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 July 31 to August 6, 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.

PRIDE | Pride hits Vancouver this week. As always, the big ticket event is the parade, which starts at noon on Sunday and travels along Robson to Denman, down Denman to Beach Ave., ending at Sunset Beach where a proper pride party takes place. For all the juicy bits (dance parties, beer gardens, barbecues and live entrainment) leading up to the parade – as well as the full scoop on parade details – skip over to the Pride site here. This deal attracts an easy 700,000 people, so keep that in mind. Leave the car at home and take sunscreen and lots of good, respectful energy with you. Find out more.

FESTIVAL | The Powell Street Festival goes down this weekend. The annual celebration of Japanese-Canadian arts, culture and heritage brings dance, music, martial arts demos, beautiful Japanese pottery and textiles, anime, and an all-out-awesome sumo tournament. Best of all, fill up on tasty treats like Osaka balls, squid teriyaki, bbq salmon, cold ramen, hot ramen, katsu sandwiches and matcha lattes. Note: this is a popular event so don’t drive. Parking will be a bitch. Hop on the bus. The #14 Hastings will get you there. Find out more. Find out more.

FIREWORKS | The Celebration of Light continues this week. Tonight (Wednesday, July 31) sees a display of pyrotechnic amazingness put on by Canada. Croatia will strut their stuff on Saturday (Aug.3 ). There are many Vancouver beaches, hills, parks and bridges that will provide free and spectacular views of the fireworks. Best to travel by foot, bike or public transit. Whatever happens, don’t try to drive through the West End on either night. Find out more about fireworks here.

HARMONY ARTS | West Vancouver launches its annual 10 day arts and culture festival this weekend. Scoot over the bridge for a wander through a craft market showcasing loads of one-of-a-kind pottery, jewellery, textiles, woodwork, and glass designs all made by locals. Hang around after the sun goes down for outdoor movies and concerts. The Harmony Arts Festival starts on Thursday and runs until August 11th. Find out more.

ROAD TRIP | Between Pride parties, fireworks crowds, Harmony Arts, Powell Street Festival and cruise ship traffic, the buzz of summer in the city is at its zenith this week. You have two choices: jump in or make a break for quieter pastures. If the latter, consider a day trip to Squamish. Our pal Naomi Horii (Restaurant Manager at the soon to re-open Fergie’s Café) lives in Squamish and she recently told Scout about her favourite places to eat, drink and explore in the area. Slip up the highway on Saturday morning before the crowds and make a day of it. Read Naomi’s interview here.

RELAX | It’s summer on a long weekend, so your primary objective should be to kick back and do as much relaxing as possible. Extra points if you can bring some friends along for the ride! Don’t make it complicated, just call up a pal and suggest a cold beer and catch-up. For a list of potential locations to meet for said beer, check out Scout’s Craft Beer Atlas of Vancouver. Plan your navigations at The Magnet, 33 Acres or Darby’s and move on from there.

FILM |  Film Noir fest gets going at The Cinematheque this week. From event organizers: “Looking for decency, honesty, integrity? Paragons of virtue? Exemplary tales of moral uplift? Well, chump, you’ve come to the wrong dark, stinking alley! It’ll be seductive spider ladies, cynical anti-heroes, and sordid acts of crime — not to mention sensational cinematic style — tarnishing the silver screen in August as The Cinematheque embarks on its annual summer season of the sleazy, fatalistic nightmare known as Film Noir.” Think Ava Gardner in The Killers, Fritz Lang’s Scarlet Street, and Edgar G. Ulmer’s infamous Detour  — dark, sexy drama and all the double crossing! Full schedule and tickets can be found here.

NIGHT MARKET | Wish you were going away for the weekend but couldn’t make it happen?  The Richmond Night Market is a good back-up plan. A few hours at this magical place is like a trip to a different world (a world full of potato tornadoes, fluffy pancakes, takoyaki, bubble tea and deep-fried Mars Bars). Mmm, fluffy pancakes.

EAT LOCAL |  As always, the weekend is a good time to connect with farmers and friends at the Farmers Market. Take full advantage of summer produce – grab your best reusable shopping bag and fill it to the brim with tasty salad greens, fresh blueberries, perfect plums, and as many peaches as you can handle… this month is brimming with fresh fruits and vegetables (not to mention cheeses, artisan breads, preserves, honey, wild salmon, cookies, pies, eggs and pickles. Support the people who grow our food! Find out more.