November – it’s kind of a crap month. It’s the time of year when the intermittent downpours and cold begin to force us to accept the winter to come. Our only holiday is a sad and sobering one (Remembrance Day), and airline tickets out go up in price to keep us in a localized stupor. But there’s a lot that Vancouver has to offer in November. In fact, it’s crazy packed with pick-me-ups. Here are our picks for the top 10 to look forward to:

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1. CORNUCOPIA

The annual Cornucopia Wine & Food Festival is arguably the most debaucherous, consumptive, liver-crushing weekend on the British Columbian calendar: “The annual event is a unique opportunity to mingle, mix and sit in on fascinating seminars with acclaimed sommeliers, vintners and wine professionals visiting Whistler from around the world, just for this special celebration. Featuring a sumptuous variety of hands-on classes, glamorous gala tasting events and sizzling after-parties, Cornucopia offers something for both the experienced connoisseur and those seeking to better appreciate the epicurean delights of wine and food.” Scout will once again be up there and in the thick of it.

Nov 12-15 | Whistler BC | Cornucopia Wine & Food Festival

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2. CLAYOQUOT SOUND OYSTER FEST

There is something about Tofino in November that feels comfortable. Everything is a gentle gray – sky, sand, rain – and no one is in a rush. The damp air makes doing anything that involves putting down your book, tossing the blanket aside and getting up off the couch damn near impossible. Consequently, it’s a very relaxing time. But there are always the oysters. The good people of this fair town know how to celebrate the many faces and flavours of this bivalve. So yeah, the 13th annual Clayoquot Sound Oyster Festival is a pretty good motivator. “Twelve oyster farms in the area produce roughly 50,000 gallons of oysters each year, and the festival is a chance for the farmers, chefs, the local community and visitors to come together to celebrate this bounty.” Events include oyster farm tours, educational seminars, the Mermaid’s Ball, and the legendary Oyster Gala. For more details on festival events, click here.
Nov 19-21 | Various locations around Tofino

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3. CANADIAN CULINARY CHAMPIONSHIPS

With chef Rob Feenie’s win last week at the Vancouver Gold Medal Plates, the stage is now set for the national finals, otherwise known as the Canadian Culinary Championships (watch the last year’s video above). Each winner from each Gold Medal Plates region across the country will compete against each other in three competitions over two days. Let’s take a look at our competitors so far, Jim:

Vancouver | Rob Feenie
Calgary | Jan Hrabec
Edmonton| Nathin Bye
Ottawa | Matthew Carmichael
Montreal | Mathieu Cloutier and Jean-Philippe Saint-Denis
Toronto | November 19th
Halifax | November 12th

The competitions include a wine pairing competition, the dreaded Black Box (where the chefs have no idea what ingredients they’ll have to work with), and the grand competition in which they are allowed to cook whatever they like. Andrew is judging and refereeing again this year, so there will be plenty of behind the scenes photos and video if you can’t make it.
Nov. 27-28 | Various Vancouver Locations | Website & Details

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4. HOPSCOTCH

If you hurry – I mean click here RIGHT NOW, you might be able to score a ticket to a Hopscotch Annual Grand Tasting Hall event. Here is the scoop from the Hopscotch team themselves: The ” Annual Grand Tasting Hall is awesome in every sense of the word. One can not imagine the experience of the Grand Tasting until they do just that, experience it. In 2008 there was more than 45 exhibitors and 200 products. 2009 will match those numbers and include many new and exciting products to sample and learn about. Enjoy the sophmore year of the premium spirits section with the already present single malts, bourbons, rye, blended whiskies and premium beers. Go booth to booth and sample your way around the world.” I’m not sure what else you need to know – except maybe a magical cure for hangovers.
Nov 16 – 22 | Rocky Mountaineer Station | $40/$60

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5. EAST SIDE CULTURE CRAWL

The East Side Culture Crawl is my favourite thing about November. I look forward to this event all year long. This annual three day event that brings us common folk together with East Side artists (painters, jewelers, sculptors, textile artists, furniture makers, musicians, weavers, potters,printmakers , photographers, etc) in their natural habitat – the artists studio. With a map in hand (available at studios and shops in the community or online at Crawl website) the members of the public slowly drift from one studio to the next, taking in the art, talking to the artists and generally feeling the warm glow that comes from breathing in paint fumes. It can be quiet and introspective or engaging and social. The Crawl is a fantastic way to get a feel for the rich artistic community on the East Side. Have a look at last year’s post for a more detailed snapshot. Support local artists!

Nov 20, 21, 22 | Various locations | Visit www.eastsideculturecrawl.com for details

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6. VANCOUVER FASHION WEEK

The Fall/Winter edition of Vancouver Fashion Week outfits the city with a bit of style this month. A total of 22 shows will feature Canadian design,eco-friendly design, international designers, contemporary/ready-to-wear labels, and streetwear… As always, the daily runway shows will be accompanied by jewelry and clothing exhibits where designers can show and sell their products to guests, media and buyers.”

At this season’s fashion week Scout is looking forward to attending the opening Gala at the Terminal City Club – not just because it is an opening gala but because each artist participating in a VFW show will have the opportunity to showcase a model wearing one of their designs at the event. Kind of cool to see everyone in one room at one time. Good energy.

We will also be hitting the Eco Friendly Fashion Show on Friday Nov 6th. This show features local designers Red Jade, Lav & Kush, Hawks Ave, Nate Organics and Movement – all showing us that responsible design can look cutting edge without the unattainable price tag. After a brief intermission there will be the “Night in Taipei Show” featuring established designer Angela Chen (profiled on Scout this week) and emerging designer Fala Chien. My guess is that it will be a slinky and seductive show.

On Saturday there will be a series of shows featuring designers such as PORSCIA , Ginger Martini, Paul Hardy, Anelore Popa, Kersh (profiled on Scout this week). Sunday highlights include a street wear show, a kids wear show, an International designer competition. Check out the full schedule here.

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7. ARCHITECTURE PORN

The Vancouver Institute is bringing Moshe Safdie to town. Mr. Safdie is an architect and urban designer from the US by way of Montreal and Palestine who designed the Vancouver Public Library Main Branch and many other significant buildings. He will be speaking about Megascale, Order and Complexity as part of the Arthur Erickson Memorial Lecture In Architectural Excellence. From the Vancouver Institute: “Mr. Safdie has been an innovative force in architecture and urban design since he first attracted global attention with Habitat ‘67, his seminal experimental housing project constructed for the Montreal World’s Fair. He has contributed meaningfully to the development of many building types – museums, libraries, performing arts centers, government facilities, airports and houses – and the realization of entire cities. His architecture and urban design firm, MosheSafdie and Associates, is based in Boston with branch offices in Jerusalem, Toronto, and Singapore. Among Mr. Safdie’s numerous awards are the Companion Order of Canada and the Gold Medal of the Royal Canadian Institute of Architects.”
Nov 21 | 8:15 pm | Lecture Hall No. 2 in the Woodward Instructional Resources Centre, UBC | FREE

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8. WHOLE HOG AT FUEL

The third annual ‘Whole Hog’ dinner at Fuel gives Vancouverites the opportunity to indulge in a little snout and ear to tail and hoof dining. It features a five-course menu with pork in each and every dish, including dessert. “The event celebrates and pays homage to many seldom-used cuts and showcases pork’s versatility. Executive Chef Robert Belcham has taken care to source the finest pork he can find.”

Nov 25, 26, 27 | Fuel Restaurant | The five-course menu is $69 (+ $39 for wine pairings )

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9. PECHA KUCHA

We dig Pecha Kucha plenty. What is it? In dozens of cities around the world, different groups of people from the local “creative” community are asked to speak in front of their peers. Andrew presented last week – see above (thanks Bobby). Each presenter is allowed 20 images, and each one is shown for 20 seconds. This gives each presenter 6 minutes and 40 seconds before the lights dim and the next presenter is announced. This keeps it concise and episodic with the interest level always topped up, and gives more people the chance to show.

This month’s Pecha Kucha will see the following esteemed Vancouverites on stage:

Chris Staples of Rethink
The Vancouver 2010 Design Team Designers
Sarah Bancroft of vitamindaily.com
Tom Pendricks from Haymaker Creative
TJ Galda from EA Canada
Su-feh Lee of Battery Opera
Elvy Del Bianco from Vancity
Anne Pearson of Vancouver Special
Michael Ziff from Hip Baby
Stephanie Hodges from Vitalis
Will Brown of Adbuster

Pecha Kucha is pretty much always guaranteed to sell out early, and this fun is worth risking some forward-thinking savvy. Grab your tickets here.
Nov 26 | 6:30 pm | The Park Theatre

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DINOSAUR JR

Those who really feel this band know it to be the best thing to come out of Massachusetts since Samuel Adams. Think melancholy power guitar meets athletic lamentation. Pop for brooding skateboarders. Kibble for lonely punk girls. Band members J. Mascis, Lou Barlow, and Murph have gone off and done their own projects (Sebadoh, Folk Implosion, etc), but now they’re back and headed to the Commodore Ballroom this November 10th. Who knows if they’ll ever show here again.
Nov 10th | Commodore Ballroom | Tickets