It's the time of year when shoppers are looking for a perfect or unique holiday gift. Since I happen to work in a facility that sells locally-made artisan ware, the question "what should I buy for so and so?" should be simple enough to answer.
I met up the other day with one of the most interesting people I've met here in P.G. And the answer came to me - the best holiday gifts to buy are tickets to performances by local arts organizations. That epiphany came to me courtesy of Aidyl Jago, a person of seemingly endless energy - and quite an impressive resume! She is a successful local entrepreneur and a major supporter of the arts. As the owner of a music store and having worked in the music business in Vancouver and Toronto, it really is great that she is involved with one of our leading arts organizations, the PG Folkfest Society, organizer of the annual Coldsnap Festival.
Aidyl gave me the run-down on Coldsnap 2018. It sure is going to be a rocking nine days here in PG from Jan. 26 to Feb. 3.
For anyone new to P.G. or maybe in a deep sleep for the past few years, Coldsnap is one of Canada's most well-known winter music festivals, presenting the best in indie, country, hip hop, folk and rock performers, locally and from across the country.
Coldsnap is more than just a music festival. It is also a series of free workshops aimed at making music accessible to every member of the community.
Highlights this year will be the opening night "kitchen party" at the Ramada, kid's concerts, regional nights (four regional artists per night and you pay what you can at the door), AJ Crochet (Jim Crochet's son), and a performer named James Hill who plays the ukulele like Jimi Hendrix played the guitar (I'm not exaggerating, check him out on YouTube - it's astonishing!). This year's closing night showcase will be presented in collaboration with Le Cercle des Canadiens Franais de Prince George and will kick off their winter festival. The show will feature Mlisande, who plays a truly unique genre blending traditional music, pop and electro. It's going to be a spectacular show.
Tickets for Coldsnap are available at Studio 2880 and Books and Co.
As for other ideas for tickets to purchase as gifts, here are my thoughts.
Both the PGSO and Theatre Northwest have exceptional lineups of performances starting in the new year. Both have flexible ways of purchasing tickets either for specific shows, or as flex passes or gift certificates. I remember running into an acquaintance last year at a PGSO concert - this person had never ever been to a classical concert in his life and someone gave him the ticket as a gift. He was so enthusiastic about the experience and at the intermission he couldn't stop talking about what a memorable and enjoyable experience the gift brought. Being a bit of a hardened critic, it made me very happy to see that kind of exuberance and enthusiasm from an audience member, all because someone made an effort to give a gift of classical music.
Tickets for PGSO concerts are available at Central Interior Tickets on Opie Crescent or by visiting centralinteriortickets.com, and tickets for Theatre Northest are available at Books and Co. or by visiting theatrenorthwest.com.
And speaking of Central Interior Tickets, The Nutcracker opens on Friday and runs for only five shows over the weekend. If it is sold out, there is some solace in that Judy Russell has just announced that she won't be making us wait till summertime for her next show, and will be staging the classic Cabaret this February.
So I hope you will consider supporting local performing arts this year by buying tickets to one or more of our great local companies as a gift for a friend, loved one or colleague. And don't forget to take advantage of the local artisan shops at Studio 2880 and Two Rivers Gallery where you can buy beautiful hand-made gift items of local art works.
By buying local, your gift has extra reach when you spend your holiday gift-giving budget supporting Prince George artists and performers.
