide a path back to independence. Please donate to PHS today.

— ARTS —

Barefoot in the Park offers a 1960s New York romcom

Metro Theatre’s latest production has got it all: marriage, mismatched personalities, and mid-century charm, as newlyweds Corie and Paul figure out how to actually share a tiny apartment without having a breakdown.

The Last Resort returns with immersive thrills and fresh mysteries
Explore the Filipino diaspora’s ties to the global economy in Everything Has Disappeared – a show combining interactive theatre and a touch of magic!*
Royal Winnipeg Ballet returns to the West Coast with a striking double bill. Catch them February 9 and 10 at The Centre in Vancouver.*
The legendary Canadian comedian Tom Green brings his first ever live music and comedy tour to the Vogue Theatre on Friday, January 23! Limited tickets remain.*

*sponsored listing

Justine A. Chambers unfurls an act of devotion to Black-living in The Brutal Joy

The Brutal Joy merges Black vernacular line dancing and sartorial gesture, transforming them into radical tools for self-determination in a dazzling scored improvisation for dance, light, and sound.

Presented by The Dance Centre and PuSh International Performing Arts Festival, Feb 5 & 6. Get tickets here.

— MUSIC —

Heated Rivalry taught Spencer Krug to believe in anything

Nobody was expecting a hockey romance to turn a 20-year-old Wolf Parade track into the hottest song in streaming right now—especially not frontman Spencer Krug. “Obviously nothing like this has ever happened to us,” Krug tells us ahead of his solo set at Unreal City Festival this weekend. “I’m curious to see what it means.”

On Our Radar: Jo Passed’s reassuringly real “Precious Numbers”
Jade LeMac went viral, and now she’s going on tour

Inclusive Learning That Truly Sees Your Child

Kenneth Gordon Maplewood School is now accepting applications for the 2026–27 school year. We offer inclusive, individualized education for neurodiverse learners in a supportive K–12 community where children feel understood and can thrive.

Apply by March 31, 2026. Learn more here.

— FOOD & DRINK —

Vancouver International Wine Festival focuses on France

Vive la France! Vive les vins! Vives le Vancouver International Wine Festival! (Francophones, je suis désolée.)

Published on Main reveals its winter menu
New from Mateína: A zero sugar, organic yerba mate that delivers clean energy — no crash, no weird ingredients. Just plant-powered fuel that works.*

*sponsored listing

— ICYMI —

Lord of the screens: The return of the Park Theatre
Burnaby Greens hold course after Joe Keithley’s switch
Amanda Burrows has a bold vision for mayor
Indie breakout Jian Ross finds her power on Runt

— THINGS TO DO THIS WEEK —

LIVING: Still feeling festive? It’s your last chance to catch the Canyon Lights. (To January 18 @ Capilano Suspension Bridge Park)

MUSIC: Catch Spencer Krug, Devours, Jody Glenham, Worrywart and more at Unreal City Festival. (January 15-17 @ Rickshaw Theatre and Russian Hall)

COMEDY: It’s Got Legs throws sketches at the wall to see what skits—sorry, sticks. (January 16 @ Little Mountain Gallery)

MUSIC: After Beverly Glenn-Copeland was diagnosed with dementia, the composer and his wife decided to do one last tour. (January 16 @ Chan Centre for the Performing Arts)

PERFORMING ARTS: Artist Nina Davies performs a kayfabe rehearsal as the fictional Image Syncers. (January 16-24 @ Western Front)

MUSIC: Artists like Brass Camel, Space Queen, and Antonio Larosa perform Pink Floyd songs to raise money for BC Children’s Hospital. (January 17 @ Rickshaw Theatre)

Want to know what else is happening in Vancouver? Check out our events listings.

That’s it!

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