Sneak Peek of Nuit Blanche at The Forks

Photo via Nuit Blanche Winnipeg

Nuit Blanche is without doubt one of our favourite nights of the year. This is the night when Winnipeg is wearing it's most stunning outfit – innovative art of all kinds with Winnipeggers filling the streets to witness it.

This dream-like night is approaching quickly (SATURDAY!). So gather your fellow art-loving friends and start planning where you want to hit.

Here are a few of the events happening at The Forks:

MAGNITUDE OF ORDER BY KIRK DUNKLEY

Photo via Nuit Blanche Winnipeg

This one may just be the installation that ends up flooding your Instagram feed. Once you step inside the cube you will experience Kirk Dunkley's vision of light, space, time, and technology. Don't forget to tag @theforkswinnipeg on Instagram, so we can share the stunning photos you're sure to take.


ONE BUCKET AT A TIME

A post shared by Winnipeg, MB • Dennis B (@menace204) on Sep 23, 2017 at 10:55am PDT

If you've wandered around The Forks lately, you'll see that this installation is already up in front of l'Esplanade Riel. It is both a piece of art and a symbol of Canadian generosity. After being installed in Mexico, One Bucket at a Time came to Winnipeg to help raise funds for orphans in Mexico. Be there at 8PM for a special performance by Japanese drum group, Fubuki Daiko.

Help design firm, 5468796 Architecture, bring back buckets of cash back to Mexico by donating.


MOTHS TO A FLAME

Photo via Nuit Blanche Winnipeg

Like a moth, we see a flame and walk towards it. It is a symbol of warmth, nutrition, comfort, and relationships. How many times have you been sitting around a fire with some of your favourite people and felt completely at ease while watching the flames flicker in the wind between conversations and sing-alongs? This glass work is an ole to just that.

Tuck into Travel Manitoba to gather around this fire while watching the light dance around the glass by Warren Carther.


MINI NUIT BLANCHE

Fun times... guess how many times #GerardAlfred went down this slide?! @sharongamurot #GamurotFamily

A post shared by Gilbert P. Gamurot (@ggamurot) on Sep 18, 2017 at 7:53pm PDT

Take advantage of free admission to the Manitoba Children's Museum to get a little childish until 8:30PM (this one isn't going all night, kiddos). And there's a bonus – you get to participate in a collaborative art piece with award-winning local artist, Megan Krause.


WANDERINGS AT THE COMMON

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We're keeping this one a surprise (hehe). Come see!


WHO SAYS WE NEED FRESH AIR!?

Photo via Nuit Blanche Winnipeg

Reality check: a lot of Manitobans and folks from around the world are fighting for their right to safe housing and fresh air. Hear their voices through quotes projected onto the stone of the Oodena Celebration Circle gathered by artist and street photographer, Marie LeBlanc.

BAR NANO

A post shared by StorefrontMB (@storefront_mb) on Sep 16, 2017 at 4:01pm PDT

This little (literally) bar has been spending a lot of time at The Forks lately, and that's not about to change. Find the smallest bar in Canada on l'Esplanade Riel for a couple drinks in between hitting up Nuit Blanche events around The Forks.

HERENCIAS DE MEXICO – HERITAGE OF MEXICO EXHIBIT
Get ready to dance. This exhibit in The Market is an ode to everything Mexican – the dancing, the colours, the music, and even the piñata. 


See you there. 👀


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MTYP Season Opens Season With Three Fun Shows

As a father of three young girls, MTYP Artistic Director Pablo Felices-Luna knows a thing or two about what entertains young audiences.

“I know never to underestimate the audience,” he says. “And yet, we always do. My daughters always surprise me by picking up on things I thought might have been too dense or obscure, at which point I have to go and give myself a kick in the pants for having assumed they wouldn’t. I want to experience theatre with the same openness and to be moved and delighted as they do.”


Circus Incognitus

To that end, Felices-Luna has programmed a very fun season for his third at MTYP. It opens with Circus Incognitus (October 20-29), a one-man show where performer Jamie Adkins does everything the hard way. The show will appeal to audiences ages 3 plus.

“I take as much pleasure from everything going wrong as when it goes right,” says Adkins, who grew up in San Diego but lives in Montreal.  “For example, when I was a juggler if I dropped a ball and it went into the audience it was a tragedy, but as a clown if I’m juggling and I drop a ball and it goes into the audience it’s an opportunity! I wait for the audience to decide what to do. If they throw the ball to me I can play with that. If they keep it, great! I can play with that and go into the audience and we’ll see what happens. We can get back to the juggling routine after we explore this new fun thing happening.”


Of Mice and Morro and Jasp

Next up are clown sisters Amy Lee and Heather Annis in Of Mice and Morro and Jasp. In this hilarious adaption of John Steinbeck’s classic, Of Mice and Men, the two clowns feel the pinch of the economic downturn and decide to make ends meet by creating a new play. The desperate clowns try everything they can think of to stick to the story, but will they make it out alive?

“We wanted to take a classic male story and make it about women,” says Lee, who is a Winnipegger who grew up taking classes at MTYP from the age of six. The clown duo are Fringe veterans and most recently performed at the Sarasvati’s FemFest. Of Mice and Morro and Jasp is for teenagers and adults, some of whom may even find themselves onstage.


A Charlie Brown Double Bill

For the holidays, MTYP presents A Charlie Brown Double Bill featuring You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown and A Charlie Brown Christmas from December 8 to 30. In the first act, Charlie Brown tries to muster up the courage to talk to the Little Red-Haired Girl and in the second, he cannot get into Christmas and turns it around with the help of his friends.

These shows are a perfect way for fans of the Peanuts gang (and who isn’t?) to introduce their children or grandchildren to a bit of childhood nostalgia.

“The Peanuts stories are coming back into our consciousness so they are not as foreign to young children as they might have been five years ago,” says Felices-Luna, who will direct the show. “There’s so much to love about this piece: the enduring quality of those characters, the sweetness and hilarity of their interactions, the sheer goofiness of doing a musical in the round, the beauty of snow… I could go on forever. I also love taking an iconic story and reframing it for kids and families in 2017.”

MTYP’s season will continue in 2018 with four more shows. Manitoba Theatre for Young People is located at 2 Forks Market Road. For tickets to any of the above, call 204.942.8898 or buy online.


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5 Stops to Make at Winnipeg Design Festival

Starting today until Saturday, Winnipeg Design Festival takes over The Forks with a whole series of installations to make that evening walk around The Forks even more magical. 

Here are a few you should be sure to stop at as you wander:

Manik Dreamscape

Mannequins. We look at them in stores, but really, we're looking at the cozy knit sweater it's modelling. This installation brings what's usually in the background to the forefront. Throughout the festival, these mannequins will be placed in different areas to highlight some of the main events. So, if you see a couple of these folks hanging around, there's likely something cool happening close by.

Models of the Future: Design Display

We are constantly thinking about the future of our space and the space around us, and so are these designers. They explore the possibilities, study the realities, and create models that are both stunning and very informed. 

One Bucket at a Time

What's beautiful about a bunch of buckets? When they're designed and placed strategically to create something that barely resembles its medium – a bucket – and looks more like a wave you can walk on and sit under, that's pretty beautiful. 

Bar Nano

It's the smallest bar in Canada, but the drinks could fool you otherwise. Today from 8PM until midnight, this little bar will be set up in Festival Field near the WINNIPEG sign to serve you cocktails all evening.

THIRD + BIRD Pop-up Market

On Thursday September 14th 5-8pm @artworkbytaylordawn will be selling her contemporary prints, at the Third + Bird market at the @wpgdesignfest by @storefront_mb on the beautiful grounds of Upper Fort Gary Park!⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀ #winnipegevents #winnipegmarket #winnipeglocal #shoplocal #thirdandbird #thirdandbirdmarket #skipthemallshopsmall #ywg #204 #onlyinthepeg

A post shared by thirdandbird (@thirdandbird) on Sep 12, 2017 at 3:50pm PDT

So it may be a little early to start Christmas shopping, but it's always time to buy yourself a something new – especially something designed and made locally by Manitobans who care about craftsmanship and the local economy. Shop this hyper-local market on September 14 from 5-9PM and September 16 from 3-8PM.

ALL EVENTS

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5 Fall Habits to Start Today: Fall Back Into Routine at The Forks

In Manitoba, it’s completely permissible to throw all regular habits and schedules out the window to squeeze out every last possible moment of our summer.

Now that September is here with things like school, cool crisp mornings, regular schedules and shorter days it makes me realize that I need to get back to my regular routine again. It’s hard, and I feel like we all can use a little help transitioning into fall mode.

Lucky for you, I’ve narrowed down my top five easy and actually do-able habits to get back into the swing of things, here they are in no particular order:

Don’t forget your water bottle! There are water fountains all over the Forks Market where you can stay hydrated. 

1. Drink water (again!) 

I know, so simple, right? Bust out that cute water bottle again! It is much easier to drink little bits here and there throughout your day when you have a bottle on the go. On your desk, in your purse or in your car. It’s a really small change that has a huge impact. Also, I notice a big decline in my mindless snacking when I’m consistently drinking water. Be gone, cabin chips!

Kite and Caboodle in the Johnston Terminal has oodles of books for you to choose from for your fall cozy bedtime reading. 

2. Less screens, more books in bed

Keep those phones and screens out of the bedroom! It is my secret to a good nights sleep. It’s my absolute favourite time of day - crawling into bed with a good book. The perfect way to segue from a busy day to relax mode. A great way to unwind, get perfectly sleepy and doze off effortlessly. If your phone is your alarm, go old school and get an alarm clock. Huge game changer for a solid restful long sleep.

Tall Grass Prairie Bread Company has fresh garden market vegetables every week to make your next amazing salad.

3. Just say no to treats (everyday) 

In summer mode, it’s yes to everything! Daytime beers? Sure! Fries with that? Absolutely! I don’t know how it happened but I seemed to break away from my salad habit. And I love salads. Bring back vegetables! I’m vowing to make a salad with every single dinner. Not rocket science.

Forks Trading Company in the Forks Market has an amazing selection of loose leaf teas and gorgeous locally made hand made mugs from Mud + Stone. 

4. Evening tea 

I don’t know about you, but I got pretty used to a glass of wine or a beer with most meals. Now, I’m not saying ditch alcohol, I’m giving you a strategy to cut down on some nights — with tea. Stay with me here— tea is actually a great replacement. The ritual of making it and sipping from a beautiful Mud + Stone mug from Forks Trading Co. does satisfy that habit. It’s not a habit change, it’s what I technically call a habit switchameroo.

Riverstone Spa at the Inn at the Forks is the place to for all your skin care needs. Whether you’re looking for a new fall pick me up product to a full body spa treatment, they’ve got you covered.

5. Skin care

By the end of summer, I’m feeling a bit weathered, dry and just a bit blech from the hot sun. In fall, I like to treat my skin to a new routine and exfoliate all that sunscreen, bug spray and summer dullness away. A deep exfoliation treatment is pretty awesome. Part massage, part hydration and total relaxation. You can try the at home version, or treat yourself to a full meal deal treatment at the spa. It feels amazing and is an instant pick me up. Let that summer colour glow!

So, there you have it. Five habits to feel GOOD today. Start with a couple this week and before you know it you are a hydrated, well rested, glowing, vegetable eating human again who wakes up every day with energy and a clear mind! Hello, September!


Lindsay Somers is a Lifestyle Health Coach. You can follow her on Twitter and Instagram. All photos by Luckygirl Photography.