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. Note that you can now get the Scout List straight to your inbox by signing up for your subscription here.

CULTURE | The Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre in Burnaby is holding its annual spring festival, O-Hanami, this Saturday, April 1st. Hustle out to Burnaby to experience music, dance, arts and crafts, kimono dressing, cherry blossom viewing, a traditional tea ceremony, and even a samurai sword fighting show performed by Japanese actors. You can also expect to find an abundance of food options from mochi and baking, to ramen, crepes, sushi and takoyaki. Find out more.

OPENING | The Capture Photography Festival kicks off this week. In addition to showcasing all manner of ‘lens-based art’ created by emerging and established artists from here and around the world, Capture 2023 also offers a series of tours and talks. With so many shows and events happening, we suggest you devise a personalized plan. Customize your festival itinerary by clicking “My Itinerary” on the lower left side of the screen on the Capture website here. Be sure to check out Here and Now at the Pendulum Gallery (details about that here). Find out more.

CLOSING | Our buddies, Ubuntu Canteen, are closing. They were really special to us, and if you’ve ever been there, were probably also very special to you too. Ubuntu’s last service will be held on Sunday, April 16th. In the meantime, pay them a visit, grab some bread, and savour it. There will likely be quite a few likeminded diners hoping to squeeze in one last dinner at the cherished neighbourhood (and industry) haunt, so if you plan to go at night (daytime services operate on a first come/first served basis) it’s a good idea to lock things in with a reservation. Bring someone you love, or arrive alone – chances are you’ll come across some friendly faces inside. That’s what Ubuntu has always been about. To the team: All the love, you guys! It was a good run and you are deeply appreciated for everything you brought to the city.

COOK | Local cook, pasta aficionado, actor and personality, Peter Ciuffa (aka “Pasta Boy Peter“), is teaching one of his Italian cooking classes at the Kitsilano Community Centre this weekend. If learning how to make authentic Italian dishes as convincingly as an “Italian Mamma” sounds like something you’re into, then you’ll definitely want to join this hands-on Roman Pizza making workshop. The 3.25-hour-long session will bring you up to speed on how to make a classic Margherita, as well as a second seasonal pizza, and you’ll even leave with enough dough to make your own pizza at home! The cost ($100 per person) includes all of the ingredients, the finished product, and an impressive skillset, to boot. A fair deal. Find out more.

REFLECT | SFU’s School for the Contemporary Arts‘ (SCA) third-year Visual Art students are holding their annual exhibition at SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts’ Audain Gallery this week. In collaboration with Audain Visual Artist in Residence, Kota Ezawa, I’ll Be Your Mirror “explores the generative and long-lasting relationship of art to mirrors through engaging with ideas of reflection, refraction, reenactment, repetition, echoes…” Before you get sidetracked fixing your hair, note that no actual mirrors are included in the show. Instead of your own reflection, expect to encounter paintings, drawings, video installations, textile works and sculptures from emerging artists. I’ll Be Your Mirror, is about works that “confront, replace, and represent the role of reflection in the relationship of the real and the virtual, the copy and original, and the seen and unseen”. In addition to an opening night reception (Wednesday, March 29th, 6-8pm), there will be student-led tours (Friday, March 31st and Tuesday, April 4th, at 2pm), a workshop (Saturday, April 1st), and an ‘Open Critique’ with Or Gallery Director and Curator, Jenn Jackson (Thursday, April 6th). The student exhibition runs until Saturday, April 8th, 2023. Find out more.

GIG |  China Cloud Studios is the place to be on Friday night. Hit the Main Street venue for a double headliner of local talent: CAST and Troll Dolly. CAST (formed by guitarist and vocalist, Jessica Leger, and Ben Brown, whose percussion dominantly carries the rhythm of their unique sound) is in the lead-up to releasing a new album, so we’re hoping for a teaser or two. Next up: Troll Dolly, an experimental folk project from percussionist, Jen Yakamovich. Troll Dolly’s debut EP, Heaven’s Mini Mart is a brilliantly euphonic journey of seven cohesive yet diverse tracks. The acoustics are gentle, synth progressions are soft, baselines are tender, and lyrics are poetic. The two should be a really nice mix. Also, the China Cloud rules! There are a couple of couches to hang out on, some chairs straight from your high school, and a cash bar (so bring cash). Tickets for the gig will run you 15-ish bucks. Grab those here.

SHROOMS | American speaker, author, mycologist, medical researcher and entrepreneur, Paul Stamets, is in town this week to talk about ‘How Psilocybin Mushrooms Can Help Save The World’. Hustle down to the Vancouver Convention Centre for Stamets’ lecture (informative for both laypeople and professionals) to catch Stamets speaking on psilocybin mushrooms, neurogenesis, and what micro-dosing and supplement stacking are all about, as well as some of the potential risks and safety issues related to psilocybin. From event organizers: “Please come prepared to have your neurons nourished with information on this exciting, potentially paradigm-shifting medicine to help improve the ecology of consciousness, and for us all to become better Earth Citizens. Indeed, and surprisingly, our collective future may well depend upon psilocybin mushrooms and mycelium.” Following the lecture, there will be a 30-minute Q&A session with Stamets. Tickets here.

PLANTS | Plants experts, Makiko Suzuki and Atsumi Hashimoto, take the spotlight at Still Moon Arts’ ‘Shedding Light‘ talk this Thursday, March 30th. In “More than Weeds, The Cultural History of Japanese Edible Food Plants in BC” they’ll be discussing Japanese edible plants growing locally. Attendees of this free event will learn how to identify, responsibly forage and cook edible plants, as well as a bit of history. Fascinating stuff! You can find out more here.

SCIENCE | Calling all novice geologists, geophysicists, and geochemists (and people simply interested in spending your Saturday evening learning about something cool): this Saturday the Vancouver Institute is hosting “Exploring the Hidden Earth”, a lecture on groundwaters and deep subsurface life given by Dr. Barbara Sherwood Lollar. From the organizers: “In 2013 Canadian Geographic magazine listed her among the Ten Canadians “Changing the World” for her discovery of the “billion-year-old water” and its implications for life on other planets. This discovery was recognized as one of the Top Ten Science Stories that year. Dr. Sherwood Lollar has been the recipient of multiple distinguished awards.” Billion-year-old water sounds pretty interesting to us; and as far as credentials go, Dr. Sherwood Lollar’s got a flock, so your geoscience trivia game coming out of this should be good. Also, attendance is free! Have a look for yourself here.

FILM | Between this Friday and next Wednesday, a really neat-looking BC-made documentary called A Cedar Is Life is showing as part of VIFF’s Home Truths series, showcasing Canadian made films leading up to National Canadian Film Day on Sunday April 16th. Here’s the official blurb from VIFF: “Good wood. That is one Indigenous name for cedar. This tree has always been central to First Nations cultural practice on the northwest coast. As one carver observes, “You are born in cedar, the cradle, and you are laid to rest in cedar.” It is used for long houses, totem poles, canoes, bowls, and chests; the bark is used for weaving clothes, blankets, baskets, and sails. A Cedar Is Life is an illuminating, passionate film which speaks to a definitive aspect of this part of the world”. Have a look here to see the show times and to grab tickets. (It’s worth noting that there’s a filmmaker Q&A sesh before this Friday’s screening, starting at 6:20pm.) Find out more.

BREAKFAST | With sunnier weather, an extra hour of daytime, and sparrows heralding springtime, as we enter the greener months we are finding it a little bit easier to emerge from the covers each day. If you’re in the same boat and looking for more than just a coffee fix in the morning, we’ve put together a little guide for you: the official – but totally non-exhaustive – Scout Magazine list of places we recommend hitting up for a solid sit-down breakfast is yours to consult here. Check it, yo.

The following Don’T HAPPEN FOR A WHILE, but THEY’LL SELL OUT, so we’re telling you now:

PLAN | Get your garden tricked-out this summer: the Vancouver Dahlia Society is holding its annual tuber sale in the Floral Hall at VanDusen Botanical Garden on Saturday, April 8th (10am-3pm). The VDS has been growing, showing and promoting Dahlias since 1955 – so you can bet that you’ll also be able to score some informed guidance on the best growing tips to ensure your bloom happy and healthy in the summer. Pro tip: tubers tend to sell out, so arrive early to avoid disappointment. Entrance is by donation. Find out more.

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