A no messing around guide to the coolest things to eat, drink and do in Vancouver and beyond. Community. Not clickbait.

Scout List: Our Eclectic Agenda For Discerning Vancouverites…

The main objective of this website is to scout out and promote the things that make Vancouver such a sweet place to be. We do this with an emphasis on the city’s independent spirit to foster a sense of connectedness within and between our communities, and to introduce our readers to the people who grow and cook our food, play the raddest tunes in our better venues, create our most interesting art, and design everything from what we wear to the spaces we inhabit.

The Scout List is our carefully considered, first rate agenda of super awesome things that we’re either doing, wishing that we could do, or conspiring to do this week. From our calendar to yours…

VANITY

The first ever Obakki runway show open to the public goes down tonight. They’re launching their Fall/Winter ’11 lines against the dramatic backdrop of St. Andrew’s-Wesley Church. After the runway show the celebration continues at Boneta (cocktails, canapes and music). A perfect match for a totally reasonable price ($40 for both events). Tickets will be gone soon, so don’t miss out. They’re available online at obakki.com or at the Obakki store on Water. All proceeds to the Obakki Foundation.
Runway Show: Thursday, April 28 | doors 7:30pm | St.Andrews (1022 Nelson) | $20
Afterparty: Thursday, April 28 | 8pm | Boneta | 1 West Cordova (like you didn’t know that) | $20

Forsya Boutique & Gallery over on Main is celebrating their second anniversary this weekend and they mean to bring everyone along for the ride. There will be complimentary wine flowing, a big sale, door prizes and – to keep the party rolling – they’ll be rolling out their new swimwear line with a sneak peek of their lingerie and lounge wear lines as well. Forsya is getting a little saucy! Love it.
Thursday April 28 | 7:30pm to 10:30ish | 2206 Main | Free

Over on Cambie Street, Walrus also turns 2! They’re celebrating with a civilized offering of prosecco and macaroons.  Always good stuff at Walrus! While you’re there check out Confluence: a point of juncture by Monica Berdin + Fei Disbrow. Monica is a local jeweller and Fei is a local artist who works with sculpture and together they will use the gallery-like wall at Walrus to mount a creative display of jewellery and art.
Thursday April 28 | 6-9pm | 3408 Cambie | Free

Word has it that the mother of all warehouse sales goes down this weekend. One of a Few, Two of a Few, Misch and Charlie & Lee are letting some of their goods go at up to 80% off. Get there early.
Saturday, April 30 | 10am-4pm | 68 W 5th (Main and Manitoba)

There’s a Bazaar at the Chapel this Sunday. I’ve heard good things and intend to wander that way (following brunch at Two Chefs and a Table!) to suss it out.
Sunday, May 1 | 12-5pm | Chapel Arts, 304 Dunlevy | $2

There’s a big clothing swap and yard sale at the Kits Neighbourhood House this weekend. Unload some of the bits that you think you could do without AND pick up some shiny new bits. Step 1: Bring your unwanted clothes to donate | Step 2: Purchase a Kits House Bag for $5 | Step 3: Shop! Fill up your Kits House Bag. YARD SALE: Items for sale include toys, books, house ware, furniture, & kitchen supplies.
Sunday May 1 | noon-3pm | Kitsilano Neighbourhood House Hall | 2305 W7th

CULTURE

If you didn’t know, the Vancouver Canucks took care of the Chicago Blackhawks in 7 games to win Round 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs and are now facing the Nashville Predators in Round 2 (yeah, they play hockey in Tennessee). Game 1 starts tonight at 6pm (CBC on TV or streaming at CBC.ca). Full series schedule and details here. Where to watch? We suggest Red Card, Campagnolo, Cascade Room, Lupo (upstairs secret spot), Stackhouse, Pat’s Pub, The Penthouse (seriously), Boneta and L’Abattoir (no volume).

Get some reading under your belt. Fancy books impress everyone. Outfit yourself with a solid assortment of spring reads at the Vancouver Public Library this weekend, because they’re having one of their famous book sales. Thousands of books will be on sale. Thousands! And all of them going for less than $2.50 each. Don’t forget to bring a bag (or two).
April 28–May 1 | VPL (Alice MacKay Room) | Free admission

It’s Pecha Kucha Night! If you don’t have a ticket to the (once again) sold out show, we’re sorry for you. You’re going to miss an impressive line-up of Vancouverites taking the stage to share their cool. Think Lauren Weisler (Executive Director of DOXA Documentary Film Festival), Darrell Kopke (Skool Principal – institute B), Michelle Rizzardo & Trevor Fleming (One of Few, Two of a Few, Lifetime Collective), Sean Heather (who doesn’t know who Sean is?), Samantha Jo Simmonds (Creative Director – Public Dreams), and the list goes on. Have a sneak peek here for deets. Louise Burns opens!
Thursday, April 28 | 6:30 | Vogue Theatre (918 Granville) | $15

Mark DeLong – an awesome guy who helped build the Scout Ramp in our office – will be reading from his upcoming book Cooking with Rabbit, for the Canadian Art Gallery Hop.
Saturday, April 30 | 4pm |LES Gallery (1879 Powell)

Junip (indie folk band featuring Jose Gonzalez, Elias Araya and Tobias Winterkorn) is in town from Sweden and they are playing at the Rio next Thursday.
Tuesday May 3 | Doors 8pm Show 9pm | Rio Theatre |$20

Ever heard of CERN? I hadn’t, so I looked it up. It’s an acronym for Conseil Europeen pour le Recherche Nucleaire  (European Laboratory for Particle Physics). Essentially, it’s a research laboratory tucked away in Geneva, Switzerland – an international gig funded by many different countries, including Canada. From what I can make out, the CERN staff hang out and talk about nuclear physics a lot. But they’re also known for Tim Berners-Lee’s pioneering work in developing the World Wide Web portion of the Internet (the cool part). So a smart bunch of monkeys. Anyway, CERN theory professor John Ellis is in town to talk about the Big Bang, antimatter, the evolution of the universe, and the LHC accelerator. All in a day’s work, right?  More information here.
Sunday, May 1 | 2:30-4pm | Woodward Library (2198 Health Sciences Mall) UBC | Free

Sam Sullivan’s Public Salon Ideas that Move the City goes down at the Playhouse next Wednesday night. It’s sort of like a Pecha Kucha night, only it’s not. The deal is that you get to listen to a line-up of cool people speak for 7 minutes each on subjects that they are passionate about. It’s a fast-paced evening of ideas and experiences from people who are making a difference in our community. The confirmed speakers at this Salon will be actor, comedian and motivator Kahlil Ashanti, professor emeritus and urban land economist Michael Goldberg, Director of UBC’s School of Community and Regional Planning Penny Gurstein, President of Vancouver Community College Kathy Kinloch, former producer of 60 minutes Peter Klein, Music on Main Artistic Director David Pay, Canadian Sport Centre Pacific CEO Wendy Pattenden, UBC professor Dr. John Robinson, and early childhood medical researcher Dr. Clara Van Karnebeek snd super-restaurapreneur (coinage!) Mark Brand.
Wednesday, May 4 | 7:30-9pm | Vancouver Playhouse (Hamilton & Dunsmuir) | $15

The Museum of Vancouver is having an opening party for their latest exhibition, Bhangra me: Vancouver’s Bhangra Story. Created from original interviews, archival video, personal photo albums, and community consultations, this Punjabi folk dance exhibit tells the story of cultural expression and activism through arts and culture over the course of 40 years.
Wednesday, May 4 | 7pm | Museum of Vancouver | $15

Call in whatever favours you have to in order to get next Thursday night off. This Is East Van is holding it’s official book launch at the Waldorf and it’s going to be the most fun you’ve had in a while.  If you’re not familiar, the book is a collection of photographs submitted by community members (myself included) depicting what East Van is to them, and it rocks. Images from the book will be projected in a slideshow for you to enjoy as you groove to good music, enjoy an end of the day cocktail and engage in inspired conversation. Scout plans to be there. You should come too!
Thursday, May 5 | 8pm | Waldorf Hotel | $10

GREEN

It’s Critical Mass in Vancouver on Friday. Bikers meet at the Vancouver Art Gallery and hit the road leave at 6pm. More here.
April 29 | some time during the afternoon commute | Free

Check out Generation Us: The Challenges of Global Warming. Canadian Climate Scientist Andrew Weaver heads to SFU to explain global warming, outline the threat it presents and, thank god, offer some solutions in clear language. “Global warming is accepted in the scientific community, yet remains hotly debated at political & social levels. Why is this? Is it because effects of global warming will not be felt for generations? Do we not feel a moral responsibility to these generations? Weaver contends: just as humans have been responsible for creating the problem, we must also be the solution. Come & hear how.”
Thursday, May 5 | 7–9pm | SFU at Harbour Centre

Roll your sleeves up for a good cause this weekend:  help build an edible garden for a DTES preschool.   Get this, Volunteer Canada has put together a team of 500 volunteers to give the Community Centre area and school grounds a “face-lift.”  There are two main activities planned–renovating and expanding the garden areas outside of the centre and school, and renovating the two inside community centre rooms upstairs. If you want to pitch in and help to make the rooms and outside areas a safer, more beautiful and imaginative place for kids of the DTES, show up on Saturday morning and get involved (500 sounds like a lot of people, but there is a lot of work to be done too, and the more the merrier). Tasks include creating playscapes with rocks, tree stumps and logs, building garden boxes, planting herb gardens, building stone river beds, and planting fruit trees.  Bring tools if you’ve got them.
Saturday, April 30 | 9-1 | Meet at Strathcona Community Centre | Free and good karma

Green Streets is looking for some inspired Vancouverites to help them out on the corners of 8th & Trimble on Saturday afternoon. This meet-up will include gardening as well as some brainstorming, outdoor poetry making, community building and plain old conversation. They’re looking for people with a passion for arts, gardening and/or community building to get together in Point Grey with the aim of decorating the space with small art pieces, short stories and interactive poetry to include in the greenery. All are welcome. A little background: “multidisciplinary artist and educator, Ella Cooper has recently gained four of the City of Vancouver’s Green Street plots and would like to turn them into a veritable eco-arts gallery and space for community engagement. Collaborating with the Community Arts Council’s Eco Arts Salon, gardeners, guerilla knitters, creative minds, poets and interested members of the community we will be working to create a happy blend of community gardening and eco arts projects that creates an interactive green space that will evolve as the plants grow.”
Saturday, April 30 | 3:30-5:30pm | Meet @ the corner of Trimble & West 8th | Bring garden tools if can

It’s spring and so – naturally – it’s time for a Stanley Park primer on The Natural History of Sex! The Stanley Park Ecology Society has arranged for a Science Instructor to lead a fascinating two hour foray into the wilds of the park with the aim of teaching you all about nature’s aphrodisiac: Spring! Please note: Due to the popularity of these walks, reservations are highly recommended. Take a minute to email [email protected].
Sunday, May 1 | 1:30–3:30 pm | Stanley Park Nature House on Lost Lagoon  | $10

FILM

Biutiful and Rabbit Hole are playing at the Hollywood Theatre
April 29 – May 5 | Biutiful (7:30pm) and Rabbit Hole (10pm) | Hollywood.

Labyrinth is this week’s midnight movie at the Rio.  David Bowie. Enough said.
Friday, April 29 | Rio Theatre | Doors @ 11:30. Show @ midnight | $8/$7 in costume

The Museum of Anthropology and the UBC Ethnographic Film Unit get together to host the 5th International Festival of Anthropology Films this weekend. The Film Unit draws upon the combined strengths of anthropologists, filmmakers, students, and community members to explore issues of environmentally and socially responsible resource use
Saturday, April 30 | 3pm | UBC Point Grey Campus | $14Vancouver-based conceptual artist Ken Lum presents the first film in his Summer series at Day for Night: The Housemaid (1960) (considered by many to be one of the greatest Korean films of all time)
Sunday, May 1 | 3pm | Waldorf Hotel | Free

DOXA is about to descend upon the city and brighten the minds of Vancouverites. DOXA is presented by the Documentary Media Society, a Vancouver based non-profit, charitable society devoted to presenting independent and innovative documentaries to Vancouver audiences. The society exists to educate the public about documentary film as an art form through DOXA Documentary Film Festival, a curated and juried festival comprised of public screenings, panel discussions, public forums and educational programs. You might want to start planning.  Click here.

GLUTTONY

This is the last Winter Farmers Market of the year. You can look at this two ways: Yippee! Winter is over! or Oh no, what will I eat until the Summer Farmers Markets start up? Bit of both, really. Opening dates for the summer markets are staggered from mid-May through to early June, so we don’t have long to wait. Don’t miss the chance to stock up on dried apples and fruit leather, eggs and fresh greens. Get over there and support your local farmers and food artisans!
Saturday, April 30| 10am – 2pm | East Parking Lot/ Nat Bailey!

Fermented food guru Andrea Potter sets up shop out at UBC next week. The good peeps at the UBC Farm have Andrea lined-up to offer a crash course in flatbread. If you jump on it right away, you’ll learn about flatbreads from around the world as well as alternative flours and what to use in place of eggs. Participants will be lead through several quick and healthy recipes such as Socca (chickpea crepes from southeastern France; Dosa (a versatile fermented lentil and rice crepe from India) and Savory Pancakes. Lunch, hand-outs and recipes included. Register here.
May 7 | 1pm-4pm | Tapestry Residences (3338 Wesbrook Mall) | $55

ART

Saturday is a good day, and Gallery Hop Vancouver has a lot to do with that. It offers participants a range of experiences including art talks, art tours, art movies and the all popular art reception (with wine). Some of Gallery Hop’s activities are free, some cost a little bit of coin. All are worthwhile. Scout is focusing on the free stuff:

Tour 1 (Downtown) Saturday, April 30 | 1:30-3pm | Meet at the SkyTrain at City Centre on Northeast corner | Free | Educator, writer and collections manager Carol-Ann Ryan will spin you through a whack of downtown galleries.

Tour 2 (South Granville) | Saturday, April 30 | 2-3:45pm | Meet at Monte Clark Gallery | Vancouver writer and artist Jennifer Mawby leads a group through Galleries sin that hood, beginning with a talk at the Monte Clark Gallery.

Tour 3 focuses on Gastown. Writer Alan Peck is your guide on this one. He’ll take you through 304 Days, Shudder Gallery, Trench Gallery and Artspeak. Meet at 304 Days (436 Columbia) at 2:30pm

Tour 4 covers Main Street. This tour starts (3pm) at Catriona Jeffries (274 E 1st) and meanders through the Elliott Louis Gallery, Grunt and the CSA Space. Highlight includes a talk by Arabella Campbell.

Tour 5 is a public art tour of Coal Harbour. Meet outside of the Vancouver Convention Centre in front of the Digital Orca at 3:30pm

Tour 6 covers a bit more ground Downtown. Jeffrey Boone, President of the Board of Directors of the Contemporary Art Society and Executive Director of the Eastside Culture Crawl hooks you up with Kathleen Ritter (VAG). Galleries include: Or, Republic, CAG and Jennifer Kostuik. Meet at Or Gallery (555 Hamilton) at 4pm.

Also part of Gallery Hop: Mark DeLong – an awesome guy who helped build the Scout Ramp in our office – will be reading from his upcoming book Cooking with Rabbit.
Saturday, April 30 | 4pm |LES Gallery (1879 Powell)

Also Saturday: get some Hot One Inch Action at Carded, a one-night only show of art, music and fast paced trading action. “The work of fifty artists is presented on trading cards and made available for art lovers to collect and trade. These 2.5″x3.5″ cards are displayed on the gallery wall and the audience is offered the opportunity to buy random cards in mixed packs of five for $5. If you purchase a pack that doesn’t have your desired card, trade with the people around you. How bad do you want that card!?” Thanks for the heads-up GKW.
Saturday April 30 | 8-11pm | Gallery Gachet (88 E Cordova)

Lastly, some intel for next week: hit the awards ceremony honouring the 2011 recipient of the Audain Prize for Lifetime Achievement in the Visual Arts (yay Rodney Graham) and 2011 VIVA Award recipients Reece Terris and Althea Thauberger. Ceremony followed by reception.
Thursday, May 5 | 7pm | Vancouver Art Gallery (750 Hornby) | Free Gallery admission (19.50)

Transition Into 2024 with Some Quality Downtime

From our calendar to yours comes this carefully considered agenda of cool things we are doing, wishing we could do, or conspiring to do in Vancouver, from now until January 8th, 2024.

Scout List, Vol. 601

From our calendar to yours comes this carefully considered agenda of cool things we are doing, wishing we could do, or conspiring to do in Vancouver, right now.

Scout List, Vol. 600

From our calendar to yours comes this carefully considered agenda of cool things we are doing, wishing we could do, or conspiring to do in Vancouver, from March 30th to April 5th, 2023.

Scout List, Vol. 599

From our calendar to yours comes this carefully considered agenda of cool things we are doing, wishing we could do, or conspiring to do in Vancouver over the days and weeks ahead.