Produced by the Vancouver Mural Festival (VMF) and presented by the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association, now in its second year brings together augmented reality (AR) art, light installations, and live performances to brighten the city and safety connect communities outside.

As the VMF Winter Arts was created last year during the pandemic, physical safety and mental well-being remains at the forefront. The event is designed to inspire joy and creativity, connect communities, encourage outdoor activity and support local businesses and artist, all while enabling social distancing and a safe, welcoming outdoor space.

Over 17 days, free public art and entertainment can be discovered along the VMF Winter Arts route from Canada Place, along Burrard to Bentall Centre and Park Place, to the Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver Public Library Square and Yaletown, plus BC Place and Science World.

At the centre of it all will be the Winter Arts Hub, located on north side of the Vancouver Art Gallery. Here you will be able to eat, drink and be entertained with art installations, a live performance stage, plus a heated and covered outdoor space with a pop-up bar and food trucks.

May it be weekend fun, after-work happy hour, post-shopping break or pre-dinner drinks, the VMF Winter Arts Hub in downtown Vancouver is where you want to be.

Related story: Discover Laowai, a hidden lounge in Vancouver’s Chinatown

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With guests dressed all in white, the evening evokes the glamour and elegance of French high society. Attendees celebrate in style, knowing that they are part of something truly magical and very exclusive. The location of the dinner party is not announced until late afternoon on the day of the event at which time thousands of white-clad diners converge on the venue.

In keeping with Diner en Blanc’s exclusive image, the location is never repeated. In previous years, the event was held at Canada Place, David Lam and Creekside Parks and Concord Plaza. Last year, Diner en Blanc Vancouver took place on the Great Lawn of the VanDusen Botanical Gardens and featured a 28-foot replica of the Eiffel Tower. Images from the event spread like wildfire on social media for several days afterwards. 

The etiquette for the evening requires that you must be elegantly dressed in any shade of white from head to toe – no colours permitted. Bring a small white table and chairs along with tablecloths, napkins, china, cutlery and white candles to light your table. Plus, your three-course meal and, of course, champagne to toast the evening. For a more luxurious evening, there is an option of pre-ordering a catered meal on site and reserved seating.

While the Vancouver event is in its 8th year, the very first Diner en Blanc was held in Paris during the summer of 1988. The organizer, François Pasquier, asked his guests to wear white so they could be spotted easily and to assemble at Bois de Boulogne to share a gourmet meal with friends. They celebrated until midnight and left no trace behind. 

Since then, the exclusive dining event has spread to 70 cities in more than 35 countries across Europe, Asia, Canada and the USA. Diner en Blanc has proven to have global appeal. 

If you haven’t attended this iconic event before, don’t let this year’s Diner en Blanc Vancouver pass you by. Dust off your best white outfit, bring a bottle of bubbly and connect with friends in style at a summer dinner party you won’t soon forget.

Registration for Diner en Blanc Vancouver 2019 is now open for members, sponsored guests and a waiting list. Find more info here. 

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Upon boarding, guests are greeted by their gracious Captain Ned Tutton. As she measures only 440 ft long – only slightly longer than a soccer field – Tutton and his crew refer to the Star Legend as a yacht and not as a cruise ship normally associated with the industry.

The Star Legend’s spacious suites, all with ocean views or private decks, make you feel as though you are aboard your own private yacht. The fine dining, welcoming lounges, tranquil spa, first rate casino and outdoor pool all help to create an atmosphere of intimacy and extravagance.

Combining the amenities of a four-star luxury hotel with the relatively small size of a yacht, the Star Legend allows you to visit the tiny harbours beyond the reach of the larger cruise ships and to enjoy the hospitality and culture of the local inhabitants.

The Star Legend is equipped with six large zodiacs which are stowed at the stern and launched by craning off and on. With a capacity of only six passengers each, these zodiacs are able to navigate up close to untouched wilderness. Aboard these zodiacs, you can experience narrow fjords surrounded by mountains higher than any others in North America, ancient first nation villages, Russian cathedrals or half-century old blue glacier ice field bays that descend into the vast Pacific Ocean.

Windstar Cruises recognizes that luxury cruising is about memorable and enriching travel experiences which they effortlessly facilitate with longer port visits, overnight and late-night – 10 pm or later – departures that allow their passengers more time to explore. Nightlife can be very different than daytime diversions, for some cities simply come alive with music and dancing when the sun sets. In addition, the smaller size of Windstar’s yachts allows them to dock in the heart of the cities they visit, resulting in less time spent disembarking and boarding and more time for you to enjoy your vacation.

The Star Legend’s 11-day Alaska cruise departs from Vancouver, takes you north through the Inside Passage with visits to Ketchikan, Misty Fjords, Wrangell, Skita, Tracy Arm / Endicott Arm, Haines, Juneau, Kenai Fjords National Park and concludes in Seward / Anchorage.

For more information about Windstar’s Alaska cruise departure dates in 2018 and 2019, visit Windstar cruises.

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