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!

GIG | The Paper Kites are in town from Melbourne and they’re playing back-to-back gigs at The Rio on Thursday and Friday night. If you aren’t one of the fans who have contributed to the millions of YouTube views that their videos for tracks like “Featherstone”, “Bloom” and “Renegade” have gathered, scoot on over for a listen. You might become a convert. After that, grab some friends and some tickets. This is going to be a good show!
Thu, Dec. 8 & Fri, Dec. 9 | Doors 8pm | The Rio | $25 | DETAILS

KRAMPUS | If you’re not feeling the Santa vibe, you might want to give Krampus a go. Strange Fellows Brewery has him visiting this Wednesday night and there’s nothing like a midweek visit with a Christmas monster to propel you into the weekend with purpose. From event organizers: “December brings excitement for many children around the world as they eagerly await a visit from St Nicholas. In some European alpine villages, this anticipation is tainted with fear, as there St Nick is accompanied by the frightful Krampus. While St Nick brings gifts for the nice children, Krampus – with his horns, cloven hooves and long devilish tongue – comes for the naughty. Instead of bringing treats, Krampus whips the naughty children with a switch, and takes the very bad away in his sack.” Although horns, cloven hooves and a long, devilish tongue sounds a bit intimidating, Strange Fellows has a handy way of diffusing tension with cold pours of their fine beer. This is a (they even say it on their website) family friendly event, so how freaky can it get?
Wed, Dec. 7 | 6-8pm | 1345 Clark Drive | DETAILS

EAT | Does cold weather have you wishing you’d gotten your act together to book that ticket to Mexico? Don’t dwell on what could have been; do the next best thing. Pretend! Score yourself a seat at the table of a visiting Mexican chef and let an inspired Mexican meal transport you. The Flavours of Mexico City dinner series sees three of Mexico City’s top chefs join forces with three fantastic local chefs to cook special dinners for three nights (giving the truly ambitious a chance to sample all three menus). Chef José Manuel Baños of Aguamiel will cook along side Chef Tret Jordan at Homer Street Cafe, Chef Mario Espinosa of La Encomienda Polanco will slip in to the tiny Kitchen at Burdock & Co. with Chef Andrea Carlson and Chef Gerardo Vázquez Lugo of Nicos sets up at Cacao in Kits with Chef Jefferson Alvarez. Menus are all sounding pretty tasty; have a read here. Reservations can be made at each of the host restaurants…
December 8,9,10 | Various locations + times | DETAILS
Cacao | 1898 W 1st Ave | 604-731-5370 | www.cacaovancouver.com
Burdock & Co | 2702 Main Street | 604-879-0077 | www.burdockandco.com
Homer St Cafe | 898 Homer Street | 604-428-4299 | homerstreetcafebar.com

SCORE | ‘Tis the season of pop-ups and craft fairs. Buy things from “radical humans making radical things” in your community! We suggest scoping out the awesomeness taking shape for the 731st Annual Holiday Sale at the 1654 Franklin Studios (that can’t be right) and load up on scents, salts and oils from Osmics; beautiful textiles and paper products by Banquet Workshop; large format calendars by New Look; jewelry and art by Dina Gonzalez Mascaro; Brine Adams pickles from Scout’s own Sean Orr; ceramics by Steven Brekelmans, Julia Chirka and Maggie Boyd; weaving by Sydney Hermant; jams and soaps from Alison Crysler; Robert Douglas Pedersen’s woodworking and clothing by Priory, Osei Duro, Glastnost and Mountain Girls Goods vintage. Oh, and fortune teller Cindy Mochizuki, DJ’s and a bar. That’s a fine Saturday night in the company of solid peeps. See you there.
Sat, Dec. 10 | 1-9.| 1654 Franklin Studios | DETAILS

MESSIAH | Handel’s Messiah takes the stage at the Orpheum this Friday night. The Vancouver Chamber Choir will perform with the Pacifica Singers and the Vancouver Chamber Orchestra (a lot of bodies are required to pull off the The Messiah). There isn’t too much more that you need to know about it other than it’s going to be awesome, in the truest sense of the word.
Fri, Dec. 9| 8pm | The Orpheum (601 Smithe St.) | $20 – $55 | DETAILS

GOT CRAFT | The good folks at Got Craft have once again assembled a top notch line up of artisans, designers and makers under one roof in order to deliver some great local and handmade quality with mall-style convenience. Got Craft goes down at The Pipe Shop Building in North Vancouver on Saturday and Sunday. You’ll be able to pick up everything from socks, cards and textiles to butter, caramels and candies. Perfect for gift giving, cupboard lining and self gifting! Take a look at the impressive vendor list here.
Sat, Dec. 11 + Sun, Dec. 12 | 10am-5pm | The Pipe Shop (115 Victory Ship Way) | $5 | DETAILS

KIDS BIRD COUNT | It’s the annual Christmas bird count this Saturday, and this year it’s all about kids! Recording bird numbers is a great way to teach an appreciation for the diversity of bird life in the Lower Mainland, and information gathered contributes to an official bird count that can broaden our understanding of trends in local habitat health, species patterns and overall environmental well-being. Kids taking part in this year’s count will get a crash course on the basics of bird identification and then will divide into groups to head into the forest for a 45-minute bird counting adventure before regrouping to share findings.
Sat, Dec. 10 | 10am-12pm | Lost Lagoon Nature House (foot of Alberni) | Free | DETAILS

CINEMA | The BBC released a poll this past summer in which 177 critics from around the world weighed in to attempt to rank the 100 greatest films of the 21st century (thus far). At the top of the list was David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive. If you haven’t seen it in a while, this weekend brings an opportunity on the big screen. Popcorn, a comfy chair and the best movie of the century? Sounds like a solid Saturday!
Sat, Dec. 10 | 8:10pm | The Cinematheque (1131 Howe St) | DETAILS

NUTCRACKER | There’s something about the onset of cold weather that fits so well with Russian classical music. Grab a seat at the Chan Centre this Sunday afternoon and embrace winter with a good dose of Tchaikovsky. This time it’s a little different than you’ve likely experienced it before as the performance is a collab between The Vancouver Pops and The 45th Ave Jazz Band. After each classical movement, the audience will hear jazz arrangements (Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn) of the same work. Sounds fascinating and festive!
Sun, Dec. 11 | 3pm | Chan Shun Concert Hall | $10 | DETAILS

POP UP | ‘Space’ is a collaborative workspace and local product showroom on the Eastside that is best described as a testing ground for new ideas, as well as somewhere designers can sell batch produced products and prototypes. Starting this weekend (running until December 21) Space opens it’s doors to the public to showcase some of their favourite local producers – think artwork, wood and leather goods, jewelry and ceramics. Space is a deliberately playful environment that wants people to ask questions and interact with products, head down and check it out. Also: Gourmet Warehouse, Off The Rail Brewery and Yolks are all within a block or two, make an afternoon of it.
Dec 9-21 | 8am-8pm | 552 Clark Dr. | DETAILS

SCIENCE | Hustle your way out to UBC this Sunday and hit UBC’s annual Physics & Astronomy fair. This year The Faraday Show is focused on the physics of sound and will involve special effects, music, and loads of science. Demonstrations and hands-on activities will be set up to answer questions like: “Can we actually see sound and vibrations? What do they look like? How do different instruments work, and how can we make music as loud as possible?” All important things to know, right? This event is free and a good time for kids and adults who like to learn cool stuff.
Sun, Dec. 11 | 2-3:3-pm | UBC Hebb Theatre (2045 East Mall on UBC campus) | Free | 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.