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!

MAKE | Strathcona’s London Field Shoppe is hosting an Embroidery Patch Making Workshop this weekend. Scoot down to the adorable space to learn how to make patches you can sew on to your backpacks, blankets or clothing. No previous experience is necessary, and all skill levels are encouraged to participate and “do their thing via needle and thread.” Don’t worry, supplies come with — yup, you walk away with a hand sewn canvas pouch including embroidery scissors, felt, transfer pencil, and embroidery needles to work your magic at home. You’ll also have access to style sheets to use for tracing, or you can use your own picture.
Thu, April 14 | 6-9pm | London Fields Shoppe (692 East Hastings St.) | $40 | DETAILS

CITY | Interested in urban planning, housing affordability and community? Hit SFU Thursday night for The City We Need: The Right to the City–Cities for All, a lecture withEllen Wordsworth, Founder and Chairperson of Women Transforming Cities International Society. Wordsworth will be talking about using an “intersectional lens’ to develop a measurable, time sensitive grid that more accurately reflects how different groups of people access and use city services – the kind of considerations that are important when making decisions about anything from good governance and housing to schools, healthcare, and public transit. Sounds fascinating!
Thu, Apr 14 | 7-9pm | SFU Harbour Centre | DETAILS

OPENING | The good folks at Eastside Flea have been working like crazy to transform the old and very charming Ellis Building building at 1024 Main Street into their new permanent home and the day has finally come for the doors to open. Head down to celebrate and check out the new space this Friday night. Visit some of the new studios and meet the makers, listen to some music, enjoy a taco or two, and put your feet up in the outdoor courtyard for a little while. The first full market happens Sat + Sun from 10am – 4pm and will feature 50+ vendors, good times, and good people. See you there!
Fri, 6-10pm | Sat & Sun 10am-4pm | 1024 Main Street | DETAILS

THIS IS NOW | Fuse is back at the VAG. Head down to the gallery on Friday night to see it transformed into a one-night party palace. This time it’s a proper MashUp. Dig the decidedly different evening ‘vibe’ that blends live music, performance art and adult beverage options with an evening of art. Taking on the formidable task of illustrating the emergence and evolution of “MashUp” culture from 1912 to the present day, the current show is so big in scope that the VAG needed to bring all four floors of the gallery into play. From collage and montage to splicing, sampling, hacking and remixing, this survey of the history of mash-up involves 371 works from 156 artists and took 3 years to pull together. Wear comfortable shoes and give yourself lots of time to take it all in!
Fri, April 15 | 8pm–12am | Vancouver Art Gallery (750 Hornby St.) | $24 | DETAILS

BLOSSOMS | Petals are already floating to the ground and painting our sidewalks pink! Yea, the end of cherry blossom season is near! But don’t be sad — remember that part of the beauty of the blossoms is in their ephemeral nature! The Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival organizers have arranged for a barge, adorned with almost 40 flowering cherry trees, to make it’s way around the city to celebrate the last day of the tenth anniversary of the festival. The Blossom Barge departs Crab Park in the DTES at 8:30am this Saturday and slowly parades its fluffy pink self past Canada Place, Stanley Park, English Bay, Granville Island, and Science World, and then back to Granville Island Market where it will dock and act as the base for a mini-festival of free performances. Festivities continue Sunday until 5pm when the barge will pack up and sail away until next season.
April 16 & 17 | Various times / Various places | Free | DETAILS

SPRING | Along with daffodil-studded sidewalks, cherry blossoms, and occasionally blue skies, the annual Spring perogy lunch at the Ukrainian Cultural Centre in Strathcona is a sure indicator of the true arrival of the most welcome of seasons. In addition to the shining linoleum-floored basement lined with communal lunch tables ready for plates of home-made borscht, perogies and kielbasa, there will also be a bazaar and kids swap meet to pick through upstairs. Leave with a full belly and a few treasures from the sale, grab a cup of tea at The Wilder Snail, and then park your bum in MacLean Park for a full-on hang (weather permitting).
Sat + Sun, April 16, 17 | 11am-3pm | Ukrainian Cultural Centre (805 E Pender St.) | DETAILS

HISTORY | Nanitch, Early Photographs of British Columbia from the Langmann Collection opens at the Presentation House Gallery in North Van this week. Head over the bridge for a history lesson in images! The show assembles everything from postcards and family portraits to land survey photos and professional works of art, all with the aim of depicting the evolving British Columbian landscape in a way that “emphasizes the contradictions of settlement and asks viewers to look more closely at BC’s complex social and political history.” The opening reception goes down Saturday, April 16 at 7:30 pm, but this informative show continues 12-5pm, Wed-Sun through to June 26.
Now-June 26 | Presentation House Gallery | 333 Chesterfield Ave, NV) | By donation | DETAILS

DESIGN | There are still spaces available at the Museum of Vancouver’s “Make It Rain workshop” this Sunday. Roll up your sleeves and take part in a brainstorming session that looks at new ways in which public spaces in rainy climates can be made usable and enjoyable all year round. Here’s the scoop from MOV: “Participants will review and discuss precedent studies, followed by a ‘live’ analysis of remote video feeds from around the city of Vancouver.” In an effort to work through solutions for more rain friendly city spaces, participants will be asked, ‘what are the impacts of a predominantly rainy climate on the design of public spaces?’ See you there!
Sun, April 17 | 2:30pm | Museum of Vancouver | $15 | DETAILS

RUN | The Sun Run goes down this weekend. If you’re taking part – good for you! If you’re heading out to cheer on friends and family participating in the run – we applaud you too, as you have an important role to play! Everyone else: the run starts at 9am Sunday and will involve tens of thousands of participants, so think twice before you agree to meet your pals for a casual Sunday morning coffee pretty much anywhere downtown (and a few bits of Kits or anywhere that you would need to use the Cambie Street Bridge to get to). For race details, hit the official website here. For a list of things to do that will keep you safely away from the mayhem, check the Scout city map at the foot of our website and choose a neighbourhood to explore.
Sun, April 17 | 9am | DETAILS

FILM | Imagine being able to see into the future! Not very far, mind you, just a few minutes – and sort of randomly. How could you harness a gift like that? Hit Vancity Theatre this weekend and catch Patterson’s Wager, a film about a man with that precise affliction: a sudden case of an unpredictable ability to see two minutes into the future. As Vancity explains, this is a comedy about relationships, family mythologies, and the illusory nature of knowledge. Added bonus: Patterson’s Wager is part of Canadian Film Week and as a special treat, BC filmmaker O. Corbin Saleken – along with members of the cast and crew – will be in attendance for a post screening Q&A!
Sun, Apr 17 | 8:25 pm | Vancity Theatre | $12 | 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.