Culture: A Summer Place

Bonnie Raitt Concert | BCBusiness
Bonnie Rait, veteran performer and world-class guitarist, hits the Queen Elizabeth Theatre this August.

Beat the heat (we hope!) of August with these cool Vancouver picks.

Music // Bonnie Rait

“Something To Talk About” is a staple at karaoke bars everywhere, and the songstress who made it famous – over 20 years ago – is coming to Vancouver. A veteran performer and world-class guitarist, Bonnie Raitt’s recording career began in 1971. She has since recorded 16 albums and gathered a list of collaborators that reads like a who’s who of musical royalty, from Stevie Nicks to James Taylor. A long-time political activist (in 2004, she dedicated a song to what she hoped was the end of George W. Bush’s run as president – before he got elected for a second term), Raitt is sure to find herself among friends at a venue just blocks from the Vancouver Art Gallery, the city’s unofficial ground zero for protests, political and otherwise. Queen Elizabeth Theatre, August 10. ticketmaster.ca

Festival // Harmony Arts Festival

Vancouverites are an eclectic bunch. Consider two of the city’s stereotypical dwellers: the granola-crunching hippie and the so-hip-it-hurts, espresso-drinking urbanite.

When one of the country’s priciest postal codes plays host to an outdoor, grassroots festival each August, it’s a unique opportunity to see the two commingle in their shared natural habitat. This West Vancouver festival features some of the region’s most promising up-and-coming artists and a diverse concert series, all set against the backdrop of Ambleside beach and its glowing sunsets. The best part? Hippie-types can haul a barbecue to the beach, while urbanites can trot a couple blocks to Mangia E Bevi or La Régalade for their dinner. West Vancouver, August 3-12. harmonyarts.ca

Book // Exploring Vancouver: The Architectural Guide

Ask any tourist or local what Vancouver’s defining architectural theme is, and you’ll surely get this response: glass. But while glass highrises do dom- inate the downtown core, the city has quite a diverse architectural flavour to offer – if you know where to look. Exploring Vancouver offers 16 neighbourhood rundowns of Vancouver’s architectural gems, each summary accompanied by a walking, biking or driving route that you can explore for yourself. To see the building proclaimed by Guinness World Records to be the “world’s narrowest,” take a stroll through the heart of Chinatown, where Vancouver’s east-meets-west and past-meets-present character is on full display. D&M Publishing (2012), $24.95. chapters.indigo.ca