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 December 5-11, 2024. 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 here.

WATCH | This time of year, big screens tend to be dominated by corny, big-budget and family-friendly movies. But don’t write off a trip to the cinema so fast – there’s a new, very not-G-rated, restaurant-related film coming to the VIFF Centre beginning this Friday. La Cocina is a high tension and gritty as f*ck featuring all the usual restaurant politics – territoriality, hierarchy and camaraderie, as well as casual racism, classism, homophobia and misogyny – plus equipment breakdowns, emotional meltdowns, wipe-outs, theft, romance, sex, drugs, fighting, cigarettes galore, LOTS of swearing (in different languages) and shouting – oh, and cooking too, obviously. If you’re a film- and food-lover who gets off (at least a wee bit) by seeing the restaurant industry dramatized and captured on film – and have no mistake, the film is gorgeous and well-acted, and the camera work is impressive – then take note that VIFF Centre currently has five screenings of La Cocina lined up for December: on the 6th, 15th, 16th, 17th and 19th (times vary by day). Tickets and more details here.

PREPARE | It’s time to get sorted for holiday get-togethers with pals. Having something in the freezer ready to roll is a good move. DON’T rely on Costco; do it with something local that feeds back into the community. Liberty Bakery has a really cool ‘Pies for Peace’ situation going on right now, where you can score a hearty (nearly 2kg!) shepherd’s pie — made with organic veg and halal beef — that will generously serve 4-6 people (or more with extra veg and a salad on the side). Grab one in-store by donation (minimum $50) knowing that every dollar goes to support the Vancouver Food Bank and Downtown Eastside Women’s Shelter. Community-driven comfort food at its best. Nice work, Liberty! DETAILS

DARK DAYS | There’s at least one compelling argument for embracing the season’s overwhelming darkness: For the first time ever, Luppolo Brewing Company is tapping into their “dark side” to host a brand new three-day-long beer festival devoted to (you guessed it) stouts, porters and other brews the likes of which you can’t see through. The new ‘Dark Enough to See the Stars’ dark beer festival kicks off at the Strathcona neighbourhood brewery on Friday, December 6th and lasts through the weekend, until Sunday the 8th. Oh, and for the food part of the equation, there will be plenty of good, on-theme stuff made by in-house pizza aficionados, Local Pizzaiolo, of course. There are no tickets, age requirements or entry fees to get in on this dark and delicious fun! DETAILS

CELEBRATE | Strathcona Beer Company is throwing their 8th anniversary party this weekend. Holding down a brewery isn’t the easiest gig, and eight years is no small feat for any business, so get out there and give the team some love! It’s important to show your support. Plus, you’ll be rewarded with tokens of mutual appreciation. Think, free snacks and birthday cupcakes, plus door prizes and other giveaways over the course of the night. On top of all that: all-day happy hour specials, live DJ sets, and the release of Strathcona’s ‘Bigger Sexier Funk’ Double Hazy IPA. Plenty of reasons to celebrate! It all goes down this Saturday (December 7th) at Strathcony Beer Co. beginning at 7pm and going until late. See you there! DETAILS

ANTISOCIAL | Although there’s no denying the onset of winter outside, this Friday Antisocial Skateboard Shop will be channeling serious summer vibes inside for the premier of their latest skate video (shout out to Shari White and Angelo Fajardo, who are responsible for the filming and editing). Shot earlier this year, in the heydays of summer, the video features almost two dozen of Antisocial’s skateboarding buddies showing off their skills. The event begins at 7pm – but we recommend showing up early, since these folks have a lot of friends (and friends of friends) in the city, and events like this tend to draw a crowd of fun-loving folks. DETAILS

CHILL | Within, Together is the immersive new project by local multimedia artist and former Lobe Spatial Sound Studio artist-in-residence, Lorri Clark. Go deep inside yourself by signing up for one of three 30-minute-long afternoon meditation sessions led by Clark, where she will be playing a crystal singing bowl along to her 4DSOUND soundscape. “This piece invites participants to breathe, acknowledge their present emotions, and navigate these feelings within a shared energetic field, fostering both self-reflection and communal connectivity.” Got some inner self-healing to do? And/or just want a bit of respite from the overwhelming outer chaos of the holiday season? Both are excellent reasons to attend, in our books. Tickets are $27.15 per person. DETAILS

ART | Shelley Niro: 500 Year Itch is an epic, milestone exhibit of works by the Six Nations Kanyen’kehá:ka multimedia artist, currently showing at the Vancouver Art Gallery (until February 17th, 2025). With over 70 works total spanning four decades back to the 1980s, we recommend putting in a good chunk of time to take in all the art on display, including photography, film, painting, installation, sculpture and mixed media. According to the VAG, Niro’s “persistent vision is to represent Indigenous women and girls, advocating for self-representation and sovereignty…She uses parody, feminism and spirituality to examine identity and, in turn, brings political power to the realm of the personal.” And if, after absorbing all of that, you still have the bandwidth for more art, there’s also an exhibit of pieces by Dominican Republic-born artist, Firelei Báez, that is getting a lot of good attention. Primarily using the painting medium, Báez portrays “the multilayered explorations of the legacy of colonial histories and the African diaspora in the Caribbean and beyond. She draws on the disciplines of anthropology, geography, folklore, fantasy, science fiction and social history to unsettle categories of race, gender and nationality in her paintings, drawings and installations.” Check out the VAG website for Gallery hours and tickets.

SKATE |  Stuck downtown because of Taylor Swift related traffic? Park the car and keep your blood flowing by hitting Robson Square for a lap or twelve around the ice rink. Take note: although skating is free, equipment rentals are not ($5 for a pair of skates and helmet; $2 for ice cleats; $5 for skate sharpening). Robson Square Ice Rink is open 9am-9pm. DETAILS

SCIENCE | Hustle westward this Sunday and hit UBC’s Annual Faraday Show. From UBC: “This year’s theme is: Physics in your House! How does the best fire alarm work? Where does static electricity come from? Why do your windows mist up in the winter?” All handy things to get to the bottom of – right? This event is free to attend, and a good time for both kids and adults who like to learn cool stuff. Just be sure to bring along a non-perishable food item, as donations for the Greater Vancouver Food Bank are being collected! Find out more.

SLOW DOWN | December has a way of getting hectic. Traffic, social engagements, shopping – the general velocity of the city jumps up a few notches this month; so for the love of all things wonderful, try to pace yourself! Take a few hours out to wander one of Vancouver’s beaches. No one will be there, and we have lots of them to choose from. Bonus: they’re free. Solitude, clear water and sand – can you give yourself a better present this time of year? Note: A flask or thermos filled with something warming is a nice touch.

COMMUNITY. NOT CLICKBAIT.