35 things to do in Vancouver this week: September 18 to 22

The last week of summer is here so let’s have some fun! Call up your friends and check out our 35 things to do from Monday, September 18 to Friday, September 22. Comedy, football, book launches, and more.

For more things happening around town, check out our events section.

Monday, September 18

Science Literacy Week: “Behind the Science”

• What: An exclusive “behind the science” lab tours in the Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences at the University of British Columbia. Ever wondered where scientists spend their days creating new knowledge? This is your chance to see where UBC Earth Scientists explore new ideas and run cool experiments. All tours will meet in the PME’s main gallery by the Lambeosaurus at 3:45 pm. Lab tours will begin at 4 pm.
• When: September 18, 19, 21, 22
• Time: 4 to 5 pm
• Where: Pacific Museum of Earth – 6339 Stores Road, Vancouver
• Price: Free

Celebrate Roots: Vegetable Harvest Dinner

• What: Edible Canada welcomes Brian Luptak of the acclaimed Vancouver restaurant, The Acorn, to present Celebrate: Roots, a Vegetable Harvest dinner at their bistro on Granville Island. The Acorn has been named one of the ‘World’s 10 Best Vegetarian Destinations’ by CNN, one of many accolades due in large part to Chef Luptak’s creativity and talent. Tickets include welcome cocktail, multi-course set menu dinner, wine pairings.
• When: September 18
• Time: 6:45 pm
• Where: Edible Canada Bistro – 1596 Johnston Street (Granville Island), Vancouver
• Tickets: $99, available online

What the Mouth Wants Book Launch

• What: Monica Meneghetti’s memoir offers an intimate glimpse into her unique life journey through the mouth-watering lens of food. The youngest child of an Italian immigrant family finds her identity at odds with her traditional upbringing. Through risk, courage, and heartbreak, she ultimately redefines and recreates family and identity according to her own alternative vision.
• When: September 18
• Time: 7 pm
• Where: Il Centro Cultural Centre, Room 5 – 3075 Slocan Street, Vancouver
• Price: Free

Nasty Women Comedy: Fierce

• What: Nasty Women presents a new sketch comedy show inspired by fierceness. Plus there will be spicy improv in the second half of the show.
• When: September 18
• Time: 8:30 pm
• Where: Biltmore Cabaret – 2755 Prince Edward Street, Vancouver
• Tickets: Online, $10

Balloon-Powered Aircraft

• What: Pitt Meadows Library presents the Fraser Valley Makers in their celebration of Science Literacy week. Using a balloon and a paper airplane, everyone will build a balloon powered aircraft. Whose airplane will fly the furthest? All materials will be supplied.
• When: September 18
• Time: 3 to 4:30 pm
• Where: FVRL Pitt Meadows Library – #200 – 12099 Harris Road, Pitt Meadows
• Price: Free, registration required. Phone 604-465-4113

Pulp Literature and Tesseracts Launch

• What: A double-launch of Pulp Literature Issue 16, Autumn 2017 and Tesseracts 20: Compostela. Featuring readings by kc dyer, Rhea Rose, Roxanne Gregory, Patrick Bollivar, Linda DeMeulmeester, Cat Girczyc, Guy Immega, Steve Fahnestalk, Miki Dare, Susan Pieters, and Glenn Pape.
• When: September 18
• Time: 5 to 7:30 pm
• Where: Cottage Bistro – 4468 Main Street, Vancouver
• Price: Free

Vancouver Fashion Week Opening Gala Afterparty

• What: The opening gala afterparty to help kick off Vancouver Fashion Week. Featuring a fashion show with music by DJ Johnny Omega and hosted by Reza H.
• When: September 18
• Time: 10 pm to 3 am
• Where: Republic – 958 Granville Street, Vancouver
• Price: Free cover til 11 with Guest List

Tuesday, September 19

Salman Rushdie in Conversation with Hal Wake

• What: Award-winning and bestselling author Salman Rushdie discusses his latest work, The Golden House, with Writers Fest artistic director Hal Wake.
• When: September 19
• Time: 7:30 pm
• Where: Chan Shun Concert Hall – 6265 Crescent Rd, Vancouver
• Tickets: Online

Disrupt HR YVR 6.0

DisruptHR Vancouver / Facebook

• What: A lively evening of spirited, focused presentations by local professionals who’ll share their disruptive ideas on how to move the collective thinking forward when it comes to Human Beings – because we are all more than a (Human) Resource.
• When: September 19
• Time: 6 to 9 pm
• Where: Science World – 1455 Quebec Street, Vancouver
• Tickets: Online, $35-$45

Cafe Scientifique – Art In The Details

• What: With so much beauty in the natural world, why does the misconception that art and science are vastly different persist? Head to Science World for discussion and dessert and hear from artists, researchers and academic professionals about the role art has played in scientific research – from the formative work of Santiago Ramon Y Cajal to modern imaging, and beyond – and how it might help shape scientific understanding in the future.
• When: September 19
• Time: 7 to 9 pm
• Where: TELUS World of Science – 1455 Quebec Street, Vancouver
• Tickets: Online

Slow War Book Launch

• What: The launch of Slow War, Benjamin Hertwig’s debut collection of poetry released by McGill-Queen’s University Press. Slow War is searing, elegiac, and unflinching, “the record of a soldier’s heart, before, during and after war.”
• When: September 19
• Time: 8 pm
• Where: The Heatley – 696 East Hastings, Vancouver
• Price: Free

Word Vancouver 2017

• What: Tons of author readings, exhibits, performances, workshops, and activities for the whole family. There will also be other events taking place throughout Vancouver.
• When: September 19 to 23
• Where: Various venues around Vancouver
• Tickets: Free

Fowl Play

• What: Fowl Play: a Search for Odd Behaviour and Even Odder People is an interactive theatre performance that will be presented at the Anvil Centre as a response to the New Westminster New Media Gallery’s current exhibition Dominion. Bring your smartphones and be on the look out for some pesky birds in this one-of-a-kind scavenger hunt!
• When: September 19
• Time: 6:30 pm
• Where: Anvil Centre – 777 Columbia Street, Vancouver
• Admission: Free

Spoken INK with Linda King and Celeste Snowber

• What: The Burnaby Writers’ Society hosts readings by poets Celeste Snowber and Linda King. Linda King is the author of Dream Street Details, Reality Wayfarers, No Dimes for the Dancing Gypsies, and Ongoing Repairs to Something Significant. Celeste Snowber, PhD, is a dancer, poet, writer and educator who is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education at Simon Fraser University. She has written over 50 publications in the area of embodiment and arts-based research.
• When: September 19
• Time: 8 to 9:30 pm
• Where: Deer Lake Gallery – 6584 Deer Lake Avenue, Burnaby
• Admission: Free

Wednesday, September 20

Extraordinary Future 2017

• What: This one-day event is set to showcase a selection of 25 disruptive Canadian technology companies that are getting stuff done in new and exciting ways. You’ll get to hear speakers from companies like the VR/AR Association & CognitiveVR, TELUS Health, BTL Group, KeyStone Financial, Invrs3d Cinema Reality, and many more. And you’ll get to test out the latest technologies for yourself at the exhibitor stands where you’ll find the likes of Archiact, Finger Food Studios, Helios Wire, LlamaZOO Interactive, and Cognitive VR, among others.
• When: September 20
  Where: Vancouver Convention Centre East – 1055 Canada Place
  Price: $42 (not including tax and fees) – Tickets available via Extraordinary Future

Improv Against Humanity: Sizzling September

• What: Improv Against Humanity returns from summer vacation for a sizzling show at the Rio Theatre. Join The Fictionals for an action-packed look back at Summer, sweet prizes to get you ready for Fall, and the crowning of the Most Horrible Person in Vancouver.
• When: September 20
• Time: 8 pm
• Where: The Rio Theatre – 1660 East Broadway, Vancouver
• Tickets: Online, $12

Saudade – MOVETHECOMPANY

• What: Six guys take to the stage, mixing ballet with street in this piece about loss, memory, and the longing for something unattainable. Set to a haunting cello score by Hildur Guðnadóttir, Saudade is by BC choreographer Joshua Beamish, whose past portfolio contains as many international accolades as it does local.
• When: September 20 to 23
• Where: Scotiabank Dance Centre – 677 Davie Street, Vancouver
• Tickets: At Tickets Tonight; $32

Embrytrophic Cavatina – Kokoro Dance

• What: This local dance company specializes in contemporary butoh, a “Japanese philosophy of movement.” Embrytrophic Cavatina pushes the form further, stripping bare four dancers in this primal and provocative piece. The “pure emotion and anguish[ing]” score is a cheeky 69-minutes long, and everything about this production promises butoh like you’ve never seen it before.
• When: September 20 to 29
• Where: Roundhouse Community Arts & Recreation Centre – 181 Roundhouse Mews, Vancouver
• Tickets: At Arts People; $30

The Merkin Sisters

• What: Join Ingrid Hansen and Stéphanie Morin-Robert in The Merkin Sisters as they celebrate their Inner Cavemen and Ultra Queens at Performance Works for one night only in Vancouver.
• When: September 20
• Time: 7 pm
• Where: Performance Works – 1218 Cartwright Street, Vancouver
• Tickets: Online, $10

SheEO Vancouver: 2017 Launch Event

• What: An evening of networking and #RadicalGenerosity at L’Atelier Coworking. Meet Vicki Saunders, Founder of SheEO, and learn about how SheEO is changing the landscape for female entrepreneurs. Hear from the Lunapads team, Sonia Strobel from Skipper Otto’s Community Supported Fishery, Barbara Alink from The Alinker and Patrice from Satya Organics, entrepreneurs who were funded and supported by the SheEO network. And connect with like-minded, inspiring women in the Vancouver community.
• When: September 20
• Time: 5 to 8 pm
• Where: L’Atelier Vancouver Coworking – #400 319 West Hastings Street, Vancouver
• Tickets: Online, Free

Women in PR Canada – End of Summer Soiree

• What: Join Women in PR Canada at their end of summer soiree at Hycroft in Vancouver. Enjoy a conversation about career transitions, wine, networking and more.
• When: September 20
• Time: 5 to 8 pm
• Where: Hycroft Manor – 1489 McRae Ave, Vancouver
• Tickets: Online, $59.99-$99.99

Thursday, September 21

lululemon Hiring Fair

• What: lululemon’s Guest Education Centre (GEC) and Vancouver stores will be having an open house job fair at their head office in Vancouver to fill positions for full and part-time seasonal educators, city-wide. Personal, professional growth and helping people achieve their goals are at the backbone of who they are.
• When: September 21
• Time: 6 to 8:30 pm
• Where: lululemon head office, 1818 Cornwall Ave.
• Price: Free, RSVP online to reserve your spot

Live at the ‘Bolt: The Fever Cabaret

• What: The Fever Cabaret will conjure a theatrical atmosphere that seduces and intoxicates. Enter a space filled with the sounds of soft piano music, joined by the enchanting tones of a cello plucked and stroked, beckoning you to sit at dimly lit tables and engage with the captivating hostess who seems to see through your very soul.
• When: September 21 to 23
• Time: 8 pm
• Where: Shadbolt Centre for the Arts – 6450 Deer Lake Avenue, Burnaby
• Admission: Online, $18

2017 West End Food Festival

• What: Gordon Neighbourhood House’s West End Food Festival is an annual event, geographically focused on Vancouver’s West End Neighbourhood. It is a collaboration with community members and organizations to put together a fun and diverse program of workshops, events and dialogues that celebrates food in the West End community.
• When: September 21 to26
• Where: Gordon Neighbourhood House – 1019 Broughton Street, Vancouver
• Price: Free

Story Story Lie

• What: Story Story Lie is an interactive show where Vancouver storytellers share intimate, hilarious and often embarrassing stories that seem too strange to be true. The catch? Someone’s lying. The audience takes part in an interrogation to reveal who it is.
• When: September 21
• Time: Doors 7 pm / Show 8 pm
• Where: Rio Theatre – 1660 East Broadway, Vancouver
• Tickets: Online, $10

Beaty Nocturnal: Life In Colour Opening

• What: Celebrate the opening of Beaty’s newest exhibition, Life In Colour. This art exhibition has wall-sized murals for you to colour in with art by Angela Gooliaff. There will also be a guided museum tour at 7 pm, and hands-on activities where you can learn more about specimens in the museum. Museum members are invited to come early and get an exclusive tour of the exhibition with Angela starting at 5:30 pm. All museum members will also receive one free drink ticket.
• When: September 21
• Time: 5 to 8:30 pm
• Where: Beaty Biodiversity Museum – 2212 Main Mall, Vancouver
• Admission: By donation.

LiterASIAN Book Launches

• What: LiterASIAN kicks off with the book launches of “Scarborough” by Catherine Hernandez, “Dragon Springs Road” by Janie Chang, “The Conjoined” by Jen Sookfong Lee, and “Shadows of the Crimson Sun” by Julia Lin. Moderated by Winnie Cheung.
• When: September 21
• Start: 5:30 to 8:30 pm
• Where: Alma VanDusen and Peter Kaye room at the Vancouver Public Library – 350 West Georgia Street
• Admission: Free

PechaKucha Night Vol. 43

• What: PechaKucha Night is a fun and informal event where people can meet, inspire and get inspired, based on a format that is fast-paced and fun.
• When: September 21
• Time: 7:30 pm
• Where: Vancouver Playhouse – 600 Hamilton Street, Vancouver
• Tickets: Online, $18.95

Friday, September 22

BC Lions versus Hamilton Tiger-Cats

• What: Head to BC Place for CFL action between BC Lions and Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
• When: September 22
• Time: 8 pm
• Where: BC Place – 777 Pacific Blvd., Vancouver
• Tickets: Online

Disposable Camera Project

• What: A selection of Vancouver’s top artists were given these old school cameras as part of the aptly named Disposable Camera Project, and you’ll be able to view the best photos they snapped at the Remington Gallery and Studio, on September 22. Co-curated by Megan Jenkins and Helen Wong, this year’s Disposable Camera Project is focusing on the theme of space.
• When: September 22
• Time: 7 to 11 pm
• Where: Remington Gallery and Studio – 108 East Hastings Street, Vancouver
• Price: Free

Port Moody Oktoberfest

• What: Port Moody Oktoberfest presents an authentic Bavarian Oktoberfest experience. Featuring original Munich Pork Hock, Schnitzel, Oktoberfest Bratwurst, Original “München Oktoberfest” beers, Paulaner, and Hacker-Pschorr. Plus giant Jenga, cornhole, balloons for families, hockey pucks, face painting and more.
• When: September 22 to 24, September 29 to October 1
• Where: 100 Newport Drive, Port Moody
• Tickets: Online

Japanese Problem – Universal Limited Theatre

• What: 75 years ago, over 8000 Japanese-Canadians were detained in barns where the PNE now stands today. Site-specific theatre takes on new meaning in Japanese Problem, shedding light on this little-known dark moment of Vancouver history. Set in a recreated stall within the original building of the Japanese-Canadian incarnation, the intimate performance incorporates interviews with survivors and their descendants, many of whom are still dealing with the ramifications today.
• When: September 22 to 30
• Where: The Livestock Building, Hastings Park – 188 N. Renfrew Street, Vancouver
• Tickets: RSVP at Eventbrite; By Donation

PROHIBITION: nothing but trouble 2017 

• What: Art Rapture is bringing local and international artists works together for this year’s PROHIBITION: nothing but trouble event. The fifth-annual show adopts the theme of rapture and this means you can traverse a space where contemporary pieces scream off the walls with provocation and colour. See some epic jaw-dropping works that bend the boundaries of what you’d see in a traditional gallery.
• When: September 22 and 23
• Where: 130 West 4th Avenue, Vancouver
• Price: $12 – $35 – Tickets available via Picatic

Feast on the Fraser

• What: Feast on the Fraser is back this fall for ten days of food-filled fun in New Westminster. Taking place from September 22 until October 1, this event offers everything from longtable dinners to cultural tastings and everything in between. Feast on the Fraser was created to show people the best of what New West has to offer – from food to fun, this schedule is packed with exciting culinary events.
• When: September 22 to October 1
• Where: Multiple venues around New Westminster
• Ticketd: $25-$135; buy online

The 2017 SFSS fall kick off concert

• What: The event will be a build off the massive success of previous SFSS concerts. Whether you’re a student or not, you can attend the concert as long as you’re at least 16. Get ready to party, dance, and make new friends to epic beats from Roy Woods, Audien, Elephante and more.
• When: September 22
• Time: 6 pm to 10 pm
• Where: SFU Convocation Mall, Burnaby
• Tickets: Student tickets $35, non-students $55. Purchase online. General admission age 16+ (2 pieces of valid ID required for entry, a limited amount of tickets will be sold at the door)