The Carnival Band

Come join the Carnival Band, with Edmonton great D. B. Buxton, Eastern European party music all-stars Orkestar Slivovica, the Girls on Top Risque Cabaret, and the Carnival Dancers for a great night of fun and friends. How better to get your groove on than with a couple dozen horns and drums, burlesque, and a Balkan jam?

The big show happens Friday, April 3rd, 9pm at the Fairview Pub (on Broadway between Oak and Cambie). I know you’re not going to believe it, but you get all this for just $10!!! Proceeds go in part to send the Carnival Band to the HONK! international activist street band festival in Seattle. Ask your favorite Carnie, or email vancouvercarnivalband@gmail.com for tickets. Cover is $12 at the door, so get them while they’re hot.

This Saturday, March 21st, come out and see us and a whole bunch of our friends as we headline the In The House fundraiser party, “Circus Astoundicus”. In case you don’t know about it, In the House has the great mandate of opening up artist’s private residences and exposing the whole wide world to the creative happenings of some very cool studio spaces. The fundraiser is going to be a night of clowning around as only east Vancouver can. More fun than you can have outside the big top, with acrobats, magicians, clowns, animals, jugglers, puppeteers, musicians, and dancers. Doors at 6:30 pm, show at 7:30 pm at St. Mary’s Ukrainian Centre, 3150 Ash St. (one block west of Cambie st, off of 16th Ave.) Tickets are $20 in advance, available at Highlife Records on Commercial Dr. or on-line at www.inthehousefestival.com. Sorry no reservations for this one. Feel free to send this announcement to fri ends, family, and anyone you like. Read all about it here.

Also, we’re making a call out to all you dancers in the group. The Carnival Band has recently been joined by a terrific professional dancer, instructor, and choreographer. She has a dream to take our visual performance to a whole new level, so if you or someone you know wants to shake their stuff with the most fun band in town, email for more information (or just come down and see us one Monday night).

Happy Spring!

On Saturday, March 14th, come celebrate the fecundity of the season with the Carnival Band, Navaro Franco, and many more great performers as we celebrate life at Birth Fest. A jointly sponsored event by Britannia Community Centre and Birth Lounge, this is a great chance for all you new, expecting, or hopeful parents to see exactly how our village can raise a child. The event is taking place at Britannia’s Gym D from 10am ’till 3pm. Read more about it here.

Then on Sunday, we’re taking to the streets once more for one of Vancouver’s biggest parades, the crescendo of Celtic Fest, the St. Patrick’s Day Parade! With over 2,000 participants and something like 300,000 spectators, you can’t help but get into the festive spirit. The parade officially begins at 11am, and runs down Georgia from Broughton to Howe. Check out the Celtic Fest Site for more info.

Thanks for helping us make Mardi Gras weekend so red hot! Street parades, stilters, all-night ragers, great bands and dancers… what more could we ask for?

This Friday, February 27th, we’re cooling things down a bit with Burn BC’s “Sunshine Lollipops and Rainbows” at the Waldorf Hotel (1489 E Hastings, near Clark). It’s a partnership with SWARM, Blackberry Wood, and all sorts of creative local greats. True to the Burn BC style, the audience becomes the performers – that means you! Doors open at 8pm, see http://burnbc.org/ for all the info. Cover is $20.

On Thursday, Feb 19th, we’re making a splash at Winterruption, Granville Island’s annual remedy for those who prefer other seasons. The procession we’re leading starts at 6 and is called “Circle of Light“. It will feature drummers, fire dancers, and lots of great free jazz and theatre. I think those funny looking olympic critters might show up too.

Then on Saturday, February 21st, get ready for Mardi Gras greatness. At 11:30am, we start off on Granville Island by the Waterfront Theatre and kid’s zone (just east of the main bridge once you come on to the island) for a Winterruption parade complete with stilt walkers and all sorts of freaks like us.

Then the big show happens Saturday evening, as we play Mondo Mardi Gras, (click here if you’re not into facebook) an extravaganza of swampy blues, brass, beads, and burlesque. Show starts 9pm at Pub 340 (just north of Cambie and Hastings). Help us promote this one!

And Sunday morning, we do it all over again at 11:30 for the Winterruption procession. Both these are great family friendly events, and lot of fun to dance to.

And one more thing: we’re currently taking ideas for a new logo. First prize for the winning design is a Carnival Band party in your living room! Think simple (as Maren says, we should be able to spray paint it on a basketball).

This Sunday, February 1st is the Chinese New Year Parade to bring in the Year of the Ox, and of course the Carnival Band will be performing in fine form. True to tradition, the band will be attired as, you guessed it, oxen. So don your favorite shag jacket and horns and come join in the bovine buffoonery! The parade will start near the gates on Taylor Street and E. Pender at noon, and wind its way through Chinatown. And as if the Carnival Band wasn’t enough, we’re teaming up with our other favorite community street band, the Too Big To Care Marching Band, to make one huge mass of brass and drum magic! Dragon, unicorn and lion dance teams, loads of community organizations and cultural groups, and rogue firecrackers complete one of Vancouver’s largest and most colourful parades of the year.

Then don’t miss us in the Second Annual Downtown Eastside Poverty Olympics the following Sunday, February 8th. The torch procession starts at 380 East Hastings at 12:30, followed by the opening ceremony and games at the Japanese Language School, 487 Alexander St, from 1-3pm. It’s a great tongue-in-cheek approach to raising awareness about the true costs of the Olympics and the other social priorities which could be addressed with a fraction of the budget.

Into the semi-distant future, we’ll be playing all weekend long on February 20-22 for Winterruption on Granville Island. We’re leading parades all three days, starting at 6pm on Friday night, and 11:30 am on Saturday and Sunday. Friday night is a special torch-lit water celebration and procession. Come join in the family friendly fun, and welcome back the spring!