Top 5 things to do in Winnipeg this long weekend (May 15-18)
Drinks at the Merchant Kitchen, Yes We Mystic at the Park Theatre and St. Norbert Farmers' Market
There is so much fun stuff happening on Saturday, you guys!
The St. Norbert Farmers' Market is finally open for the season, Joel Plaskett Emergency is playing a sold-out show at the WECC and Yes We Mystic is playing with Adam Hanney at The Park Theatre.
Friday night, there's a fundraiser at the Pyramid with Jess Reimer and Indicator Indicator, and if you want to be fancy you can check out the Olympus exhibit at the WAG or grab a cocktail from the Merchant Kitchen on Portage.
And if you're not sure how to spend your Sunday night — check out Dad Jokes at Handsome Daughter or Cool 4 Cats at Bar I. Rob Galston and DJ Co-Op are going to be spinning.
WHAT: FOOD — Merchant Kitchen at the Alt
When: Friday, Saturday and Sunday (till late)
Where: Merchant Kitchen at 311 Portage Ave.
Cost: Depends what you order (mid-range-ish prices)
The Merchant Kitchen opened quietly last week, and I think you should go check it out before it gets super busy.
The people behind Pizzeria Gusto opened up this spot in the new Alt Hotel, and they have a pretty delicious-sounding drink menu.
The cocktail menu was apparently made by a big-deal bartender from Toronto, so go try it and see how it stacks up to what Albert St. Cocktail Co. or Peasant are offering lately.
WHAT: MUSIC — Joel Plaskett Emergency at the WECC
When: Saturday, May 16 at 8 p.m.
Where: West End Cultural Centre at 586 Ellice Ave.
Cost: $30 (sold out)
If you can snag tickets to this one, it will be a great show.
For the uninitiated, Plaskett is a really talented Canadian artist, and his band Joel Plaskett Emergency has released a bunch of A+ tracks over the past 10 years or so. Check out Fashionable People, if you haven't heard anything by them before. It's an old/fantastic track from them.
Oh, and no one tell me if they play All The Pretty Faces. I'll be too sad I missed it.
WHAT: SHOP — St. Norbert Farmers' Market opens
When: Saturday, May 16 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Where: St. Norbert Farmers' Market at 3514 Pembina Hwy.
Cost: FREE
This is the first Saturday it's open this season, and I think it'd be worth checking out whether or not the weather co-operates.
If you don't really feel like spending your Saturday grocery shopping, you could just get some lemonade, hit the wood-fired pizza food truck and listen to the band.
It's really nice! Think of all the Instagram possibilities!
WHAT: MUSIC — Yes We Mystic at the Park
When: Saturday, May 16 at 8:30 p.m.
Where: The Park Theatre at 698 Osborne St.
Cost: $15
This is my top pick for the weekend.
Yes We Mystic is releasing something on vinyl, which is as good an excuse as any to go see them play their super lovely brand of sophisticated indie-folk rock stuff.
They're really just so good.
And while $15 and a trek to South Osborne might seem like a "whole thing" you are actually getting a pretty sweet lineup.
Adam Hanney & Co. are also playing, and I'm a big fan of what Hanney has being doing lately. Go check it out!
WHAT: ART — Olympus at the WAG
When: Saturday or Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Where: Winnipeg Art Gallery at 300 Memorial Blvd.
Cost: $22
The exhibit has a bit of cross-over appeal if you're more of a museum type than an art gallery type because these pieces are really, really old.
A lot of them have been repaired, and all of them are really quite beautiful.
I recommend grabbing breakfast at Stella's across the street and then hitting the exhibit.
Bonus…
WHAT: MUSIC — Jess Reimer and Indicator Indicator at the Pyramid
When: Friday, May 15 at 7 p.m.
Where:The Pyramid at 176 Fort St.
Cost: $20
I don't feel awesome about including sold-out events in the list, so here's an extra one:
There's a cute little fundraiser at The Pyramid Friday night.
Jess Reimer and Indicator Indicator are both playing, and the whole thing is going to raise money for Marymound, which is a place that helps out young people who are in trouble.
Reimer has a pretty lovely folk-type sound, and Indicator Indicator have a fairly danceable indie-pop thing going on.
My guess is this won't go too late, so it's a decent option if you want to be in bed at a decent hour to hit the farmers' market on Saturday or have a standing appointment at Costco or something.