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, from our calendar to yours!

SWARM | Expect a jam packed weekend of openings and events at a bunch of Vancouver’s coolest independent, non-profit, and artist-run galleries! Swarm venues are heavily concentrated on the east side of the city, but with so many great shows to take in, two nights are required. Thursday night is all about Mount Pleasant, while on Friday the focus is on Chinatown and the DTES. Check out the full line-up of Swarm events at www.paarc.ca and get out there for a solid night of gallery hopping.
Sept. 8 + 9 | 6pm onward | Various times and locations | DETAILS

TOP DROP | Vancouver’s coolest wine event goes down this week. Co-founded by wine consultant Kurtis Kolt and Jeff Curry of The Wine Syndicate, Top Drop looks to shine a light on “terroir-focused wineries, craft breweries, cideries, food purveyors.” The Main Event ($69) is a walk-around, grazing-style tasting of wines from over 35 wineries as well as pours from like-minded craft breweries and cideries – all paired with bites from food purveyors like Nelson The Seagull, Benton Brothers Fine Cheese and Two Rivers Specialty Meats. There are still a few tickets left but they’re going fast!
Thu, Sept 8 | Roundhouse Community Centre (181 Roundhouse Mews) | $69 | DETAILS

HOUSING | Hustle down to SFU Harbour Centre for a Thursday evening lecture focused on exploring the idea of Community Land Trusts as a potential solution to the problem of affordable housing in Vancouver. From SFU: “Are CLTs the vehicle to retain much needed affordable housing and finance future sustainable and locally guided development on publicly owned land in Metro Vancouver? Join Brenda Torpy, CEO of the Champlain Housing Trust, to learn about her approach to stewarding land for the benefit of the community and how it created long-term affordability impacts. Based in Vermont, the Champlain Housing Trust is one of the oldest and most widely known Community Land Trusts in North America. She will share how Burlington, Vermont, benefited from the low-risk, high-impact creation of a Community Land Trust. Gordon Price, director of the SFU City Program, will moderate a discussion with the audience following the presentation.”
Thu, Sept 8 | 7–9pm | SFU Harbour Centre (515 W Hastings St.) | Free | DETAILS

FILM | Add a layer of realism to your cinematic experience with a screening of American Gangster in the unique movie viewing venue that is the old City Morgue this weekend. Think Russell Crowe, Denzel Washington, guns, drug smuggling and a 1970’s soundtrack with lots of violence. Folding chairs are provided but moviegoers are encouraged to bring along a comfortable pillow or blanket, presumably as morgues are not known for their cozy feel.
Thu, Sept 8 | 6:30pm | $10 | Vancouver Police Museum (240 E Cordova St.) | DETAILS

HUMANS | Get your high energy indie-electronic dance fix at The Imperial this Friday night. Humans take the stage at the DTES venue to play a set for their hometown crowd. This could be just the thing to kick off a killer weekend. Grab tickets while you still can.
Fri, Sept. 9 | 9pm | The Imperial (319 Main St.) | $18 | DETAILS

TRIP | Pink Floyd’s The Wall is the midnight movie at the Rio Theatre this Friday. “A confined but troubled rock star descends into madness in the midst of his physical and social isolation from everyone.” Now who can’t relate to that? A classic that doesn’t get nearly enough big screen love.
Fri, Sept. 9 | 11:55pm | Rio Theatre (1660 E Broadway) | DETAILS

HISTORY | Get to know a little about the history of the city on a Powell Street walking tour this Saturday. The good folks from the Nikkei museum will be on the ground to take interested participants on a wander down one of Japantown’s key streets. Learn about the vibrant pre-war Japanese-Canadian community that existed in this area from the 1890s through to the 1940’s when things came to an “abrupt end with the internment of Japanese Canadians during World War II in 1942”. Hear stories, see landmarks, absorb history. Space is limited, so be sure to reserve your spot in advance!
Sat, Sept. 10 | 10am | Powell Street | $10 | DETAILS

TREES | It’s a bit of a hike but the Treefest out in Coquitlam sounds like it’ll be really interesting. The celebration of trees and heritage puts an emphasis on the collection of trees out at the old Riverview Hospital. Tag along on one of the walking tours of ‘significant and unusual trees’ found on the 2 acre horticultural therapy garden or take a seat for a bus tour of the Riverview grounds with former staff members on board. There will also be children’s crafts and games, live entertainment, and heritage building tours.
Sun, Sept. 11 | 11am–4pm | Riverview Hospital (2601 Lougheed Hwy) | Free | DETAILS

MAKE | One of the greatest ways to celebrate the mid-Autumn moon is to hit the Renfrew Ravine Moon Festival (September 17th). Event organizers do an outstanding job of decorating the trees, bushes and streams of the ravine. Festival goers show up with their own lanterns to participate in a slow moving procession of awesome. The Still Moon Arts society is holding a number of lantern-making workshops between now and the festival. Check out the list of days and styles of instruction being offered here and get imaginative.
Now – Wed, Sept. 14 | 4-8pm | Slocan Park Fieldhouse (2750 E 29th Ave) | DETAILS

EASTSIDE FLEA | If you’re looking to change up or update your Fall wardrobe with a few key pieces or are inspired to shake things up at home with some cool accent pieces, Eastside Flea is where you’ll want to be this weekend. Peruse booth after curated booth of goodies from over 55 local vendors on Friday night (6-10pm), plus Saturday and Sunday (10am-4pm). Bonus: pinball, pool, music, food trucks and cocktails. See you there.
Sept. 9-11 | various times | Ellis Building (1024 Main St.) | $3 | 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.