Feelin’ hot, hot, hot

After years of gazing wistfully at other cities’ mid-winter celebrations, gay Vancouverites may be about to get a mid-winter Mardi Gras of their own.

James Steck and the other Davie Village bar managers are planning to collaboratively launch the first-ever event on Fri Feb 24. If Steck gets his way, it will be a one-day affair this year, growing into a week-long festival in years to come. Mardi Gras revellers need only buy a $10 wristband to freely access all the clubs and bars in the Village (including the Odyssey) and get discounts on food inside. All proceeds from the wristband will go to The Centre on Bute St.

“When’s the last time you were able to bar-hop and not pay cover?” asks Steck, who directs operations for Numbers, the Oasis and Sugar Daddy’s. “People are always looking for something fun to do. All they need is an excuse. This is the perfect excuse.”

Keep Reading

The protagonists of Blood Lines embracing

The big twist in ‘Blood Lines’ is more than shocking

Gail Maurice’s queer Métis romance takes a massive risk—letting it dig deep into the pain and loss perpetuated by colonial structures
A still from Girls Like Girls

‘Girls Like Girls’ once meant everything to me. I’ve outgrown it

Hayley Kiyoko’s new movie tries to recapture the magic of the mid-2010s music video it’s based on. But time has dulled its revolutionary edge
John Early in Maddie's Secret holding two jars above an open box

‘Maddie’s Secret’ is the movie about eating disorders we need

John Early’s pastiche of after-school specials mixes belly laughs with gut punches. It’s a rare masterwork
Van Goth

Van Goth made ‘Canada’s Drag Race’ look easy. But victory has a price

The drag phenom’s run complicated our idea of what a reality TV villain could be. She tells Xtra about clawing her way to the top—and her fight for what comes next
Advertisement