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January 30 2025 edition: Vancouver’s biggest sauna just opened

January 30 2025 edition: Vancouver’s biggest sauna just opened

Plus: Cool concerts, thoughtful theatre, and exciting events for your weekend

January 30, 2025

Hey there Happy Lunar New Year!

Today is technically the second day of the Year of the Snake, but we didn’t have a newsletter yesterday. New years are always a chance to start afresh, but that’s especially apparent when it comes to snakes. The animal is traditionally associated with shedding bad vibes, embracing change and renewal—so it’s the perfect time to really concentrate on good energy and growth. Let’s slither towards better things together.

— V.
Associate Editor

— FEATURE —

De Glace forges a winter kingdom from smoke and sound

“When I go to the theatre, I want to live something that is different from life,” says Anne-Marie Ouellet, artistic director of L’eau du Bain. That approach explains the theatre collective’s tendency towards creating new worlds wholesale out of nothing but atmosphere—a technique that’s on full display with its latest work, De Glace, which has its Vancouver premiere this weekend. Using light and sound to evoke a wintry world, Ouellet explains, “we can touch the senses of the spectator, instead of the reason and the brain.”

— LIVING —

Vancouver’s largest sauna has just opened

Kolm Kontrast knows just what will fix your winter blues: getting up close and sweaty with 49 fellow wellness warriors in the city’s biggest sauna.

Check out the Invictus Games 2025 medals, designed by Lil’wat artist Levi Nelson
Canada’s rugby teams are taking the field at Vancouver Sevens
Set in a frostbitten landscape, De glace is an immersive and spellbinding tale about friendship. Jan. 31 - Feb. 2 @ Roundhouse Performance Centre.*
Vancouver! Don’t miss WONDERFUL JOE, a new play by Governor General’s Award-winning puppeteer Ronnie Burkett! On stage at The Cultch's Historic Theatre: FEB 04–23, 2025.*
*sponsored listing

Make a difference in your community

PHS Community Services Society is closing in on their $100,000 fundraising appeal goal and need your help.

The charity provides low-barrier supportive housing, shelter, healthcare, and harm reduction to thousands of marginalized people in Victoria and Vancouver every day.

PHS was founded in 1993 to support those who had been chronically homeless, and today houses and shelters more than 1,900 people. Probably best known for Insite, North America’s first legal supervised injection site, PHS is a leader in adapting services to be accessible to those with acute needs.

Donations to PHS before February 28, 2025 can apply to 2024 tax returns as the government has extended last year’s donation deadline.

Currently the group has collected $80,000. Donate today to support marginalized people in your community.

— ARTS —

Heroes of the Fourth Turning ruminates on the sharpest edges of the human condition

The religious conservatives at the heart of Heroes of the Fourth Turning aren’t monsters. “They are human beings,” says artistic director Aaron Craven, “that, for whatever reason, think and feel a certain way.”

New play A Taste of Hong Kong promises a deliciously unique experience
Therapuss creator Jake Shane is set to headline the Orpheum
And Daily Show correspondent Josh Johnson will be coming to town
Neworld Theatre's Fat Joke is this weekend at Anvil Theatre! Don't miss this incredible fusion of stand-up comedy and storytelling that thrusts fatphobia into the spotlight.*
Dance unbound – March 5-15, 2025 at Vancouver International Dance Festival. Tickets from $25, act fast!*

*sponsored listing

See Bach & Gershwin reimagined with tap dance at the Chan Centre

“Unexpectedly fresh and suffused with joy,” (NPR) tap dancer Caleb Teicher and pianist Conrad Tao's inspiring collaboration reimagines the classical concert experience with the percussive energy of tap.

Don’t miss this unique offering, only at the Chan Centre on February 12. Get your tickets now!

— MUSIC —

What’s In Your Fridge: Art d’Ecco

The one-of-a-kind musician ruminates on everything from being the first kid in his school to know the Macarena to the revitalizing power of Peychaud’s barrel-aged bitters.

Moontricks and the Funk Hunters are headlining Westwood in the Wild in May
Jack’s Mannequin is swinging by on an Everything in Transit anniversary tour
Windsor, Ontario’s The Blue Stones will play the Vogue this summer
Enjoy the world-renowned flavour of AeroPress, a velvety-smooth coffee without the grit or bitterness found in other methods. Loved globally, with 55K+ 5-star reviews.*

*sponsored listing

Fall in Love with Comedy This Valentine's Day!

Treat your special someone to a night of laughs at Just For Laughs VANCOUVER! Featuring world-class comedians, unforgettable performances, and non-stop fun. Make this Valentine’s Day weekend one to remember with the perfect mix of love and laughter. Book your tickets now! ❤️

— ICYMI —

Vancouver Mural Fest has called it quits
Vancouver Art Gallery is hosting a new Emily Carr exhibition
Family remains at the heart of Kam Wai Dim Sum
After 14 years, Cartem Donuts says a sweet goodbye

— THINGS TO DO THIS WEEKEND —

THEATRE: Veronica Sawyer’s teenage angst bullshit has a body count in Heathers: The Musical. (January 30 to February 16 @ Studio 58)

COMEDY: Which comedian is secretly a killer? Figure it out in A Murder of Comics. (January 31 @ Little Mountain Galley)

MUSIC: Diverse rhythm, dance, and traditions come together in Celebrate Africa!. (January 31 @ BlueShore Financial Centre for the Performing Arts, North Vancouver)

THEATRE: Fat Joke turns the tables on sizeism. (January 31 to February 2 @ Anvil Centre, New Westminster)

FILM: Experience Broken Social Scene’s meteoric rise in Stephen Chung’s It’s All Gonna Break. (January 31 to February 3 @ VIFF Centre)

LIVING: Capilano Suspension Bridge goes rose-tinted in its annual Love Lights. (January 31 to February 23 @ Capilano Suspension Bridge Park, North Vancouver)

LIVING: The Wellness Show brings almost 200 holistic health exhibitors to the city. (February 1 to 2 @ Vancouver Convention Centre)

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

That’s it!

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