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 Thursday, April 10 to Wednesday, April 16th, 2025. 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.

MAYBE? | Tonight’s sold out Phil Lind Initiative event, What It Means to Be “American”: Navigating Identity in a Changing Nation, digs deep into the complexities of belonging in the U.S. today — through the lens of politics, justice, culture, and power. If you missed tickets, a standby line will be set up one hour before the performance, at 5pm, with limited seats released. Worth mentioning because aren’t we all wondering What It Means to Be “American” right now? DETAILS

BLOSSOMS |  Sakura Days Japan Fair is happening at VanDusen this weekend. Expect loads of live entertainment, arts and crafts tables, haiku readings, flower arranging, origami making, tea drinking, and tasty Japanese foods; not to mention huge crowds of cherry blossom gazing buddies for you to hang out with. Early bird tickets are already long sold out, but you can still avoid the line-ups by buying tickets online in advance (available until Friday, April 11th only!). DETAILS

PATIO | This Sunday’s looking (mercifully) rain-free, and there are few better places to post up in the sun on a Sunday afternoon than Dachi’s patio. Even better: this weekend, they’ll be pouring by-the-glass from the only magnums of Yvon Metras Beaujolais in the province, paired with bulgogi burgers from Chef Jiwon. It’s a one-day-only situation, and once it’s gone, it’s gone. Walk-ins welcome, but don’t sleep — the magnums won’t last. DETAILS

VINYL | Record Store Day happens Saturday, April 12th, and independently run record stores across the city are fixing to help us celebrate. Expect exclusive RSD releases, ticket giveaways, in-store sales, and the coming together of people who love music. Whether you’re after a limited release or just something that sounds better with a little crackle, this is your chance to celebrate the beauty of vinyl and the staying power of music made to be held, flipped, and played loud. A few of our favourites include Red Cat, Neptoon, Dandelion, Zulu, and Highlife, for all sorts of record-related fun. DETAILS

EAT | If you’re only going out once this week, make it count with a stop at Dosanko for their cherry blossom onigiri (pictured above), packed with lobster, pickled beets, cherry blossoms, and shiso, all clinging to perfectly seasoned rice. At $15 it’s a splurge; but paired with the spring ramen and nettle gomae, it’s a meal that tastes like the season cracking open and the special onigiri are only available while cherry blossoms are out – don’t miss the window! DETAILS

LEARN | Artist Valeria Valdeiglesias is leading a hands-on workshop hosted by the Stanley Park Ecology Society introducing Ayacuchan embroidery — a traditional Peruvian craft rooted in the Andean highlands and known for its vivid colours and floral motifs. Participants in the Saturday afternoon workshop will learn how to execute the core stitches to create a classic highland flower design, which can be turned into a patch or coin purse. No experience needed – just a relatively steady hand and some curiosity. DETAILS

LISTEN | VPL’s 2025 Indigenous Storyteller in Residence, multi-disciplinary artist, writer, and musician from the Nlaka’pamux and Secwepemc Nations, Chris Bose, is holding an afternoon of storytelling, music, and good company at the Central Library this weekend. Swing by on Saturday afternoon to listen in on tales passed down from Bose’s grandparents, full of raw honesty, humour, and a deep respect for the land they come from. “The stories I share come from my grandmother and grandfather, my Yeah Ya7 and Spa7 Pu La7,” says Bose. “They were revered storytellers who travelled across Canada in the 1970s, and I now continue their legacy.” Expect songs, laughter, and the kind of storytelling that sticks with you. Light snacks provided. Give it try! DETAILS

NOURISH | The sun is expected to come out on Saturday (finally!), which will make it easier to slide out of bed a little early and head to the Vancouver Farmers Markets at Trout Lake (Saturday, 9am-2pm) or Riley Park (Saturday, 10am-2pm) before the farmers sell out of their produce. Score goodies like local salad greens, stinging nettles, fresh vegetables and herbs – heck, maybe even some fiddleheads!  There will also be artisan breads, preserves, honey, wild salmon, cookies, pies, and flowers, plus even a food truck or two, to keep you busy.  DETAILS.

WATCH | The Rio Theatre is pouring one out for Gene Hackman (RIP) with a screening of The Conversation, Francis Ford Coppola’s slow-burning 1974 thriller about surveillance, paranoia, and what happens when technology starts listening back. Restored and remixed by sound legend Walter Murch, this quiet, tense, and eerily prescient Palme d’Or-winning film still hits hard. What once felt like fiction now plays like a warning: the tools have changed, but the questions about privacy, power, and trust remain just as sharp. As always, bar service will be available – good news, since you might need a drink for this one! DETAILS

GROW | Ready to get your garden in order, but in need of a little help with your tiny space? Head to Britannia Centre for a workshop with Master Gardener, Pablo Vimos. In this Saturday’s hands-on Square Foot Gardening Workshop, Vimos will be showing attendees how to grow more food in less space, using a method that’s adaptable, efficient, and easy to maintain. Great for all experience levels and physical abilities, this session includes printed resources, seedlings to take home, and a chance to get your hands in the soil. At the time of writing, a couple of spaces are still available – but they won’t be for long. Don’t wait! Registration required. DETAILS

PLAN | Vagabond, the travelling pop-up rooted in local terroir and serious kitchen chops, is rolling into Vancouver for a five-night run at Nero Tondo restaurant in East Van. The Vagabond concept is built on collaboration, fermentation, and a deep respect for ingredients and place. Sounds like a solid foundation to build from! Tickets are a very reasonable $79 each; scoop one up before they’re all gone! DETAILS