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. You can also check it out in the Globe & Mail, from our calendar to theirs…and yours!

SCORE | Outfit yourself with a solid assortment of Autumn reads at the Friends of The Vancouver Public Library book sale this weekend. Thousands of discarded and gently used books go on sale starting Thursday – all of them going for less than $2.50 each. Pro tip: Saturday sees all books drop to half price. Half of less than $2.50 is pretty darn cheap for words and ideas that you can read and store in your brain, wouldn’t you say?
Thu, Sept 17 – Sat, Sept 19 | 10am–5pm | VPL, Main Branch (350 Georgia St) | Free | DETAILS

ART | Make your way to Kimoto Gallery this Friday for the opening night of Light and Colour, an exhibition of new works by local artist David Wilson. Expect everything from night streets and cars in traffic to beaches, umbrellas and buildings – all conveying quiet stories of relationships between people, structures, and the places they inhabit. If you can’t make it to the opening reception on Friday, this show runs through to October 10th and is conveniently located next door to both Farmer’s Apprentice and Grapes & Soda.
Fri, Sept 18 | 6–9pm | Kimoto Gallery (1525 West 6th) | DETAILS

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, 80 breweries (local and international), and a kegful of beer-centric events (seminars, talks, tastings and dinners). The core attraction is the Main Tasting Event, which takes place outdoors at Whistler Olympic Plaza over two days: Saturday, September 19th and Sunday, September 20. Attendees can sample suds from some of the best breweries in British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest, plus – new this year – a selection of cool, refreshing ciders.
Sept 16-20 | Various times, locations and prices | DETAILS

MUSIC | Hop the ferry and cross the Strait because Rifflandia spreads across Victoria this weekend and it’s gonna be good times. This year, the three day music festival includes performances by Modest Mouse, Mother Mother, Chromeo and The Arkells, plus a hefty number of smaller gigs such as Chad Van Gaalen, Plants and Animals, and Vancouver’s own Gay Nineties. A weekend away with good music and good vibes is a fine way to head in to the first official week of Fall!
Sept. 17-20 | Various times and locations in Victoria | DETAILS

DANGER | Foraging is fun, but knowing the difference between tasty and treacherous is imperative. Get yourself to VanDusen Botanical Gardens this weekend and get schooled on the litany of plants that could mean the difference between a healthy, happy salad and a trip to the emergency room. “Poisonous Plants in the Garden” is a two and a half hour workshop that will educate participants on some of the world’s most nasty plants via cautionary tales of tragic plant-based accidents and murders as well as an informative tour around the garden to see some of these little devils with your own eyes. This workshop will be conducted both inside and outside the garden, so dress appropriately.
Sep 19 | 10 am–12:30 pm | VanDusen Botanical Garden (5251 Oak St.) | $35 | DETAILS

HOUSING | Concerned about the cost of putting a roof over your head in Vancouver these days? You aren’t alone. Are there alternatives, solutions, fixes, or changes that we could learn from? You bet. Hit the Dutch Urban Design Centre (1445 West Georgia Street) this Thursday night for Vancouver vs Stockholm Housing Models, a discussion that compares and contrasts the two locations’ predominant housing designs and markets. Presented by two experts in the sensible housing and development universe (it’s a small universe), Michael Geller and Wilco van Bemmel, this event includes a video and a discussion.
Thu, Sep 17 | 5:30-7:30pm | Dutch Urban Design Centre (1445 West Georgia St.) |$12 | DETAILS

CONNECT | Head to the farm this Saturday night when sixteen home cooks – each from different ethnic backgrounds – gather to offer their family comfort foods at the annual ‘Joy of Feeding’ UBC Farm fundraiser. The countries, cultures, and ethnicities represented at this year’s event are: Peru, Ecuador, Greece, Potowotami First Nations, Macau, Italy, Netherlands, Tibet, Quebec, Japan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Ukraine, India, Rwanda and Iran. Wander the farm grounds, taste authentic ethnic cuisines, and support a kickass urban-meets-rural icon all at once. Children 12 and under are free. This is a rain or shine event, and we’ll see you there.
Sat, Sept 19 | 5-8pm | UBC Farm, 3461 Ross Dr. | $50 (includes recipe book) Kids 13/under free | DETAILS

LITERATURE | CBC’s Margaret Gallagher sits down with author Lawrence Hill to talk about the process of taking his critically acclaimed novel, The Book of Negroes, from page to screen (the best-seller was made in to a six part miniseries by the CBC last year). Expect details about the various creative and technical challenges as well as “how mixed race origins lead to an inspired creative career exploring issues of identity and belonging.”
Thu, Sep 17 | 7pm | SFU’s Goldcorp Centre for the Arts | $17 | DETAILS 

POP UP | Hit Fortune Sound Club on Sunday for Chinatown Mall – a one day only pop-up market focused on streetwear. Score sneakers, apparel, novelties, and accessories. The intention of Chinatown Mall is to provide an unconventional and intimate platform for Vancouverites to check out emerging local designers and brands. Expect close to 30 curated vendors as well as some tasty hand-held foods, some cool art, and a darn good sound system.
Sun, Sept 20 | 1-9pm | Fortune Night Club (147 E Pender) | $2 | DETAILS

PITCH IN | Get involved with The Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup. Get your grubby jeans and gumboots on and head down to your favourite bit of shoreline (be it river, ocean, estuary or stream) to pick up a few bits and pieces that shouldn’t be there. Bottlecaps, cigarette buts, plastic bags, bottles, rusting pipes, – if it isn’t a rock, shell, piece of seaweed or driftwood, chances are good that it doesn’t belong. For an organized event, hit beautiful Iona Beach on Saturday between 10am and 1pm. T-shirts, gloves, garbage bags and pickers will be provided to volunteers on-site, and participants will be treated to a free lunch by Earls. Roll up your sleeves and show Mother Nature that you care!
Sept. 19  at Iona Beach and everywhere water meeta lands | Free and extra karma points | 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.