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, July 31st, to Wednesday, August 6th, 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.

FESTIVAL | The Powell Street Festival goes down this weekend in and around Oppenheimer Park. The annual celebration of Japanese-Canadian arts, culture and heritage brings dance, music, martial arts demos, beautiful Japanese pottery and textiles, anime, origami-making, watermelon-smashing, and an all-out-awesome sumo tournament to the Downtown Eastside. Best of all, it’s an opportunity to fill up on tasty treats like Osaka balls, squid teriyaki, bbq salmon, cold or hot ramen, katsu sandwiches, and matcha lattes. Note: this is a popular event, so don’t drive there. Parking will be a bitch. DETAILS.

PRIDE | Pride hits Vancouver hard this weekend. As always, the big ticket event is the parade, which starts at 1pm on Sunday, August 3rd. The parade kicks off at Concord Pacific Place, travelling along Pacific Avenue until it reaches the intersection at Burrard Street. Make a point of taking a stroll through the Davie Village Pride Festival post parade for a fun night. 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. Keep in mind that this deal easily attracts 100,000 people. So leave the car at home, and don’t forget to take sunscreen and lots of good, respectful energy with you. DETAILS

ANIME | If you’re walking around downtown this weekend and you notice an uptick in the number of adults kitted out in full-on anime costumes, that’s probably because Anime Revolution is on. This three-day event at the Vancouver Convention Centre includes exhibits, dancing, gaming, live musical performances, discussion panels, lots of wigs, very high platform shoes, and a staggering amount of cosplay. DETAILS.

BEAUTY | Part book launch, part immersive art show, Sensitive Surface invites you to step inside photographer Greg Girard’s Snack Sakura series — quite literally. Vancouver design studio Ste Marie has distilled the lived-in stillness of Girard’s photographs into an installation, in a space that feels more like a memory than a room. Objects and textures hint at past lives without fully revealing them, echoing the quiet, unresolved quality of the images themselves. Presented alongside the launch of Girard’s new book, Snack Sakura, the installation runs at the Monte Clark Gallery through Saturday, August 16th, and offers a chance to experience his work from a different vantage point: not as a bystander, but as someone moving through the traces it leaves behind. DETAILS

EAT | Looking for a holiday Monday activity? Start the day with bagels in the park. Bagels in Progress is back with one of their legendary pop-ups, and this time the location is just steps from Clark Park — which means plenty of green space and shade to settle in. They’re making a bigger batch than ever, with sandwiches like: smoked salmon with lox, red onions, capers, dill, and whipped cream cheese; a loaded heirloom tomato version with basil and whipped cream cheese; and a classic brekkie with egg, cheddar, and mayo. You can also grab dozens of bagels to take home, along with cream cheese with scallion, chili crisp, or honey, plus smoked salmon to-go. The team will be slinging bagels at Merci Boulangerie on Commercial Drive from 10am until they sell-out. Don’t sleep in too late — these puppies will disappear fast. DETAILS

SCORE | Itsumo, the Vancouver-based lifestyle shop known for its minimalist, Japan-inspired approach, is bringing back its Family Market for one-day-only, this holiday Monday. Hosted next door at Enishi Space, the market will feature an eclectic mix of used, new, and vintage goods contributed by the Itsumo team, friends, and family. Expect to find clothing, ceramics, Japanese books, kitchenware, textiles, and other thoughtfully chosen items, plus plenty of opportunities to dig around and connect with the community. Cash only. DETAILS

PICK | Local blackberries are moving into the good-for-picking zone right now. Don’t miss this precious window — grab a bucket, find yourself a thicket, and load up! Our go-to spots are located next to train tracks (careful), in empty lots, and in other wild, unkempt spaces. If you haven’t been, now is a lovely time for a wander around North 40 Park Reserve in Delta (they have loads of blackberry bushes). Perfect for smoothies, crumbles, jams, or syrups for summer cocktails!

COOL OFF | Pack a bag with towels, sunscreen, drinks and snacks, and make for the hills! Not only does Lynn Canyon Park offer lovely and partially shaded trails, but it also has some beautiful swimming holes. Check out the 30 Foot Pool (a short walk from the suspension bridge) or find your way to Homestead Trail where there are several river access points. DETAILS

RELAX | This is a long weekend. Your primary responsibility to yourself should be to find some time to kick back. After a little cloud on Friday, the sun is expected to return. Hit the trails out at the Endowment Lands; wander the seawall and catch the Pride Parade; spread a blanket on the grass at your local park, or take your taste buds on a tour of Vancouver’s best ice cream! The days of summer will start to slip away, so dig in while you still can.

ART | Nostalgic Futures, a new group art exhibition from The Art Shop, opens at their City Centre Artist Lodge showroom this Friday – and, as the final show of TAS as we currently know it (as an accessible venue promoting emerging artists) this is definitely one not to be missed! Find them inside the quirky, multicoloured former motel on Main Street (between 5th and 6th Avenues) between 5pm and 8pm to scope out artwork from four local artists – Mallory Donen, Claire Hansen, Louise Reimer, and Katie So – envisioning their ideas of what looking into the future while simultaneously honouring and building upon the past looks like. From TAS: “This is the last exhibition for TAS, at least in its current location, and it will soon pivot to private and public art consulting. Like the artists in Nostalgic Futures, TAS will redefine itself as it forges toward a new future, through honoring the artists and collaborators who have shaped its mission from the start and furthering the spirit of accessibility and relatability in art.” So on theme; so into it. Friday evening already booked up? The exhibition will also be available for viewing by appointment until September. DETAILS

FRESH | We have arrived at that delicious point of the summer when tomatoes are at peak perfection. Take full advantage and gobble them up while you can. Get yourself over to the Farmer’s Market this week (they’re now in full swing in various neighbourhoods around Vancouver), and take along your very best reusable carry bags to fill to the brim with heirlooms, cute little cherry tomatoes, and armfuls of Romas. The window of perfection is open and it’s time to jump through! DETAILS