Where to Sing, Dance, and Celebrate this Summer in British Columbia
by Sue Kernaghan, written for Tourism British Columbia
This summer, 1.5 million Vancouverites will gather at the water's edge, look to the skies, and prepare to be amazed. An extraterrestrial encounter? Not quite: it's the HSBC Celebration of Light, the world's biggest offshore fireworks competition. The annual showstopper brings top pyrotechnical teams from around the world to Vancouver to duke it out; this year Canada, South Africa, the United Kingdom and China will each have their night to shine with free shows, stylistically set to music, set in the skies over the city's English Bay.
And beach-side draws won't end there: May through September, theatre-goers will set their coordinates for Vancouver's Vanier Park, where Bard on the Beach, one of Canada's biggest Shakespeare festivals, will celebrate its 20th season of seaside comedy and drama. 2009's four-month run offers the Comedy of Errors, Othello, All's Well that Ends Well and Richard II, all played in open-sided tents against a backdrop of sea and sky.
These world-renowned events are just the tip of BC's summer festival programme; between May and October, you can catch any of the hundreds of celebrations, from pow-wows and parades to concerts, wine festivals and boat building contests, set to light up parks, beaches and town halls across the province.
Where to start? Here's a sampling of what to expect this summer.
