FIFA Women's World Cup

06 FIFA Women's World Cup Canada 2015 June 6 – July 5 • Assiniboine park Zoo (www.assiniboineparkzoo.ca) is home to seven polar bears — including orphaned siblings Blizzard and Star, who were rescued in northern Manitoba last year — in the International Polar Bear Conservation Centre and the Journey to Churchill exhibit. See northern species such as snowy owls, Arctic fox and a new baby musk ox, and bring your camera to snap the bears from an underwater viewing area while they swim in their giant pool. Seasonal exhibits include the Shirley Richardson Butterfly Garden and the Australian Walkabout, where you can enter an enclosure for an up- close look at kangaroos and emus. • Assiniboine park (www.assiniboinepark.ca) has acres of greenspace and unique attractions, including the Pavilion Gallery Museum, where you can learn about Winnipeg's namesake bear, Winnie the Pooh. Check out the magical Nature Playground, the duck pond, the Leo Mol Sculpture Garden and much more. • Take a hike at urban nature oasis Fortwhyte Alive (www.fortwhyte.org) to see deer, waterfowl, songbirds and bison. Register online for the Bison Safari tour to experience a close encounter with North America's largest land animal. • A historic gathering place at the junction of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, The Forks is an eternally popular social hub. Shop for art, antiques and handcrafted goods and get a taste of Manitoba cuisine at dozens of shops and restaurants. Check out the bike path and skateboard park and take in special events such as the 33rd annual Kidsfest, on today and tomorrow. The Pride Winnipeg Festival wraps up with the two-day Pride Festival at The Forks June 13-14. • From the Forks, stroll across the Esplanade Riel pedestrian bridge to the French community of St. Boniface. Visit Tourisme Riel (www.tourismeriel. com) and explore sites such as Fort Gibraltar, a reproduction of the original fur-trading post; Le Musée de Saint-Boniface Museum, which was built in 1844 by the Grey Nuns, and St. Boniface Cathedral. You can't miss the eye- catching cathedral facade overlooking the Red River. Costumed interpreters lead guided cemetery tours in summer. • The winnipeg Art gallery (www.wag.ca) on Memorial Boulevard houses collections of Inuit, European Renaissance, contemporary art and more, including a temporary exhibition of more than 160 antiquities in Olympus: The Greco-Roman Collections of Berlin. • Just up the street from the WAG, discover mystic secrets, obscure Freemasonry symbols and Egyptian sphinxes and gods during manitoba legislature Hermetic Code Tours on Wednesday evenings. See www. heartlandtravel.ca for details. • Explore human and natural history at the manitoba museum (www. manitobamuseum.ca). Galleries recreate an aboriginal encampment, historic urban streetscapes and a port for the Nonsuch, a replica of a 17th century fur-trading ship. Downstairs, kids and adults relish hands-on activities and shows in the Science Gallery and the Planetarium. • Winnipeg's historic exchange district is packed with art galleries, unique boutiques and some of the city's most popular eateries. The Exchange District Biz (www.exchangedistrict.org) offers walking tours that touch on historical highlights such as the 1919 Winnipeg General Strike. • Savour the local flavour at popular bars and restaurants. Tourism winnipeg (www.tourismwinnipeg.com) provides guides to all the hot spots. there's aLWays somethinG neW on WinniPeG's arts and entertainment CaLendar. samPLe a FeW oF these events durinG the Women's WorLd CuP. All That Jazz — and more The TD Winnipeg International Jazz Festival (www. jazzwinnipeg.com), on June 11-21, features Mavis Staples, the Jimmy Greene Quartet, Buddy Guy and more artists on multiple stages. Bring a blanket to catch a full slate of free opening weekend performances outdoors at The Cube in Old Market Square June 11 - 14. Head to mTS Centre (www.mtscentre.ca) to catch English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran in concert June 12, and return to see Canuck country-pop star Shania Twain on June 15. If chamber music is more your style, you're in luck. The Agassiz Chamber Music Festival is on June 6-12 at the University of Winnipeg (www. agassizfestival.com). Visit Manitoba Music (www. manitobamusic.com) to check out the live music club calendar. Show your pride The 10-day Pride Winnipeg Festival wraps up with the two-day Pride Festival at The Forks, from 12 p.m. - 6 p.m. Saturday, June 13 and Sunday June 14. Sip a Queer Beer from Winnipeg's Half Pints Brewing Company, check out artisans, food vendors, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers KidZONE and live music on the mainstage. Admission is free. Sunday's festivities begin with a rally at the Manitoba Legislature, followed by the annual Pride Parade at 12 p.m. For information on more Pride events, visit pridewinnipeg.com ex marks the Spot Kids of all ages get a kick out of midway rides, equestrian and canine shows, a street circus, live music and more at the annual Red River Ex (www.redriverex.com), on June 12-21 at Red River Exhibition Park. Stick around for fireworks June 12 at 11 p.m. All the world's a Stage Shakespeare in the Ruins (www. shakespeareintheruins.com) offers a new twist on Antony and Cleopatra, setting the story in Manitoba during the fur-trade era. Promenade with the players outdoors at St. Norbert's Trappist Monastery ruins until June 27. Across town, West Side Story kicks off the summer season at Rainbow Stage (www.rainbowstage. ca) until June 19 at the domed outdoor theatre in Kildonan Park. And downtown, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet (www.rwb.org) presents Q Dance — mixed repertoire from choreographer Peter Quanz's contemporary company — at Manitoba Theatre Centre June 10-12. Just for Fun Drop by The Forks on June 6 and 7 from 10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. to check out performances by Splash N' Boots, Kif-Kif Sisters, the Take Flight Aerial & Acrobatic Circus and much more at the 33rd annual Kidsfest (www.kidsfest.ca). Soar to new heights in swinging trapeze workshops and get your groove on at singing and dancing events. On South Osborne Street, lap up the laughs at the Just for Cats Internet Film Festival at the Park Theatre (www.parktheatrecafe.com) at a June 10 fundraiser for the Winnipeg Humane Society. Make a comeback on June 11 for the one-night return of Winnipeg Fringe Festival hit Big Fat Drag Queen. disCover WinniPeG exPLore some oF the City's CuLturaL and historiC sites durinG the Women's WorLd CuP. What's on noWd the AnnuAl prIde pArAde (leFt) IS Set For June 14. JAzz FeStIvAl perFormerS InClude mArIAChI ghoSt.

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