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 May 2 to May 8, 2018. 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.

BIG TICKET RAP GIG | The Top Dawg Entertainment Championship Tour kicks off Friday at Rogers Arena. To date, the show’s roster consists of the majority of TDE signees – most recognizably, the freshly Pulitzer Prize-winning Kendrick Lamar and the label’s first/only female R&B act, SZA; plus Schoolboy Q, Jay Rock, Ab-Soul, SiR and Lance Skiiiwalker. If you can afford the hefty resale price tag, this show seems like a safe bet, especially once you divide the ticket cost by at least seven acts. Find out more.

SMALL TICKET RAP GIG | On the opposite end of the live music spectrum, Chicago rapper Saba is winding down his North American ‘Care for Me’ tour with one of his final stops at Fortune on Monday. The tour is in support of his first proper LP release of the same name, which has gotten consistently stellar reviews across the musical blogosphere. Sure, there are a few factors working against this show – unless you’re already familiar with Saba’s mixtapes and features, this Monday night slot is probably not on your radar. However, it’s also more than likely one of those rare, intimate and low-budget gigs for artists on the cusp that, while it may cost you an early week hangover, won’t have the long-term effects of a remorse hangover. Music lovers: you know what I’m talking about. Find out more.

BUY LOCAL | Make your way over to the Maritime Labour Centre this weekend to check out the supercool handmade wares of over 75 independent artists. Expect everything from locally crafted ceramics, jewellery, clothing and accessories to caramels, salts, oils and bitters. Set aside a piece of your weekend to explore what your neighbours are busy creating. Find out more.

LAST CHANCE |  If you were waiting until crowds died down before you stuck your head in to the Vancouver Art Gallery to check out Takashi Murakami: The Octopus Eats Its Own Leg, you’ll want to reevaluate. Crowds aren’t likely to lighten up and the show ends this Sunday (May 6). The first major retrospective of Murakami’s paintings to be shown in Canada, this impressive collection of more than 50 paintings and sculptures spans three decades and includes everything from canvasses from the 1980s to new, never-before-seen work – all of it bright and fun and busy. As the exhibition has been so popular (over 116,000 visitors have passed through the gallery since the show opened in February) the VAG will have special hours (10am-9pm) all week. Get in there and see some art!

WATCH | DOXA is on, and with over 93 documentaries on the roster this year, there’s plenty to keep you entertained and informed, plus there’s also the opportunity to dig a little deeper with panel discussions, talks and informal after-film discussions. This year there are two “Spotlight” programs: “Press Play” and “Quietude” respectively explore the revolutionary power of music, and the subtle strength of silence and close observation. Also of interest, the screening of Letter from Masanjia (the powerful documentary about an SOS note sent from China’s most notorious labour camp that was found by a mom in Oregon). Check out the full line-up here.

SCORE | There’s a kickass sale going down at Franklin Street Studios this weekend. Hustle down to the eastside portal to awesomeness and load up on beautiful and handmade textiles, jewelry, clothing, Sweet Boy Cream Puffs and a selection of pleasing items made by ceramics superstar (and all around rad human) Maggie Boyd. If you’ve got a mom, this is exactly the kind of place she’d want you to be shopping for her. This will be a fine Saturday in the company of some solid people. See you there!

ART | The annual Degree Exhibition at Emily Carr opens this week. A group show of a magnitude rarely encountered, this is really worth a visit AND this is the first time The Show will find its way to the walls of the new ECUAD campus. Hit opening night on Saturday, May 5 (5-9) or head down during the day – grab coffee and wander the galleries, hallways, foyers and classrooms of the campus to take in upwards of 300 works by the talented graduating students. Find out more.

FINALLY | Trout Lake and Kitsilano Farmers Markets open this weekend, and if that isn’t a sure sign of the coming of summer, I don’t know what is! Stock up on goodies like local salad greens and stinging nettles, fresh vegetables and herbs. There will also be artisan breads, preserves, honey, wild salmon, cookies, pies, flowers and even a food truck or two to keep you busy. Welcome back, farmers! We’ve missed you! Find out more here.

DESIGN | Vol.45 of PechaKucha Vancouver hits The Vogue on Tuesday night as part of the third annual Vancouver Design Week. The line-up looks pretty typical of the event, which is to say like an eclectic and exciting roster of some of the city’s most original and creative thinkers. The 11 confirmed participators (speaking on the VDW’s theme of IMPACT) include a chef, a philanthropist and a dance company artistic director, plus a bunch of the best people across Vancouver’s design community. Bonus: Architect Marianne Amodio (whose Chinatown studio is designing the new Hollywood Theatre and Residences) and businesswoman Caroline Boquist (owner of one of our favourite Vancouver interiors shops, Walrus) will be adding their awesome intelligence and creativity to the room as hosts of the event. Somehow there are till a few tickets to be had, so scoop one for yourself by clicking here.

GET AWAY / HEADS-UP | Time to start planning those spring/summer getaways. Next weekend jump on the ferry and make for Galiano Island. Why? How about this: five fantastic chefs are set to cook up a weekend to remember with a very special 15 year anniversary pary at Bodega Ridge. Picture it: days of beach combing and forest hikes finished with collaborative cooking efforts of Elmark Andres (Dirty Apron Cooking School); Haidee Hart (Stowel Lake Farm); Alex Ploughman (Joey’s); Deniz Tarakcioglu (Bodega Ridge) and Joel Watanabe (Kissa Tanto/Bao Bei). It sounds like heaven to us. Expect hyper-local ingredients to appear in dishes conveying a delicious sense of place as well as bonfires, music and ample booze – all low key, Island style. There are only a limited number of tickets/rooms available, so get on it fast! Find out more.