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 September 12 to September 18, 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.

GIG | Kick off your weekend a little early at the Vogue Theatre as Cigarettes After Sex play with Laye as one of the first Westward Music Festival events. It’s gonna be a good show! I can’t believe there are tickets still available ($35), so jump on the Westward website (here) for tickets to this and a whole whack of other fine gigs. Find out more.

[UN]NATURAL ART | For a dose of art that hits close to home while also tickling your funny bone, head down to Gallery Jones this Thursday for the opening reception of “Hinterlands”, the new exhibition by Canadian art collective The Groundhogs (up until October 6th). The four artists involved – Anne Ashton, Randall Finnerty, Paul Morstad, Craig Welch – represent a range of mediums from watercolour painting to installation. For this show the collective has tackled a familiar topic: the relationship between our natural environment and human development – with equal parts humour and seriousness- including illustrations of animals in peculiar scenarios and mobile-like structures made of bones and other natural bits. Find out more.

ART LABYRINTH | Following the recent announcement that after 18 years the DTES art crawl SWARM would be cancelled, the people at ACME Studios have organized a cool new event to help fill the void. For one night only this Friday, ACME will be opening its doors to the public so that we can roam their maze-like set-up, check out a bunch of art and peek in at the studios of over 20 local artists that work out of the space. Neighbouring Gam and Remington galleries will also be open for the event with their own special exhibitions, plus three rooms of DJs and a cash bar to keep the party going. Find out more.

BIG GIG | This weekend is packed with live music options, thanks to Westward Fest’s rad bill of artists, but don’t let it overshadow Leon Bridge’s performance at the PNE Amphitheatre on Sunday. When Bridge’s sophomore album, Good Thing, dropped this May it was impossible to avoid, and with good reason: catchy retro pop songs like “Bad Bad News” and “If It Feels Good (Then It Must Be)” provided the perfect soundtrack to worry-free summer attitudes, while tunes like “Bet Ain’t Worth the Hand” and “Mrs.” have an honesty and soulfulness that could render even the most hardened personalities into emotional mush. Tap into some summertime nostalgia by snagging your tickets here. This show is guaranteed to be a groovy good time!

ALLEY ACTIVATION | This city can be a little on the stiff side, so when a bunch of people join forces to transform a dreary, garbage-littered laneway to a outdoor dance party (complete with funky dance floor and licensed bar), it’s important to show up and celebrate. Such an opportunity presents itself this Saturday. Head to the alley between Granville and Seymour (at Smithe) between 1-8pm and join in Public Disco. It’s a free, community-oriented soirée in Ackery’s Alley. In addition to dancing, there will be music (which helps) as well as a hoop zone, ping pong tables, lounge space, bar and something called a ‘sparkle station’. Everyone is welcome and thus, everyone should attend. Find out more.

RUN | There’s a 10K run going on in East Van on Saturday (8:30am-1pm-ish). The motto of the run: “In the Eastside, with the Eastside and for the Eastside”. It travels through Gastown, Chinatown and East Van to raise money for a number of charities including the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre, The Greater Vancouver Food Bank and The Portland Hotel Society. There is still time to register for the run, but even if you aren’t running there’s always room to get out there and show your support by cheering runners on from the sidelines. What you shouldn’t do is try to drive anywhere that requires Powell Street all the way up to Nanaimo on Saturday morning, because duh. Find out more.

FERMENT FEST | From kombucha and kraut to cheese and chocolate – fermented foods are not only tasty but also fantastically healthy. Hit Ferment Fest in North Van this Sunday and bring yourself up to speed on some of the techniques, ingredients and products that Vancouverites are using to explore the fermentation process. Talk to makers, ask questions, taste all the things and get into the movement. Expect vendor tables, samples and lots of fermented enthusiasm! Find out more.

SCORE | Love cooking? Interested in building up your bank of kitchen tools or looking to score a hard to find piece of professional grade equipment? Hit the parking lot behind the Lazy Gourmet (5th and Fir) this Sunday and check out the Culinary Garage Sale. Expect cookbooks, cool kitchen gadgets, gently used cooking and baking equipment, table wear, and other treats and know that funds raised will go toward educational scholarships and outreach programs via Les Dames d’Escoffier. Find out more.

BEER | Looking for an excuse to pack up and head out of town for the weekend? Whistler is holding a beer festival, which is as fine a reason as one could possibly need. Think four days, 60 breweries and a kegful of beer-centric events (talks, tours, tastings and dinners). There are still tickets available to the weekend’s main outdoor tastings. We went last year and can vouch for the venue and vibe; it’s pretty great to wander around in the fresh mountain air tasting great beer and talking to the people who make it. There are also lots of fantastic events and ancillary attractions to check out. Now through Sept 16 | Various times, locations and prices.  Find out more.

GEEK OUT | There are a few organizations in the city that create events to explore the intersection of science and art. Et Al III: The Ultimate Bar Science Night is nearly all of them coming together. Check this out: “Curiosity Collider helps create new ways to experience science through interdisciplinary collaborations that capture human curiosity. Science Slam is a competition that puts science communication skills to the test, as scientists take the stage to share their science in creative ways. Nerd Nite’s informal talks delve into the nerdy knowledge behind arts and sciences.” What happens when all of these science lovers get together in one place at one time? Hit the Rio Theatre on Tuesday night to find out. Have a drink, make a few friends and be science-entertained!