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!
FARMS TO FORKS | Hit up Farms To Forks this Sunday. The awesome food event is staged inside The Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts and sees some of the city’s best chefs paired with the region’s best growers and producers for a night of hors d’œuvres, local wine and beer pairings. Guests cruise from one classroom kitchen to the next sampling food and watching great chefs at work. Expect outstanding food as well as phenomenal wine and friendly people — a pretty fine way to spend a Sunday night! Scout is once again a proud sponsor, and all proceeds go to support Growing Chefs! Bonus: the silent auction items are amazing.
Sun, Oct. 4 | Doors 5:30pm | Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts (1505 W 2nd) | $200 | DETAILS
LISTEN | Give yourself a dose of classical music on Saturday night. The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra together with “an unquestioned master of the violin,” Tianwa Yang and conductor Carlos Miguel Prieto perform Beethoven & Paganini, as well as a little Bach & Stokowski. A pre-performance cocktail at UVA followed by a little violin sounds like a perfect Autumn evening!
Sat, Oct 3 | 8 pm | Orpheum Theatre (601 Smithe) | DETAILS
WATCH | The Vancouver International Film Festival continues. There are over 350 films to consider, so narrow things down by browsing by series (films are classified into a number of themed series such as Altered States, Cinema of Our Time, BC Spotlight, Dragons & Tigers, Spotlight on France, Short Films, Documentaries and Special Presentations) as well as by genre and venue. For a curated list of must-sees, have a look here.
Now through Oct. 9 | Various Times and Locations | DETAILS
HURRY | This week is your last chance to take in Of Heaven and Earth: 500 Years of Italian Painting from Glasgow Museums at the Vancouver Art Gallery. The exhibit is slated to be packed up and shipped out after Sunday. With works by masters like Giovanni Bellini and Sandro Botticelli (among many others), this is a show you should make a point of finding your way downtown for. Bonus: on Saturday the VAG offers a lecture, Inside and Outside the Frame: Understanding Paintings in their Historical Context. The talk will explore the many lives that the paintings in this historic collection have lived and how the images depicted “communicated meaning in their original social contexts”. Although the lecture is free with gallery admission, there are a limited number of seats and a ticket is required (limited to two per person) which you can pick up at Gallery Reception starting at 2pm.
Sat, Oct 3 | 3pm | 1st Floor, Annex Workshop, VAG (750 Hornby St) | $20 | DETAILS
POP UP | Feel the crispness in the air? It’s time to dig out sweaters and scarves and put on an extra layer for the evening. If you find your wardrobe is in need of some fresh new pieces for Fall, we suggest you make your way to the Winterluxe pop-up in Chinatown this weekend. Designed and constructed locally (Hey Janna!), Winterluxe hats, gloves, scarves, blankets and pillows are all made from pre-loved cashmere. Not only is the Winterluxe line amazingly soft and stylish, the company philosophy is also focused on leaving as little impact on the earth as possible – everything is made from up-cycling unwanted cashmere sweaters!
Oct 2-6 | Various times, check website for details | The Playground (434 Columbia St) | DETAILS
GIG | American indie punk rockers Titus Andronicus are in town in support of their latest release “The Most Lamentable Tragedy”. They aim to play The Biltmore on Saturday night. Sometimes the very best thing you can do on a weekend is hit a live show up for cold beer, loud music, and a good romp around the floor.
Sat, Oct 3 | Doors 7pm | The Biltmore (2755 Prince Edward St.) | $15 | DETAILS
ENGAGE | This weekend, the Western Front hosts a free public conference called Urgent Imagination: Art and Urban Development. It aims to talk constructively about gentrification and the arts. Ultimately, the organizers explain, the goal is to explore how “…art and creative thinking can influence issues of urban planning and spatial justice…and to look at the role of the art as an agitator rather than a passive bystander in gentrification processes.” In the spirit of full disclosure, the Western Front explains that this conference comes just as the organization received $1.5 million from the City of Vancouver in ‘Community Amenity Contributions’ that are intended to offset the socio economic impact of the (under construction) twenty-two storey condo tower ‘The Rize’ at the intersection of Main and Broadway. From The Front: “This project is in many ways our organizational attempt to advocate for more discussion on these issues, as well as critically acknowledge our own complicity in a system that ultimately decreases affordability (for artists and other community members alike) in our immediate neighbourhood.” Expect panels and workshops with architects, artists, urban planners and COV staff. We’re betting there will be some lively conversation and imaginative thinking. Get involved, don’t be a passive bystander. More on conference details here.
Fri, Oct 2 | 7-9pm | 303 8 AVE E | Free | DETAILS
Sat, Oct 3 | 10am-4:30pm | 303 8 AVE E | Free | DETAILS
EXPLORE | With the smell of decaying leaves in the air and the sound of them crunching underfoot, this is perfect weather for exploring! So pull on some gear and get hiking. We suggest a few hours on the trails out at Lighthouse Park in West Van (followed by slice of pumpkin pie at Savary Island Pie Co. on Marine Drive). Don’t feel like tackling the bridge? Head out to the Endowment Lands for a bit of fresh air, take the stairs down to Wreck Beach, or visit the bunnies at Jericho.
All Week | Beaches, parks and forest all over the city | Free (except for the pie part)
NATURE | Ever walk through Stanley Park at night and feel slightly nervous about some rustling in the bushes? You hope the noise you hear is only an animal, but then again, meeting an animal on a dark pathway in the forest is only slightly less terrifying than encountering a stranger with sketchy intentions. If you plan to wander the park after dark, the best thing to do is arm yourself with information, so hook up with Stanley Park Ecology Society peeps this Sunday night for Night Animal Prowl and get schooled on what it is that lurks in the dark. Once you’ve taken this informative walk, you’ll be much better equipped to anticipate park residents such as skunks, raccoons, coyotes, and owls. Wear sensible footwear and come out a more informed city dweller. The SPES Nature House is located on the south-east shore of Lost Lagoon under the viewing plaza at the north end of Alberni Street by Chilco. A travel mug with a warm beverage wouldn’t be a bad call either.
Sun, Oct 4 | 6-8pm | Stanley Stanley Park Nature House/Lost Lagoon | $10 | DETAILS
EAT LOCAL | The days of 2015’s Farmers Markets are sadly dwindling. This is the very last week go the Main Street Market, West End and Kerrisdale drop off the week after, and all markets (other than the always appreciated and heavily trafficked Winter Market at Nat Bailey) close up by the end of this month. Get out there and score delicious breads, jams and canned veggies, as well as harvest fresh produce like sweet and crunchy carrots, Autumn squash and pumpkins. It’s a pretty awesome time of year. Enjoy it while it lasts.
Main Street Thornton Park | Wed until OCT 7 | 3pm–7pm | Main St. Station at Terminal | DETAILS
Yaletown | Thu until Oct 29 | 2-6pm | Yaletown-Roundhouse | DETAILS
Trout Lake Farmers Market | Sat until OCT 24 | 9am-2pm | Duh, Trout Lake | DETAILS
West End Farmers Market | Sat until OCT 24 | 9am-2pm | 1100 Block Comox | DETAILS
Kerrisdale Village | Sat until OCT 10 | 10am – 2pm | East Boulevard between 37th/41st Ave | DETAILS
Mt Pleasant | Sun until OCT 11 | 10-2 | Guelph Street between 7th and 8th | DETAILS
Kitsilano Farmers Market | Sun until OCT 25 | 10am–2pm | 2690 Larch @ 10th | DETAILS