February 6 edition: Do rats get a bad rap?

Hey there. If you cast your mind all the way back to a couple of weeks ago, you might remember that I posed you, dear reader, a question: What is the Vancouver version of Scott Pilgrim?

Unsurprisingly, if you ask 10 Vancouverites this, you’ll get 11 answers. Our editor-in-chief thinks it’s Superbad; my partner says it’s The X-Files; and I’m partial to Twilight despite the fact that yes, it’s meant to take place in Forks, WA.

Other reader suggestions included Riverdale, The L Word, and 21 Jump Street. Almost everything shares the same issue of being filmed in Vancouver, but not technically set here. Neon Rider and The Beachcombers come closest, despite being in Mission and Gibsons, respectively. 

Perhaps the real answer is the Winter Olympics. It is, after all, the thing that most people will have watched that actually had our name on it.

— V.
Associate Editor

FEATURE

Is Rain City turning into Rat City?

Love ‘em, hate ‘em, or squeamishly fascinated by ’em: how do Vancouverites really feel about our local rat population? Adrienne Matei dives into the question of whether our rodent neighbours are really worth our scorn. The crux of our discomfort, she suggests, is simple: rats survive too well. And we’re hard-wired to hate anything we can’t control.

CITY & CULTURE

Vancouver to host seven 2026 FIFA World Cup matches

Time to brush up on your off-side rules and soccer chants. BC Place is going to see five group stage matches, as well as two knockout games, when Mexico, the USA, and Canada share FIFA World Cup hosting duties in 2026. And, crucially: we’re hosting more matches than Toronto. Goal!

• Main and Hastings is still BC’s most dangerous intersection for pedestrians

• The late Carl Weathers had a Vancouver connection

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ARTS

Nicole Byers is trying to make herself laugh

You might know her from her breakout appearance in Girl Code, her host shift on Nailed It!, or for her hilarious podcast Why Won’t You Date Me? The multi-hyphenate podcaster-author-actress-host-comedian sits down with us ahead of her Just for Laughs show later this month to tell all on life, love, and laughter.

• RIP local comedy legend Guy MacPherson

• Music on Main is bringing us A Month of Tuesdays

• The Arts Club Signature Wine Dinner Series is back! Get you tickets to an exclusive dinner at the Teahouse today. More info here.*

• Click, clack! Click, clack! What's that, it's a Drag Attack! Love Potion. Get ready to gag on a mouthful. Served-up by @dandyandfriends @riotheatre February 9.*

*sponsored listing

MUSIC

Can’t-miss concerts this month

Lunar New Year, Black History Month, and Valentine’s Day give us plenty to celebrate in a pretty grey month. You can also add a fierce line-up of live music to that list. Here’s our monster mega-list of music that’s rocking Vancouver this month, including sad guy supreme City & Colour.

• Pop Eye: Turns out Michael Bublé is a shrooms guy

• Inside Vox Rea’s pop philosophy

• Catch a curated lineup of Vancouver's emerging musicians competing for the top spot at the Elevate Semi-Final on Feb 10 at the Biltmore!*

*sponsored listing

SPONSORED BY MODO-LIVE

Postmodern Jukebox return this Saturday

Famed "Pop Concert In A Time Machine" concert act Postmodern Jukebox bring The '10' Tour to The Centre in Vancouver this Saturday Feb 10th. Where modern-day earworms and pop hits alike are reimagined in classic genres like 1920s jazz, swing and Motown. Tickets are almost sold out, get yours now!

LIVING

PSA: Cineplex is offering $5 movie tickets and popcorn

Far be it from us to shill for a corporation, but hey, we love a movie (and a deal). Cineplex is offering throwback ticket prices and popcorn costs all month long, which is a bit of a bright spot in such a notoriously gloomy month.

• These Vancouver restaurants are extending their Dine Out menus

• Tacofino has opened its first Burnaby location

SPONSORED BY THEATRE LA SEIZIEME

Malaise dans la civilisation: a wacky performance pushing back social conventions

Four people enter a theatre. They wander around like tourists, clumsily playing and testing each other under the inquisitive gaze of the audience.

A strange and playful vivarium of sorts that rattles social and theatrical conventions.

Scotiabank Dance Centre - March 7 -9 2024 (in French, with English surtitles)

THINGS TO DO THIS WEEK

THEATRE 🎭
Send Me No Flowers embraces classic mid-century rom-com trappings. (To Feb. 24 @ Metro Theatre)

VISUAL ARTS 🖼️
Leanne Lai Hildebrand’s lanterns and artworks are on display in Chigiri-e: The Language of Paper. (To March 1 @ Pendulum Gallery)

THEATRE 🎭
Break out the Leonard Cohen sing-a-longs for Chelsea Hotel. (To March 3 @ Firehall Arts Centre)

VISUAL ARTS 🖼️
Diane Severin Nguyen explores trauma and agency in If I hadn’t created my own world, I would have died in someone else’s. (To May 5 @ Contemporary Art Gallery) 

GAMES 🎲
Enjoy classic childhood games and make new friends at Adult Recess. (Feb. 6 @ Conscious Lab)

DRAG 💃
The House of Gurl delivers The Draggy Bunch, a live sitcom show a la The Brady Bunch. (Feb. 7 @ The Show Cellar at Park Pub)

MUSIC 🎤
R&B master Eric Bellinger sweeps into town. (Feb. 7 @ Rickshaw Theatre)

ACTIVISM 🌎
Veteran environmental organizers lead Wednesday workshops on effective climate action. (Feb. 7 @ North Vancouver District Public Library)

Want to know what else is happening in Vancouver? Check out our events listings.

That’s it!

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