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 October 30 to November 5, 2019. Note that you can also 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.

SPIRIT |  The Rio has a line-up of Halloween-themed films guaranteed to kick your Halloween spirit in to gear. Beetlejuice screens at 4pm (it’ll be over just in time for you to do some trick-or-treating); What We Do in the Shadows kicks off at 6:15pm (if you’re the type that likes to avoid trick-or-treater’s, this one is timed perfectly for you); The Exorcist (Director’s Cut) begins at 8:30 pm; and because you won’t want to go home to bed fresh off of watching that priest scene, you can stick around for the The Rocky Horror Picture Show (starting at 11:55 pm).

COMMUNITY | Searching for somewhere to show off your costume? Tickets to Ubuntu Canteen’s Dark Dark Night Halloween Party are $25 and that includes snacks and a ‘naturally creepy’ cocktail. Be brave, because there will be ghost stories. Festivities begin at 8pm — all witches, satan worshippers and friends are invited! Tickets here. Find out more.

DARKNESS | Not to bum you out, but clocks go back on Saturday night at 2am, which means on Sunday when you look out the window into the darkness and think to yourself, “I guess I should start thinking about what to make for dinner”, you’ll then check the time to discover it’s only 4:47 and you will feel sad. Sorry. It’s true. More bummer info here.

LIGHT | Not emotionally prepared to face that lost hour of light? There’s one exceptionally bright event that might (temporarily) help distract you from the always-too-soon reality of winter’s darker days. The Lumiere festival is a celebration of light and art that will pop-up in four locations around the city this week. Expect light sculptures, performances, installations and even a licensed 3-day public disco block party in the Davie Village. Why feel down when you can get down instead? Various times and places. Find out more.

PARADE | Every year around this time a shadowy procession of characters meanders through the streets of East Van for the Parade of Lost Souls. Inspired by Day of the Dead celebrations, this community-driven Dusty Flower Pot-fueled parade encourages participants to join the procession in costume, remember friends and family members who have departed, and celebrate life as you move through dark streets enjoying pop-up performances, live music, secret dance parties and art installations. This year there is a marine theme, so in addition to skeletons we can also expect to see dead pirates, ghostly mermaids, and a variety of sea creatures. The parade begins at the Britannia Library / Community Centre. Find out everything you need to know here.

LEARN | Head out to UBC and hit the the Beaty Biodiversity Museum for their Way Cool Biodiversity series and a lecture on what makes Baker’s Yeast so cool. From the Museum: “Yeast are humans’ oldest domesticated microorganism, and for thousands of years we have used them to produce many useful, and often delicious, products. But did you know yeast do more than just make your bread rise? As yeast grow … [they] produce a huge variety of aromatic compounds. Some of these aromatics are fruity, and can also be found in apples, bananas, and berries. Other compounds may smell like cloves, herbs, or vegetables. And they can also make weird smells that you’d never associate with baking or brewing: from nail polish, to baby vomit, even the buttery smell of microwavable popcorn! Balancing all of these flavours is critical, and learning more about how and why yeast make them will help us breed better yeast strains for the breads and beers of tomorrow.” Cool, right? Grab a kid or two and make your way to the museum to hear Dr. Karissa Milbury dish on stinky yeasts! Find out more.

DESIGN | Some of most talented designers in the city are coming together this Saturday night at the Museum of Vancouver to talk about what it is that inspires them. From MOV: “Why I Design spotlights the process of invention and immersion. This year’s Why I Design pays particular attention to the emerging forces behind a Circular Economy, which include elements of wholeness, inclusion, knowledge, connection, and community in addition to reconciliation and decolonization as a regional factor. The curation of this year’s exhibition reaches beyond traditional design to include people who are making design happen by bringing together people, systems, and materials which are striving to develop meaningful impact within their communities.” This is not an art display or trade show. Designers will be stationed throughout the museum’s galleries and attendees are encouraged to float between stations asking questions. Grab tickets here. Be amazed as you behold the awesomeness of the creative process! Bonus: cash bar. Find out more.

LICK | If you like to eat ice cream year round, but find yourself worried you might be judged for obsessing out of season, we have some good news: Starting November 1st, the good folks at Rain Or Shine Ice Cream are releasing a bunch of limited-edition flavours designed by the imaginative kids of the Writers’ Exchange (a cool organisation that helps inner-city kids get excited about reading, writing and their own potential). What do kid-brains come up with when they are given license to create ice cream? How about Fizzy Cola; “Area 51” (an eerie green-apple ice cream swirled with spooky charcoal caramel and topped with out-of-this-world star candies); Vegan HOT Chocolate (spicy scotch bonnet pepper reduction buried in a sweet coconut chocolate); Nice Dream (London Fog with rich caramel ribbons) and I <3 You (strawberries with chocolate cookie chunks). Not only can you use this series of flavours as an excuse to eat ice cream all November long, but Rain or Shine will donate 25% of the purchase of each pint to The Writers’ Exchange. Tell your friends you’re doing it for the kids! Keep an eye on the Rain or Shine FB page (here) for all the details. Find out more about the superheroes at The Writer’s Exchange here.

PITCH IN | We try to be careful, but these nights of festivities are dark, and sometimes candy package litter, lost pieces of costume and firecracker detritus find their way to the ground unnoticed. If there was ever a weekend that a neighborhood clean-up party was in order, it’s got to be this one. Go solo with a fast fifteen minute good samaritan lap around your own block, or join in the Hastings Sunrise Neighbourhood clean-up effort.”Removing litter not only makes the neighbourhood cleaner, it also makes it safer. Research has shown that systematic removal of garbage can greatly reduce crime, vandalism and mischief.” I don’t know about the mischief reduction, but overall this sounds like a sound argument for rolling up your sleeves to pitch in. Volunteers are asked to meet up at 2620 East Hastings at 10 am. Tongs, gloves and bags will be supplied. Find out more.

EAT LOCAL | It’s true, the Summer Farmers Market season is over. No need to fret, though; it’s not like you have to push through the next seven months without your weekly grounding visit with local farmers and their tasty food! The bravest of local producers gather their goods at Winter Farmers Markets to keep us well fed through the colder months. There are two markets to choose from this weekend. Head to the Riley Park on Saturday  (there are over 100 farm and producer booths this year!) or skip over to the PNE on Sunday and load up on all your fruits and veggie needs as well as fresh bread, honey, dried fruits and scores of other goodies.