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

Ten Things That You Should Absolutely Do Between Now And Next Week

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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. You can also check it out in the Globe & Mail, from our calendar to theirs…and yours!

COLLIDE | Hit Commercial Drive’s Café Deux Soleils on Wednesday night to kick back with a cold drink and some food while expanding your mind with an evening of stories about collisions between art and science as told by textile artist Emily Smith, brewmaster Graham With, biological illustrator Laura Ulrich, community-development professional Omar Dominguez, poet RC Weslowski, and biologist Wayne Maddison.
Wed, Aug. 19 | 8pm | Café Deux Soleils (2096 Commercial Dr. ) | $6 | DETAILS

FAT MAO | Love yourself some noodles? Good news, Fat Mao has finally opened doors in Chinatown, and boy, do they have ever do noodles well. We’re talking Dan Dan Noodles, Taiwanese Beef Noodles, Braised Duck Noodles, Changmai Curry Noodles, Cold Sesame Noodles…believe us, you’re covered. Fat Mao is the newest of Chef Angus An’s (Maenam) ventures. This is opening week, so don’t be discouraged if you encounter a line-up as the food is worth the wait.
Wed-Sun | Lunch & Dinner | 217 E Georgia St | DETAILS

SENSORY CINEMA | Spend Friday night on a farm with some good food, good people and an outdoor screening of a funny movie. This Friday, Here There Studio teams up with chef Jesse McMillan and Upstairs at Campagnolo for a summer camp cook-out at UBC Farm. With a screening of Wet Hot American Summer and a menu inspired by key moments in the film, this is a fantastic late August excuse to escape. As the organizers explain: “With the added dimension of taste, touch and smell, the movie comes alive in an immersive cinematic experience. Regardless of whether you’ve seen the film once or not at all, Sensory Outdoor Cinema is this summer’s most essential experience.” As far as food is concerned, think The Dirty Dog (hotdog version of Upstairs at Campagnolo’s famous dirty burger) as well as veggie dogs, sides of fresh-as-can-be UBC Farm veggies, roast pig, themed drinks, and a special dessert.
Fri, Aug. 21 | UBC Farm (3461 Ross Dr) | 7:30pm | $47 | DETAILS

GATHER | Up for a bit of lawlessness? Commercial Drive Street Party goes down Friday night. The unsanctioned get together of thousands is expected to begin at around 7pm. Whether you’re in for the party or just heading to the Drive for a cup of coffee and a stroll, this is not a gig to bring your car to. Take patience, kindness, and good vibes.
Fri, Aug. 21 | 7 pm | Grandview Park, Commercial Drive | Free | DETAILS

CAR FREE | Grab a seabus ride to the North Shore on Saturday for Car Free Day. From 11am until 7pm, Lonsdale Avenue between Carrie Cates Ct. and 3rd St. will be closed to cars in order to accommodate a proper summer street party complete with music, food, and a giant slip & slide. Car Free Day “is a unique re-imagining of space in neighbourhood communities that showcases the possibilities of a city less dependent on cars.” That’s a pretty good thing to re-imagine!
Sat, Aug. 22 | Lower Lonsdale | Free | DETAILS

FORAGE | Take some time out this weekend to deepen your relationships with the natural environment. Head out to Pacific Spirit Regional Park for an ethnobotanist-led hike through the forest that will acquaint you with edible green bits growing all around you. This tour includes admission and tour of the Museum of Anthropology and lunch at the museum (expect to see some of the plants you’ve learned about incorporated into your meal). Wear sensible footwear for the sometimes goopy trails. Children under 9 years old are free of charge when accompanied by an adult.
Sun, Aug. 23 | 11am | Museum of Anthropology, UBC | $60 | DETAILS

CHOW | Food Cart Fest goes down this Sunday. Take advantage of the fact that a flock of more than two dozen food trucks will be parked around communal tables ready to feed you. Expect Soho Road, Melt City Grilled Cheese, Culver City Salads, Disco Cheetah, Mogul Japanese Street Eats, Jonny Pops and Brown Paper Packages Ice Cream to name a tasty few. Also anticipate a beer garden, ping pong, live music, a community market, and all manner of ancillary vendors making it the raddest bit of undeveloped real estate in the city. Food Cart Fest is located between Olympic Village and Cambie St. Bridge. See you there.
Sun, Aug. 23 | 12-5pm | 215 West 1st Avenue $2 entry charge | DETAILS

FARM | Make your way to Richmond’s Terra Nova Farm for a full day of good food and adventure. This weekend is a double whammy Garlic Festival and the annual “Chefs to the Field” cooking competition. In addition to the beautiful setting, expect cooking and planting workshops, good food, live music, kids activities, an artisan market, a beer garden and even some garlic ice-cream. Proceeds from the day go toward running the Terra Nova Schoolyard programs connecting children with the earth, their food, and their community. All good things!
Sun, Aug. 23 | 10am- 4pm | Terra Nova Rural Park | 2771 Westminster Hwy | DETAILS

POP UP | Weekends can fly by too quickly, and summer weekends fastest of all. Don’t call it quits just because it’s Sunday; stretch out the fun by hustling to The Lido for a little Eastern European party time. Local Omnivore food truck and Chef Todd from HandTaste Ferments have joined forces to serve up some good old-fashioned Ukrainian food. Hit the truck to grab a plate of homemade perogies, cabbage rolls, sauerkraut and sausage, and then scoot inside to wash your dinner down with some expertly poured vodka at the Lido bar and some Eastern Europe music (there will also be beer flowing).
Sun, Aug. 23 | 4pm | The Lido (518 East Broadway) | DETAILS

BASEBALL | The Vancouver Canadians return home from Spokane this Sunday. They’ll be setting up at Nat Bailey Stadium Sunday through Thursday to play against Boise. Nothing says summer like a bag of peanuts, a cold beer and a baseball game on a home field. Put me in coach, I’m ready to play!
Aug. 23-27 | Scotiabank Field at Nat Bailey Stadium (4601 Ontario St.) | $12.50 | DETAILS

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.