Georgia Straight
Posts
January 16 2025 edition: Dine Out Fest restaurants revealed

January 16 2025 edition: Dine Out Fest restaurants revealed

Plus: Iliza Shlesinger shoots the shit and Bong Joon-Ho gets his flowers

January 16, 2025

Hey there. Have you ever felt a spark with someone in public, then gone your separate ways and wished you’d asked for their number?

Well, that’s what our I Saw You section is for. But it’s also fertile ground for comedy, which is why we’ve collaborated with The Improv Centre for a new Valentine’s show. I Saw You promises love—or at least LOLs—inspired by Vancouver’s favourite missed-connection platform. (Not that I’m biased. Okay, maybe a little.)

— V.
Associate Editor

— FEATURE —

Iliza Shlesinger is hungry for more

You might know her from her flock of Netflix comedy specials (she’s got six of them). But Iliza Shlesinger is more than just a TV sensation. Her observational humour pulls marvels from the mundane—a magic trick she’ll be demonstrating at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on Friday. “If you know me,” the standup comedian says, “you know you’re coming for a rocket, high-energy, super physical hour that pokes fun at everyone.” Consider yourself poked.

— LIVING —

The first-ever exhibition about the Nuxalk Nation is coming to the Museum of Anthropology

Nuxalk Strong: Dancing Down the Eyelashes of the Sun celebrates the Northwest Coast nation’s history, culture, and revitalization, with some significant treasures set to be repatriated after the exhibition’s end.

PSA: $5 Tuesdays are back at Cineplex
WickFest hits the ice for 13th-annual women’s hockey showcase
Ukrainian bandura virtuoso Maryna Krut, Jan. 23; Celebrate Africa!, Jan. 31; musica intima’s Nagamo, Feb. 2, and banjo sensation Kaia Kater Feb. 11 – all presented by BlueShore at CapU.*
Get back on the road. The experienced lawyers at Acumen Law Corporation will give you the best legal support for your driving prohibition case.*
Don't miss Iliza Schlesinger, live in Vancouver! After 6 hilarious Netflix specials, she brings her "Get Ready" tour to Queen Elizabeth Theatre on Friday January 17! Very limited tickets left.*
*sponsored listing

Discover the World of Wine

Take a trip around the wine world at the Vancouver International Wine Festival – the ultimate end-of-winter food and wine celebration, February 22-March 2.

The 2025 festival features 121 wineries from 15 countries participating in 43 events, with a spotlight on West Coast U.S. Wines. From educational wine seminars, grand tastings and casual parties, to lively lunches and winery dinners, VanWineFest offers experiences to please every palate. The heart of the festival is the four International Festival Tastings, February 27-March 1, where all participating wineries and their principals gather to share their wines and stories.

Meet the people behind the labels, learn about the latest trends, and sample new and old favourites from nearly ~700 wines. The wine world is yours to discover.

— ARTS —

VIFF’s Bong Joon-ho retrospective recognizes a master

In 1994, well before the South Korean director became a household name, VIFF screened Bong Joon-ho’s short film Memories in My Frame. Today, there’s a lot more of the director’s work to show—a testament to his ingenuity, as well as to the decades-long relationship between him and VIFF.

Emmy-winning comedian Vir Das is coming to Vancouver
Tap dance meets Bach and Gershwin with dancer Caleb Teicher and pianist Conrad Tao. See the New York Times Critic’s Pick at the Chan Centre!*
West Coast Chamber Music presents well-loved classics alongside hidden gems by women and under-represented composers. Our 32rd Season opens with works by Haydn, Schubert, Dvorak and Dawn Avery - an incredible female Mokawk composer!*
Anvil Theatre Presents Neworld Theatre Production's Fat Joke. A fusion of stand-up comedy, storytelling, and unapologetic fact-blasting, Fat Joke thrusts fatphobia into the spotlight.*
*sponsored listing

The world is coming to perform at The Heat - An International Improv Comedy Festival!

Improv comedians from Estonia, Zimbabwe, the Philippines, Aotearoa New Zealand, and Canada unite for The Heat! 🇪🇪🇿🇼🇵🇭🇳🇿🇨🇦

Hosted by The Improv Centre's hilarious cast, this global comedy festival promises unforgettable showcases, international team-ups, and endless laughs. Don’t miss your chance to witness the world's best improvisers in action!

— FOOD —

Here are all the restaurants participating in Dine Out Vancouver this year

Vancouver’s biggest food festival returns on January 22, and we’ve got the goods on all the eateries serving up Dine Out specials—from Michelin-starred restaurants to food trucks.

Aleph Eatery is closing after seven years
A new brewing collective is taking over the old Andina space

Snakebite Film Festival Penticton, January 30 till February 2, 2025

Snakebite Film Festival Penticton returns January 30th till February 2nd, 2025. 4 days, 9 Films, 2 Galas and one infamous wine tour.

The Film Festival joined forces with Okanagan Society for Independent Filmmakers to Showcase Okanagan Filmmaking within the wildly popular 5 Day Film Challenge.

— ICYMI —

A totally serious analysis of why Canada should definitely join the US
Are negligent landlords endangering Vancouver tenants?
The crime wave fears in Vancouver sure look like a moral panic
Here is everyone participating in the Hot Chocolate Festival

— THINGS TO DO THIS WEEKEND —

MUSIC: Italian conductor Vanessa Benelli Mosell joins the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra for Schubert’s Third Symphony. (January 17 @ Orpheum Theatre)

BOOKS: Local Taylor Swift style analyst Sarah Chapelle discusses the singer’s iconic looks. (January 17 @ West Vancouver Memorial Library, West Vancouver)

TALKS: Vancouver Writers Fest kicks off its new Books & Ideas series with the authors of Character Limit: How Elon Musk Destroyed Twitter. (January 17 @ Revue Stage)

COMEDY: Think your teenage diaries are cringe? Long-running sharefest Teen Angst reminds you you’re not alone. (January 17 @ Fox Cabaret)

THEATRE: The Height of the Storm complicates a couple’s 50-year relationship. (January 17 to February 9 @ Jericho Arts Centre)

PERFORMING ARTS: Beyond the Wall tells stories of a journalist’s quest for truth. (January 18 @ UBC Norman Bouchard Memorial Theatre)

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

That’s it!

You made it all the way to the bottom, and we love you for it! Readers like you are what keep us going. If you want to support free arts and culture journalism, send this newsletter to a friend.