Things to do Feb. 2-8

This week’s events around Metro Vancouver include Jazz @ the Bolt, Ocean Festival, and Jasmine Jazz.

Whether you’re looking for date-night ideas, free things to do, or just something fun with the kids, you can’t go wrong with our list of events happening around Metro Vancouver between Feb. 2-8. Headlining this week’s picks is the return of the Snowed In Comedy Tour.

For more ideas, click HERE for our coverage of Vancouver’s Arts scene.

Here are 5 things to do in Metro Vancouver this week:

Jazz @ the Bolt

When: Feb. 4 and 5

Where: Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, 6450 Deer Lake Ave., Burnaby

Tickets: Weekend: adult $100, students $75; single day: adult $60, students $45; at tickets.shadboltcentre.com and 604-205-3000

The third edition of the festival features local and international acts on multiple indoor stages. Altogether, over 25 groups and soloists will perform during the day and into the evenings. Guests include pianist Miki Yamanaki and The Spike Wilner trio, both from New York. Closer to home, Shruti Ramani’s Indo-jazz fusion group Raagaverse, the Vancouver Jazz Orchestra, and André Lachance’s Quator are also on the roster. Vancouver jazz impresario Cory Weeds is co-producing the fest with Shadbolt Centre.

Ocean Festival

When: Feb. 3 and 4

Where: Jack Poole Plaza, 1055 Canada Place, Vancouver

Info: IMPAC5.ca/ocean-festival

A free two-day, all-ages event celebrates our friend the ocean with art, films, storytelling, interactive displays and activities, and performances by some well-known national acts, as well as a bunch of local bands. On Feb. 3, Great Big Sea’s Alan Doyle headlines a show that includes Vancouver-based acts Old Soul Rebel and Delhi 2 Dublin. On Feb. 4, the festivities kick off at 1:15 p.m. with Roy Henry Vickers telling the story of four hunters who encounter the Chief of the Killer Whales, and a musical performance by the Chinook SongCatchers. Sets by The Wilds, Danny Michel, Yves Lambert Quartet, The Boom Booms with Ta’Kaiya Blaney, Ruby Waters, Shad, Steven Page, and The Beaches follow. In addition to the live music, the festival features programming to educate and inspire people of all ages about the global ocean. It’s presented in tandem with the Fifth International Marine Protected Areas Congress, IMPAC5, a gathering of marine professionals from around the world at the Vancouver Convention Centre from Feb. 3-9.

Unique Perspectives

When: Feb. 2-27

Where: The Landmark Pop-Uptown Gallery, Central Plaza, 15140 North Bluff Rd., White Rock

Paul Hyde, the former lead singer of Canadian hitmakers The Payola$, shows some of his resin-based work in this group exhibition. Other exhibitors include Dave Patterson, Kat McPhee, and Jim Davidson. McPhee specializes in expressionistic portraits, while Davidson will display figurative and abstract works inspired by his love of the Beatles.

O’DD

Where: Vancouver Playhouse, 600 Hamilton St., Vancouver

Tickets: $39 in-person, $25 streaming; at pushfestival.ca

This circus show from Finland’s Race Horse Company begins with an evocation of birth and follows an acrobatic man through phases of existence. An eerie soundscape and atmospheric lighting lend a strong sci-fi tinge to the show which, according to broadwayworld.com, has been “a long-standing dream” of performer Rauli Dahlberg, “fuelled by his affection for Stanley Kubrick’s masterpiece 2001: Space Odyssey.” Post-show talkback: Feb 4. O’DD will be available to watch online Feb 2-5. This is a North American premiere and part of the PuSh Festival.

Jasmine Jazz

When: Feb. 5 at 4 p.m.

Where: Dr. Sun Yat-sen Classical Chinese Garden, 578 Carrall St., Vancouver

Tickets: $15-$25 at eventbrite.ca

Musicians from Vancouver Chinese Music Ensemble perform with some local jazz artists in this special afternoon concert. Juno-nominated bassist and composer Jodi Proznick, guitarist Bill Coon, and clarinetist and sax player James Danderfer will collaborate with Jirong Huang, Sarah Yusha Tan, and Zhongxi Wu on erhu, guzheng, and suona, respectively. The repertoire includes jazz standards, traditional Chinese folk music and original compositions. This concert also celebrates the release of Jasmine Jazz, the first album by the sextet, recorded in July 2021 at the Warehouse Studio in Vancouver.