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Looking Back at UBC Point Grey in 2022

December 22, 2022

Another year has almost gone, can you believe it? While it feels like it flew by with a blink of an eye, when we reflect on the year, a lot of cool things happened at UBC Point Grey in 2022. From markets, to programs, to events that drew crowds far and wide — there was something for everyone. Read on for a recap, and which events to look out for next year!

Run for Women

The Run for Women is an annual 5k or 10k run or walk hosted at Wesbrook Village. It supports local women’s mental health programs in 18 cities across Canada and took place on May 7th this year. The energy is always so powerful and infectious at these events. The date in 2023 is set for May 13th — register, set a fundraising goal, and receive a swag bag full of goodies! If you aren’t a runner, be sure to still come and cheer on your friends!

 

Run for Women

 

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Live at UBC’s flagship summer event kicked off in May 2022 featuring brewery pop-ups, live music, food, games, art, and more!

A new brewery each weekend including the likes of North Point Brewing, House of Funk, Shaketown Brewery, and Container Brewing served up cold ones to relax in the lounge space on the furniture designed and built by Druvid.

Live mural painting was a sight to behold by Laura Jane Klassen, Cynthia Tran Vo, Andrew Tavukciyan, and Rory Doyle. Murals stayed up for the whole month for each artist!

Live musical acts generating many a head bob consisted of My Gay Husband, Tess Anderson, JP Valdes, Olin Brix, DJ Des, Cassandra Maze, and Johnny Jover.

There were games to play with new friends and old like Jenga and beanbag toss.

There was even a free exercise class on the MacInnes field led by the likes of Brooke Roth at Ride Cycle Club!

 

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We can’t wait to level up our game and bring you even more fun times at UBLVD WKNDS 2023! Follow us on Instagram for the latest updates.

 

UNA Neighbour’s Day

The University Neighbourhood Association’s biggest summer bash took place this September. Traditional lion dances, bouncy castles, music, dance, food and fun took over Wesbrook Village as a place to connect with young and old neighbours alike! Although the weather could be volatile as we crept into the fall, a gorgeous sunny day made it perfect for festivities.

 

Evolve

UBC Point Grey’s latest staff and faculty rental building finished construction this year and is redefining sustainable residential living, and it’s already fully leased and occupied

Evolve isn’t just any building — it’s UBC’s second-ever building to achieve REAP Platinum certification. REAP aims to reduce environmental impacts on the development site and community as a result of construction.

Evolve also achieved Passive House accreditation, a model measured by energy efficiency and optimal comfort that reduces greenhouse gas emissions through features that require up to 90% less consumption of heating and cooling energy. Stop by Wesbrook Mall to check it out!

Evolve

Welcome 4Cats Art Studio!

A new business opened up in Wesbrook Village — 4Cats Art Studio! Have a hankering to make something by hand? Need a spot to drop your kid for a pro-D day? How about a birthday party? There’s something for crafties of all ages with lots of different classes and workshops to choose from. Did we mention it’s a great date activity too? Whether you want to make a Christmas ornament or a candle holder, a painting or a mug, head to 4cats.com to book your spot today. Welcome the neighbourhood, 4Cats!

 

A Crafty Affair

The first weekend of December local artisans flocked to the Wesbrook Community Centre to sell their wares to keen holiday shoppers! Crafty Affaire hosted the popular event featuring lots of handmade goods to purchase, live music, food, and holiday spirit. The first 20 shoppers even received a scratch card with credits to spend at the market.

 

MOA Xicanx exhibit

The Museum of Anthropology’s latest exhibit features creations of the self-identified Xiacanx people of Mexican-American heritage — a term that rises above borders and gender lines to embody art that addresses personal, social, and political issues through history and into the present day. Many began their work as part of El Movimiento, the Chicano civil rights movement of the 1960s & 70s, while others are Indigenous and incorporate their origins from Aztlan.

The room at MOA is filled with lots of colourful art accompanied by stories from the Xicanx people. Despite its bright colours, many of the events transcribed are poignant and heartbreaking.

The exhibit is available to explore until January 15th. Note the Museum of Anthropology is set to close on January 16th until the end of 2023 for seismic upgrades to its great hall to protect its collections in the event of a major earthquake. Be sure to pay a visit before then!

Art at the Xicanx exhibit at MOA

UBC Farm events

Every year, UBC Farm hosts thrice-weekly markets featuring its diverse range of organic farm-fresh crops straight from the fields. This year, markets were held at the farm on Tuesdays and Saturdays and outside the UBC Bookstore on Wednesdays. The Saturday markets were the biggest, featuring other vendors selling their own local produce, crafts, treats, baked goods, alcohol, and more along with local live music.

UBC Farm also hosts special events a few times a year. One of which was Feast of Fields in partnership with FarmFolk CityFolk in September. Many local artisans, bakers, chefs, distillers, brewers, and farmers fed their gourmet creations to hungry wanderers highlighting connections between farmers and chefs, field and table.

Another successful event held at UBC Farm in October was The Joy of Feeding — an outdoor food festival and fundraiser for local food literacy and sustainability programs. 12 local chefs from Vancouver restaurants prepared their favourite family meals with recipes available afterward to be recreated at home!

In 2022, UBC Farm also established its Friend of the Farm annual memberships. Choose a tier and receive perks for the whole year! Read more details and register on UBC Farms’ website.

Be sure to subscribe to UBC Farm’s newsletter to get the scoop for 2023 events!

UBC Farm produce at the market

 

SBME

There’s a new institutional building coming to the block! The School of Biomedical Engineering has started construction at University Boulevard and Wesbrook Mall. It will be a new flagship building for the Faculty of Applied Science and Faculty of Medicine. It will house a 250-seat lecture theatre, classrooms, laboratories, office spaces, and meeting, informal learning, and student community spaces. It’s set to open in 2024 and will support UBC campus as a world class university. Look out for its progress next year!

SBME building

Beaty Biodiversity Museum Nature Clubs

On the first Saturday of each month, the Beaty Biodiversity Museum in partnership with U-Town UBC hosted Nature Clubs for kids aged 5-12. A different theme each month centred around life on Earth from plants, to entomology, mammals, birds, fossils, fungi, and more. Nature Clubs will continue into 2023 — it’s a perfect opportunity to help kids fall in love with our planet and all its inhabitants. Everyone is welcome to participate, but it’s free if you’re a resident of UBC Point Grey!

 

UBC Rec Camps

What to do with your kids in the summer? Take them to an awesome camp they’ll love, of course! In 2022 UBC Recreation hosted all kinds of camps for kids aged 3-17 for pro-d days, spring break, and of course, summer break! Bike Hike, Mini World Cup, Leap into Summer, Garden Delights, Imagine Theatre, Ocean Heroes, and much, much more. Check out their Instagram to recap on some pictures, it really looked like a blast and we are sad we’re too old to participate! Browse through 2023 programs and book spring break camps ahead of time — there is sure to be something that will pique an interest.

 

Celebrating 100 years since The Great Trek

Soon after construction commenced at UBC campus in 1911, World War I put a stop to it and students were relocated to smaller quarters near the Vancouver General Hospital. All that remained was the science building framework, and when the war was over, students campaigned for construction to restart through a public petition that generated 56K signatures! On October 28th, 1922, 1200 students marched west to their future Point Grey campus and occupied the building structure. This prompted the government to restart construction, and by 1925, the first auditorium was complete, marking the beginning of UBC’s legacy.

October 28th, 2022 marked the 100-year anniversary of The Great Trek which was celebrated at the Great Trek Cairn on Main Mall where the 50-year time capsule was opened. It included a student registration list, UBC alum magazine, the engineers’ Red Rag, a Province newspaper, and a Ubyssey newspaper. Items that were placed in a new capsule to be opened in 2072 included a Covid-19 test and a mask, an Every Child Matters orange T-shirt, an old iPhone, and a jar of honey.

Opening the UBC time capsule

Photo by Francis Georgian

 

And that’s a wrap! Lots happened at UBC Point Grey in 2022, and we can’t wait to see what’s in store for 2023! Stay up to date with all things UBC lifestyle and monthly giveaways by following us on Instagram or Facebook. See ya next year! 🎉