What’s up: Airshow, blues, Big Sun Festival and photo contest

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 01/08/2024 (478 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

2024 Manitoba Airshow

Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Southport Aerospace Centre

Tickets $15-$35 at mbairshow.ca

The 2024 Manitoba Airshow takes off Saturday and Sunday at the Southport Aerospace Centre in Southport, located three kilometres south of Portage la Prairie, with a lineup of impressive winged machinery and jaw-dropping displays of airborne acrobatics.

Necks will be craned as the airshow’s many pilots show off their skills in the skies, with displays by (among others) Dan Reeves Airshows, Northern Stars Aeroteam, Luke Penner Aerobatics and the wildly popular Canadian Forces Snowbirds.

Also taking to the skies will be the CF-18 demonstration team, putting their CF-188 Hornets through a range of manoeuvres, as well as the ever-popular Mynarski Memorial Lancaster bomber, one of only two remaining airworthy Lancasters in service. The Second World War-era Lancaster touched down in Winnipeg in mid-July; if you missed that opportunity to see this flying piece of history up close, this is your chance.

In addition to the shows in the air, there will be a number of planes on the ground to explore, including a replica of a First World War-era Sopwith Camel, a range of machinery from the Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum and more.

The 2024 Manitoba Airshow will also feature a performance on both land and sky with a race between a jet car and airplane. The event will also feature the Piston and Props car show, a number of food trucks, a beer garden and other ground-level fun.

Doors open at 9 a.m., with the airborne events slated to start at about noon each day. Tickets are $35 for adults, $15 for kids ages 7-17, $28 for seniors aged 60-plus or those with military ID and free for kids aged 6 and younger. A two-day pass is $60. For more information and to buy tickets, see mbairshow.ca.

— Ben Sigurdson

Feel the Blues

Saturday, 8 p.m.
Le Patio 340, 340 Provencher Blvd
Tickets $14 at patio340.com

Soak in the soulful rhythms and melodies at the Soirée Blues as the Streetside Blues Band takes the outdoor stage outside the Centre culturel franco-manitobain. The local quartet’s setlist spans classic blues hits such as The Thrill Is Gone (B.B. King), Treat Her Right (Billy Gibbons) and Sweet Home Chicago (Robert Johnson).

More information and tickets at patio340.com.

—Thandi Vera

The Secret Beach, Big Sun Festival

Thursday, Friday and Saturday
Blue Note Park
Tickets $23-$44 at eventbrite.ca

The Secret Beach, the ongoing project of Matlock singer-songwriter Micah Erenberg, returns to Winnipeg Thursday, three weeks ahead of his much-anticipated, surefire local hit We Were Born Here, What’s Your Excuse?

For well over a decade, the sweet-singing Erenberg has been a cornerstone of Manitoban independent music. Now based in Saskatchewan, his latest album is out Aug. 23 via Victory Pool Records. Playing Blue Note Park, the Secret Beach is joined by Lethbridge’s Skinny Dyck — a serious musician with a funny name — and Manitoban “moccasin gaze” artist Zoon. (Tickets $22.85)

Still need more music? The Blue Note has your fix with 12 local artists taking the stage for another edition of Big Sun Festival on Friday and Saturday at the outdoor venue next to the Times Change(d). It’s a varied lineup, featuring hip-hop (BBS Steve, Mooki), indie rock (Lev Snowe, Polyglots, Strawberry Punch, Taylor Jackson), showy rock ‘n’ roll (the Haileys, Show Pony), brooding punk (Beth), polished industrial rock (Kandekt), and ambient trip-hop with hypnotic lapsteel (Truth in the Well). Two-day passes are $43.70, Friday passes are $22.85, and Saturday passes are $28.25 on eventbrite.

— Ben Waldman

A picturesque contest

Aug. 1 to 31
Various locations
Visit facebook.com/takepridefb for more information

Take Pride Winnipeg — a charity focused on instilling civic pride — is hosting a local scavenger hunt this month to celebrate the city’s 150th anniversary.

Over the next 31 days, participants are challenged to visit and photograph themselves at 31 different Winnipeg landmarks. Each photo submitted equals one contest entry, meaning you don’t need to visit all 31 sites to take part.

Locations include greenspaces, historical buildings, monuments and murals, such as the Living Prairie Museum, Kildonan Park Witch’s Hut, the Transcona Cenotaph and Oodena Celebration Circle at The Forks.

The grand prize consists of two Winnipeg Jets tickets, a $100 gift card for Earl’s Kitchen + Bar and a $50 gift card for Morden’s Chocolates. Other prizes include movie tickets, Winnipeg 150 swag and grocery gift cards.

Photos can be submitted via email to tom@takepride.mb.ca or by tagging Take Pride Winnipeg (@takeprideinsta) in an Instagram story.

— Eva Wasney

If you value coverage of Manitoba’s arts scene, help us do more.
Your contribution of $10, $25 or more will allow the Free Press to deepen our reporting on theatre, dance, music and galleries while also ensuring the broadest possible audience can access our arts journalism. BECOME AN ARTS JOURNALISM SUPPORTER Click here to learn more about the project.