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, June 19th to Wednesday, June 25th, 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.

READ | READ Books, Emily Carr University’s specialty bookstore, is having their annual book sale beginning this Friday. Pack a tote bag (or a few) and hustle on down to the ECU campus to fill them up with beach reads, books for chill afternoons at the park, to take on road trips, camping and/or pack in your suitcase…heck, even just to be flipped through at whim, sitting pretty on your coffee table, or added to “the pile”. It’s in your best interest to come up with as many excuses as possible since the more you buy, the deeper the discount you’ll get. Besides, you can never have too many books! DETAILS

BRUNCH | Sohn-Mat‘s June pop-ups are winding down with a final opportunity to find out what Korean-Polish brunch is all about this Sunday, June 22nd. Start your day off with something comforting and savoury, like Oatmeal with Garlic Ginseng Chicken or Breakfast Fried Rice; or more lunch-y fare like Sausage and Sauerkraut or Grilled Cheese & Kimchi Tomato Soup. For something sweet, the Strawberry Cheesecake Nalesniki (Polish crepes) should hit the spot. It’s all happening at Modus Coffee’s Broadway location this Sunday from 9am until 3pm. Sounds like a brunch love match! DETAILS

CELEBRATE | Pepino’s is turning seven — and marking seven decades of spaghetti at 631 Commercial Drive. Once home to the legendary Nick’s Spaghetti House (1955–2017), the Banda Volpi crew has carried the red-sauce torch with bow-tied service, white linens, and plates of veal, scampi, and spaghetti that respect tradition without getting stuck in it for the last seven. On Monday, June 23 and Tuesday, June 24, they’re rolling back prices to celebrate: spaghetti & meatballs are $21 (usually $32), glasses of Chianti are $6 (usually $12), and bottles of Chianti are $30 (usually $60!) “Just like the good old days”. DETAILS

NOURISH | Mæst Food is marking the Summer Solstice with a five-course dinner that leans into fermentation, foraging, and seasonal expression. Held on Sunday, June 22nd at Modus Coffee on Broadway, the meal is built around sekki — the traditional Japanese calendar — and features midsummer produce in every course. Expect tsukemono, jade-green dashi, pine-roasted rutabaga, mugwort tempura, and a forest floor parfait to close. Tickets are $80 (tax included), with drinks available for purchase. No walk-ins — this is a ticket-holder-only affair. DETAILS

SAKE | A proper sake event is rare — and Lightning Strike isn’t pulling any punches. On Monday, June 23rd, from 6–9pm, five of Japan’s top producers are landing at the Fairmont Waterfront for a one-night-only tasting that brings Vancouver drinkers face-to-face with the makers. Expect sake, shōchū, and gin — including limited and terroir-driven bottles that rarely leave Japan — with producers on hand to talk through every pour. Participating breweries include Shichihonyari (Tomita Shuzo, Shiga), Nichi Nichi (Nichi Nichi Jozo, Tokyo), Mimurosugi (Imanishi Shuzo, Nara), Tengumai (Shata Shuzo, Ishikawa), and Kuroki (Kuroki Honten/Osuzuyama Distillery, Miyazaki). Tickets are $68 and include five tastings (one from each brewery) and an ochoko cup to take home. Extra tasting sets available onsite: $25 for five standard pours or $50 for premium. Space is limited. DETAILS

GO SKATEBOARDING DAY | There will be a Go Skateboarding Day skate starting from the The Plaza (below the Georgia Viaduct at Union and Quebec) at 11am, this Saturday, June 21st. From there, riders will roll around the city to hit a number of skate spots for organized events. The day ends with a The Boardroom-hosted BBQ and good times at Strathcona Park. Even if you don’t skate, this is a fine time to take a seat on the sidelines and appreciate the art form from a spectator’s perspective. DETAILS

GREEK | Greek Day on Broadway returns Sunday, June 22nd from 11am all the way up until 9pm, shutting down a five-block stretch of West Broadway (from Macdonald to Blenheim) for its 51st year of food, music, and community. Expect grilled souvlaki, gyros, and baklava alongside live music, traditional dancing, market stalls, and family-friendly activities. It’s one of the city’s biggest cultural street festivals — and it’s free to attend (just bring cash for food and drink). Walk, bike, or bus in — and get ready to celebrate Kitsilano’s Greek roots with thousands of others. DETAILS

SWAP | Riley Park is hosting a free community swap on Sunday, June 22nd — part of the City of Vancouver’s Pop-up recycling events. There are three easy ways to take part: swap (bring an item, take an item); donate (drop something off without taking anything), or just take (no donations required — just browse and pick). Items should be small enough to fit in a reusable grocery bag, clean, and in good working order. Drop-off runs from 10am to 12:30pm. After that, it’s first come, first served. Extending the useful life of everyday products is a simple but essential part of building a circular economy. Sharing, reusing, and repairing helps reduce landfill waste, lower carbon emissions, and support local businesses doing their part. DETAILS

SCORE | Garage sale season is here — and the Great Grandview Garage Sale is where to skip the duds and go straight for the good stuff. Over 100 households between Clark and Nanaimo (north of 12th Ave) are setting up on Saturday, June 21st, from 10am to 2pm. That means fewer headless Barbies, and more chances at finding that perfect old picnic blanket, a set of kitchen chairs, or some underrated vinyl. DETAILS

SOLSTICE | Summer Solstice officially happens at 7:42pm tomorrow (Friday, June 20th). That means that we have the maximum hours of daylight of the year this week! On Friday the sun rises at 5:06am and doesn’t set until 9:21pm. That’s 16hrs and 15 min of daylight, and as many reasons to celebrate.