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 August 23 to August 29, 2017. Please note that you can now get the Scout List – with a few extra pieces of intel included – sent to your inbox every Thursday. Sign up for your subscription in the sidebar.

B33R | 33 Acres turns 4 this week! Hit the alley behind the brewery on Thursday to celebrate with the crew. “Music will be played, new beers will be released (barrel aged), old beers will be reminisced about, and several of our local food friends will be there.” This is going to be a fun gathering of good people and you are invited. Get in on it. Shake a few hands, pat a few backs! Thu, Aug. 24 | 5pm until late | 14 West 7th Avenue (in the alley) | DETAILS

CE SOIR NOIR | If you’re looking for an alternative to Diner en Blanc (we really hope you are), consider throwing on your favourite black t-shirt and hitting Crab Park in East Van for Ce Soir Noir – a free public picnic for the counter culture crowd. Yes, the annual picnic of darknessness is back in black and this year, they event went as mainstream as to pick up a permit. As event organizers point out: “This is not just a picnic; this is a picnic based art installation. If you show up, you are part of the art project and we ask that you surrender to it. So; be analogous to art. Every conversation, every time you swish thatt hott butt – it is performance. Be you Modernist, Minimalist, Net-Artish, Fluxus-y, or that weekend warrior artist from Dunbar that paints crappy nasturtiums that you couldn’t even give away; you are art, or will simply become it with little to no effort.” So there’s that. Welcome to the second eclipse of August, gang. See you on the beach! Thu, Aug. 24 | 5pm till 10pm | Crab Park | Free (but bring a kid friendly non-perishable to donate) | DETAILS

CITY | Hook up with the knowledgeable Heritage Vancouver team to take a “Canada’s Top 10 Endangered Places” tour through Chinatown this weekend and bring yourself up to speed on issues facing this culturally significant neighbourhood at a time when the foundation of its character and history are increasingly at risk. Learn about the background of the planning in the area as well as “…the need for additional perspectives in Chinatown planning, what a Historic Urban Landscape is and how it relates to these additional perspectives.” Participants will also learn about efforts underway that aim to capture neighbourhood values and what aspects of intangible cultural heritage contribute to the richness of the Urban Landscape. This tour will begin in the courtyard of the Chinese Cultural Centre.  Sat, Aug 26 | 2-4 pm | Chinese Cultural Centre Museum & Archives (555 Columbia) | $10-45 sliding scale | DETAILS

FORAGE | From fiddleheads and lemonbalm to blackberries and mushrooms, there are plants growing all around Vancouver that are absolutely safe to gather and eat. Take a crash course on these wild edibles this Saturday on UBC Farm wander with wildcraft guide and chef Robin Kort. Not only will Chef Robin share her knowledge of what’s safe to pick and when it’s best to pick it, but she’ll also fill you in on the best ways to prepare what you forage. Sat, Aug. 26 | 11-1pm | UBC Farm | $44 | DETAILS

POP-UP | Not into hanging around at home to make yourself breakfast but also not sure if you want an all-out brunch situation? How about some toast? Not dried out in your toaster at home toast, but next level toast. Think toast smothered in nut butter and topped with bananas and honey. Toast with peanut butter, coconut bits, chia seeds and raisins. Savoury toasts. Avo toasts. All the toasts! Where can all of these toast options exist together along side some good hot mugs of Panoramic Roasters coffee? The Toast Pop-Up! Hustle your way over to 1875 Powell St. and check it out: 2 days only.  Aug. 26 + 27 | 10-2 | 1875 Powell St. | DETAILS

LEARN | Is your favourite pair of jeans suffering from too many holes? Best ever button-down ripped? Don’t despair, fix that business with some cool Japanese mending technique that will make your beloved textiles stronger and cooler. Sign up for a Sashiko workshop and learn about Hitomezashi Sashiko (“one-stitch” style) as a form of functional embroidery. Here’s the drill: “Students will learn pattern application and proper stitching technique by customizing their own tote-bags. These skills will then be used to repair or renew a garment brought from home.” The cost of the relaxed four hour workshop includes supplies, instruction, pie and coffee. As even organizers explain: “You’ll leave this workshop with the knowledge and materials you need to start your personal mending journey.“ A Sunday well spent!
Sun, Aug. 27 | 1pm to 5pm | 1875 Powell St. | $95 | DETAILS

ALLEY ACTIVATION | Using a clever concoction of wooden pallets, upcycled furniture and flea market finds, the good and imaginative peeps from Vancouver Public Space Network are gearing up to transform another Vancouver laneway into an outdoor living room; this time the crew is tackling the diagonal alleyway connecting Cambie and Cordova Streets. From event organizers: “Laneways take up a significant amount of land in Vancouver, and yet only a handful of these spaces are welcoming for people. Recently, the City has taken an interest in turning laneways into places for people, most notably with Alley Oop, a richly coloured lane off Granville Street. But with hundreds of kilometers of laneways in Vancouver alone, much more can be done.” Stop in at the alleyway on Saturday for a casual BBQ hangout including grilled food, lawn games, music, and pink flamingos. Better than what you’d typically find in a Gastown alleyway, that’s for sure!  Sat, Aug. 26 | 12pm – 9pm | 401 West Cordova (laneway between Cordova and Cambie – enter off Cordova) | DETAILS

TOMATOES | These warm August days are producing some outstanding tomatoes so take full advantage and gobble them up while you can. Pick up tomatoes at the farmers market and do some home canning (it’s hot work right now, but you will thank yourself in the winter when you have the jars of summer goodness close at hand in your pantry). If immediate gratification is more your speed, check out the Sunday Supper Series at La Pentola in Yaletown; this week’s family-style dinner has a tomato theme and the menu reads deliciously with items such as tomato tart béchamel, peach and heirloom gazpacho, tortellini stuffed with buffalo mozzarella and heirloom tomato, and much more. Tickets are selling fast on this one! In a jar, on a plate or in the hand, tomatoes are awesome right now, so don’t miss out!
Sun, Aug. 27 | 6pm | La Pentola 350 Davie Street | DETAILS

NATURE | A stroll around Stanley Park is a good place to gain some perspective and feel like you’ve connected with nature without having to leave public transit zones. As an ‘island of forest on the edge of a city, surrounded by ocean, and isolated from other woods’ this precious piece of land offers animals and people alike sanctuary from parking lots and pavement. Hit the park this Saturday afternoon for a walkabout with the experts from the Stanle Park Ecology Society and learn about the various animal habitats in the park. “From nest cavities in a trunk to burrows underground, thousands of animals call this unique park their home.”  Sat, Aug. 26 | 2-4pm | Lost Lagoon Nature House, west foot of Alberni in Stanley Park | $12.50 | DETAILS

GIG | Close out the weekend with a little musical madness. Die Antwoord plays Thunderbird Arena on Sunday night and it’s gonna be good!
Sun, Aug. 27 | doors 7 pm, show 8 pm | Thunderbird Arena (6066 Thunderbird Blvd, UBC) | DETAILS