Plays and poppies: What's up in November?

November arrives blustery and clear and cold. Frost gleams on west-facing rooftops in the early mornings. Poppies glow red against a sea of dark coats yanked only recently from the depths of closets. 

As winter approaches, heads duck against wind on sidewalks. Umbrellas angle into the rain. But opportunities to gather, laugh, and enjoy time among friends and family start to fill a new page on the calendar regardless.

Remembrance day

Every year, on Nov. 11, Canadians gather to honour and remember the sacrifices and contributions of those who served their country in war, conflict, and peacekeeping efforts. Each community in the Fraser Valley has a ceremony marking the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, or the armistice at the end of World War 1. 

Many of the ceremonies are outdoors at a city’s cenotaph. Community members lay wreaths for veterans and crowds stand for a moment of silence. Some ceremonies, like Abbotsfords, include a fly-past by small planes. 

Find the details of a ceremony near you, including start times and parking information, here.

Langley | Abbotsford | Chilliwack | Mission | Hope

Shows

As November weather puts the out-of-doors off-limits for all but the most hopeful or ambitious, opportunities abound to find fun events indoors. Local theatres’ seasons are swinging into gear. Pubs and breweries are stocking their calendars with favourite local performers and pro entertainers alike. A few ballerinas are warming up backstage. 

The Chilliwack International Film Festival is back this month for its seventh year. The festival features independent films both from local creators and from all over the world. From Nov. 17 to 19, check out groundbreaking cinema of all types and styles at the Cottonwood Cinema. The schedule promises Indigenous stories, Canada-focused narratives and the premieres of local Fraser-Valley shot shorts. 

The Clark Theatre in Mission is hosting a showing of Unarchived, a film that documents how community archives tell diverse histories, on Tuesday, Nov. 14. The free event will be held during National Archives Week. 

The Chilliwack Players Club is bringing The Glitter Girls, a play about the members of a women’s social club in a survivor-style fight for a dying socialite’s wealth, to the Chilliwack Cultural Centre from Nov. 23 to Dec. 4.

The Abbotsford Arts Centre will host A Tale of Two Cities, a theatrical adaptation of the Charles Dickens Novel, produced by local Gallery 7 Theatre. The show will run between Nov. 10 and Nov. 18.

The Abbotsford Arts Centre will also host a full-length rendition of classical ballet The Nutcracker by the Royal City Youth Ballet on Nov. 26.

Finally, the Langley Little Theatre company will put on a play called Rx, a modern romantic comedy about love, meaningful work, and experimental therapy. The show will run at the Langley Little Theatre until Nov. 11.

Holiday fairs

As November continues, the holiday season starts to ramp up. While some stores and shops have their Christmas decor up and ready to rock as of Nov. 1, the festive events of the month start to ramp up towards December. 

The West Coast Christmas Show at Abbotsford’s Tradex is one of the season’s largest fairs of all things Christmas. It promises vendors hawking all things festive, from food to florals to decor to gifts. It runs from Nov. 17 to 19. 

The annual Chilliwack Christmas Craft Market, running this year from Nov. 17 to 18, will feature more than 300 local artisans. The fair, also a major fundraiser for the Chilliwack Arts Council, will take place in Chilliwack Heritage Park.

The third annual Christmas Market Extravaganza at the Lions Hall in Fort Langley will take place on Nov. 25 this year. The event gathers local businesses and artisans from Langley and the surrounding area for a festive shopping party. 

Finally, the Mission Arts Council’s annual Christmas Craft fair is in its 42nd year. It will happen at Heritage Park Centre/Clark Theatre on Nov. 4 and 5.