BEST OF THE FEST

Powell Street Festival communications director Owen Cameron recommends everything at the 40th annual festival, but particularly the following:

The food: “(It is) always one of the things everyone looks forward to, and this year we’ve expanded even more with more vendors and the craft market going outside on Alexander.”

The Koinobori Installation: “These BCIT students won this competition that Bing Thom Architects commissioned and their work will be installed in the Oppenheimer Park for people to be able to decorate. (Koinobori are the colourful and celebratory carp fish streamers used in celebrations of Children’s Day).

The 40th year: “We’ll have a panel where we invite back original founders of the festival, and a lot of people are coming into town for it, which should be really interesting.”

Chordaphone and Miyama McQueen-Tokita: “Along with the great choice of Diyet, we have the electronic/classical duo Chordaphone. They are doing their own show and being joined by another of our headliners: the amazing Australian koto player Miyama, who appears with the help of the Japanese Consulate.”

Fall Seven Times Get Up Eight: The Japanese War Brides (Firehall Arts Centre, Saturday, 1:30 p.m.): “We are co-presenting with the HAPA Society this documentary about the Japanese women who married their former enemies after the Second World War. The title comes from a ... popular Japanese phrase.”