Winter is finally over, and the first month of spring is just few days away. What could be better than celebrating the warm days to come outside with our family and friends? Not sure where to go? Check out our list of top must-attend events in April and you will surely find some inspiration.
Sport events
Vancouver Sun Run — April 21, 2013
The Vancouver Sun Run is Canada’s largest ten-kilometre road race. The route begins in Vancouver’s downtown at Burrard Street and Georgia Street. If your New Year’s resolution was to get fit and healthy, this is your time. The ten-kilometre race is the perfect start to working toward your goals. You’re capable of finishing the race if you can manage to run around 70 per cent of the distance — seven kilometres in this case. The rest will follow, as you’ll be driven by the atmosphere and energy around you.
Team Spirit!
No more boring team building activities! Lace up, stand up, and compete with other teams from the industry. The minimum number of team members is ten, and it doesn’t matter if you’re a walker, jogger, runner, or wheelchair user: if you share the will and power, step right in to this fun team-building initiative of the Sun Run.
Burning tires
The wheelchair division of the Vancouver Sun Race is the most inspiring part of the event. Wheelchair athletes can compete for a $2,000 prize and awards in Men’s and Women’s Open and Quad categories.
Top Male Wheelchaird Racer 2011 Kelly Smith
Running (with) the Family
It’s never too early to introduce your kids to a healthy lifestyle. Healthy eating and exercise prevent obesity and cardiovascular problems. Get your kids into running shoes and step up to the starting line with them. The Vancouver Sun Run team has prepared a 2.5-kilometre Shaw Mini Sun Run for you and your family this year. Kids of all ages can join and run on their own, in teams, or with their families. It’s recommended that parents or older siblings accompany kids aged 8 and younger.
Shaw Mini Sun Run
Every registered runner will receive a Vancouver Shaw Mini Run T-shirt, and the names of all participants will be printed in The Vancouver Sun on Monday, April 22, 2013. The Vancouver Sun Run is famous for its energizing atmosphere and vibe, and you should definitely attend — as a runner or as a supporter!
Davis Cup — April 5, 2013–April 7, 2013
Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre
Davis Cup Group I and Group II second rounds are scheduled from April 5, 2013, to April 7, 2013. There are two matches to be played. The first will be Chile versus Ecuador, and the second one will be Uruguay versus Colombia. Both matches promise a great spectacle, and the winning nations will than advance to the World Group play-offs.
Davis Cup
The second round of Davis Cup in Group II will take place at the same time. Two matches can be seen here as well, between Mexico and El Salvador and between Venezuela and Peru. Winners won’t advance to the play-offs this time, but they will move up to Group I.
Tickets can be bought online via Ticketmaster.
Arts and Performances
CO-MIX: A Retrospective of Comics, Graphics and Scraps — February 16, 2013–June 9, 2013
Vancouver Art Gallery
750 Hornby Street
CO-MIX is the first retrospective exhibition of the world-famous comic artist Art Spiegelman. More than 400 preparatory drawings, sketches, studies, and panels are displayed.
Co-Mix at Vancouver Art Gallery
The exhibition contains panels showing his early underground comix period in the 1970s, his most widely known work, Maus, and his more recent illustrations, as well as his response to 9/11 events, In the Shadow of No Towers.
Art Spiegelman was born in Stockholm and immigrated with his family to Queens, New York, in 1951. This is the first major exhibition of Spiegelman’s work since the MoMA exhibition of Maus in 1992.
My Turquoise Years — April 4, 2013–May 4, 2013
Granville Island Stage
1585 Johnston Street
My Turquoise Years is a book-inspired play. It is the eighth book from Victoria writer M.A.C. Farrant — a memoir of the summer of 1960, when the writer was 14 years old. The play presents a vivid picture of 1960 — of the wonders of plastic, Fun-O-Rama, on a black-and-white television, the wonderful optimism, sea of turquoise, and of the desire to remain detached from world events and focus on day-to-day living.
The theatre will host a talk on April 18 for every turquoise enthusiast, and organizers have promised the event will be great! You can get tickets for the talk here.
Family Time and Charity
Vancouver Lego Games — April 28, 2013
Firefighter’s Club
6515 Bonsor Avenue
Burnaby
We all love Lego — regardless of gender or generation. Love of Lego and love of helping others brought five students from the University of British Columbia together to organize a charity LEGO building event to benefit the Canuck Place Children’s Hospice as part of a class project.
They hope to bring together 300 participants — both competitors and spectators — for Canada’s largest charity Lego building event.
There are two separate competitions, Ready, Set, Build! and My Own Creation.
Vancouver Lego Games
Ready, Set, Build!
No preparation is needed here. You are given Lego bricks and when the theme is announced, you have up to one hour to build the best and most creative model. Judges will choose a winner from each age category and award them prizes.
My Own Creation
Competitors can work on their creation at home, and on the date of the event, they will bring their masterpieces in to showcase them. The are no limitations besides the size of entries, 12 inches by 12 inches, so that all pieces can be displayed properly.
Get Inspired by Lego Creations!
Everyone 5 years old and up can join, and that makes Lego Games truly family event. Contestants and creators are split into several categories:
Junior Levels
- 5 to 7 years old
- 8 to 10 years old
Upper Levels
- 11 to 13 years old
- 14 to 17 years old
- 18 years old plus
The more family members and friends join, the higher the chance of winning a great prize and the bigger your contribution to charity. The Vancouver Lego Games are the must-attend event in April. See you there!