Burnaby residents are front and centre in this year’s Heart of the City Festival.
The 16th annual Downtown Eastside festival features 12 days of music, stories, theatre, cultural celebrations, dance, readings, workshops and more, all on the theme of Holding the Light. It runs Wednesday, Oct. 30 to Sunday, Nov. 10, with more than 100 events at more than 40 locations throughout the Downtown Eastside.
Among the performers is Burnaby’s Taninli Wright, a Wet’suwet’en artist, who brings her play Sis Ne’ Bi-Yiz: Mother Bear Speaks to the stage at the Firehall Arts Centre from Oct. 30 to Nov. 3. The play was inspired by her Messenger of Hope Walk, which took her 1,600 kilometres across B.C. to give voice to First Nations children and other marginalized youth. (Tickets are $20 and $15; call 604-689-0926 or see www.firehallartscentre.ca.)
Also featured is North Burnaby resident Debbie Karras, who directs the Dovbush Dancers during the popular Ukrainian Hall Community Concert and Supper on Sunday, Nov. 3. Tickets are $25, or $15 for children; call 604-254-3436 or book through www.eventbrite.ca.
There’s a host of other events on offer at the festival, too, and the majority are free or by donation. For a full-run-down, see www.heartofthecityfestival.com.
