The Weather Network has forecast a hot, dry summer for B.C., so get out and make the most of it at these upcoming events.
Deighton Cup
Don your fancy chapeaux and hoist your glasses! The ponies hit the track once again on July 20 for the 11th annual Deighton Cup at Hastings Racecourse. Some 5,000 people gather at the track to gamble on the ponies while enjoying swish fashion, buckets of bubbly, fine cigars, gourmet cuisine and, of course, cocktails. The event includes an annual mixology competition, plus sweet summer sippers to enjoy trackside. deightoncup.com
Night on the pier
As the sun sinks to the west on August 8, some of Vancouver’s top bartenders will start shaking things up at this chill party on West Vancouver’s Ambleside Pier. This fundraiser for local arts programs is part of the Harmony Arts festival (August 2 to 11), and there will be food, fun, gorgeous views and plenty of great cocktails to enjoy. harmonyarts.ca
Aprons for Gloves Fight Night
It’s a knockout! In 2012, a group of Vancouver hospitality professionals founded Aprons for Gloves, a non-profit boxing program for at-risk women and youth. The program offers free mentorship and training, and once a year, some of the city’s best-known bartenders, servers and other industry pros compete in a fundraising fight night. This year, the event will be held August 20 at the Commodore Ballroom. Tickets range from $40 to $100 and go on sale in late July through Ticketmaster. apronsforgloves.com
Toronto Cocktail Week
Get your kicks in the Six this fall: The six-day festival of all things boozy returns Oct. 15 to 20, bringing together bars, brands and bartenders—as well as consumers, of course—to celebrate the city’s evolving cocktail scene. TCW will be shaking things up with a neighbourhood-focused bar guide, themed gala events, seminars and pop-up bars featuring familiar faces from Vancouver. torontococktailweek.ca
Art of the Cocktail
The Alchemist is pleased to sponsor Western Canada’s most important cocktail festival, Art of the Cocktail, Oct. 19 in beautiful downtown Victoria. Some 900 attendees will gather at the Grand Tasting to sip and sample cocktails and products from 40 exhibitors pouring more than 60 spirits. Plus there will be masterclasses, guided tastings and more fun than you can shake a cobbler at during this fundraiser for the Victoria Film Festival. artofthecocktail.ca
