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 June 6 to June 12, 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.

COMMUNITY | “Strathcona’s Cutest Music Festival” takes over the Russian Hall this Friday night. Expect ten local bands providing hours of audio enjoyment, plus loads of local art, zines, comics and other handmade stuff, including tasty veggie eats to keep your tummy happy. The event is all ages with a 19+ bar. This looks like a great way to start your weekend with a smile, and not just because a quarter of the show revenues will go towards the Stop KM Legal Fund! Find out more.

TASTE | There’s a super cool Brew Your Own Bitters class going down in Stanley Park this Thursday. Bitter Truths is a workshop that introduces spirit and distilling enthusiasts to the processes of artisanal alcohol infusions using ethically sourced plants native to Stanley Park. There will be pre-harvested and pre-infused bitters for participants to sample and mix into their own custom creations. Learn about local plants, infusing techniques, flavour profiles and cocktail making. Bonus: you’ll take home your own creation and have the chance to buy bottled liquors as well. NB: This is obviously a 19+ gig. Find out more.

SACRED SKIN | Mimi Young, plant spirit medicine practitioner (and founder of Vancouver based shamanic skin care brand, Ceremonie), teams up with Nectar Juicery on Main Street this Thursday night to host a skincare workshop. From event organizers: “Your skin is a mirror of your inner world – physiologically, emotionally, and spiritually. By extension, the kind of relationship you have with your skin is an indication of how you relate with yourself as a whole.” Participants will do some face mapping, learn how to nourish their unique skin needs with plant medicine, walk through some practical beauty rituals, and discover how lunar cycles can impact skin care. This workshop runs 7-10pm and the cost is $60. Find out more.

ART | The Vancouver Art Gallery has a new exhibition opening this week. Timed perfectly to coincide with summer vacation season, Cabin Fever traces the tradition of the cabin in North America: From the functional one-room pioneer variety to the Pinterest worthy pin-ups. Head into the gallery to take in drawings, paintings, photographs and models celebrating the getaway abodes we equate with seclusion and nature. Cabin Fever opens June 9 and runs through to September 30th. Find out more.

GET STICKY |  Sign up for the 2nd annual ‘True RICE Dumpling NOSH Down!’ and get your hands sticky making and eating these snacks with your fellow dumpling enthusiasts in Olympic Village this Sunday. All of the ingredients for making and dipping three rice dumplings are included in the cost of the workshop. The event is BYOB so if you want something to wash ’em down with then you might find it handy that 33 Acres is a block away. For those brave and/or talented enough to put the aesthetic quality of their creations to competition, there will also be a “Beauty Pageant” for six lucky dumplings. Find out more.

GIG | Calexico just put out their ninth studio album and it’s supposed to be a real gritty departure for the decades old band, sound-wise and conceptually. The Thread That Keeps Us was recorded in a converted house made from debris and salvaged wood from a shipyard on the North Cali coast, which the band dubbed “The Phantom Ship.” Unsurprisingly, this awesome studio environment made an impression on their sound. You can hear it for yourself when the duo play the Rickshaw on Friday night. Get your tickets here.

WANDER | Italian Day takes over The Drive this Sunday, and so what if a little drizzle is expected? Commercial Drive will be closed to traffic from Venables to Grandview to allow pedestrians to bounce safely between barbecue stations, gelato booths, patios and live music performances, and that always makes for good times. Add to all of that more than a few options for a good cup of coffee, a display of classic cars, and the occasional impromptu bocce game and you have a solidly inspired Sunday. Remember to leave the car at home, Italian Day is expected to attract more than 200,000 visitors and driving hereabouts will be impossible. Find out more.

PLANTS | Hit VanDusen Gardens for the Cactus Show & Sale this weekend and score yourself a selection of their rare and unusual cacti to spice things up at home. This show and sale is hosted by The Desert Plant Society of Vancouver in the Floral Hall, from June 9 & 10th starting at 10am (until 4pm). Admission by donation. Find out more.

MUSIC WASTE | Refreshingly punk and perpetually defiant, Vancouver’s oldest independent, non-profit music + art festival goes down this weekend. This year’s line-up could keep anyone solidly busy from Thursday afternoon straight through to Sunday night with short breaks for food and sleep. A series of comedy gigs and art exhibits compliment the main event. The gigs and happenings are so numerous and so good that it’s pointless to try to narrow them down. Skip over to the Waste website for a look at the schedule and to customize your own must-see shortlist. Passes for the four-day festival are only $20. Find out more.

GO LOCO AT NADA | Next Tuesday is your chance to give a warm welcome to NADA and learn more about the Fraserhood’s brand-spanking-new green grocery store while enjoying a laid back evening of mingling, snacking and drinking with your peers. The cost of the ticket goes towards LOCO, an association working to promote and support local businesses, and who is also facilitating the evening. Sounds like a nifty way to spend a Tuesday! Find out more.