Hey there. For spring, it’s still pretty chilly. 

I’ve spent this week still wrapped up in big sweaters, swimming in hot tea, and putting off getting my hair cut (because I don’t want my ears to get cold!). That said, it’s hardly the least-seasonal  spring I’ve ever experienced; that would go to the time I went to Toronto in mid-April to see family and got stuck in an ice storm. Never forget the dark days of 2018.

— V.
Senior editor

Botanist Bar’s long-running cocktail lab program is always looking for new ways to draw attention to the spot’s creative drinks menu. The latest of these, Exploration of Microclimates, emphasizes using all five senses to tell a story about a place. William Johnson has more on the locally inspired libations.

In this ‘tattoo to optimism’ musicians and dancers fuse their respective instruments to offer up a collective call for radical joy. Against the backdrop of a towering velvet curtain, Manifesto sets loose a cacophonic wall of sound, grounded in effort and soaring on human energy.

April 16-18, 2026 at the Vancouver Playhouse.

Metropolis at Metrotown turns 40 this spring, and the mega-mall is celebrating its history with a series of throwback programming. From April 13 to June 14, head to the Burnaby retail mainstay for a blast from the past.

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Two-time Emmy and Grammy Award-winner Kathy Griffin is coming to Surrey for one night only on November 8, 2026, at Bell Performing Arts Centre. With her fearless comedy, unapologetic perspective, and razor-sharp punchlines, Kathy Griffin remains one of the most iconic performers in the world of stand-up. ON SALE NOW!

The Year of the Horse galloping in last month sparked a social media stampede of Lunar New Year “trends”, with influencers planning to wear red and not wash their hair. “It’s interesting that everybody is all of a sudden very into Chinese culture,” says standup comic Greta Lin. “I want people to know what it’s like to be in a Chinese time of their lives, every day of their lives.”

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It’s hard to imagine even a decade ago a blue-haired alt girl rapping sexually explicit queer lyrics over maximalist beats getting a toe-hold in music. Thank goodness, then, for the death of the monoculture giving space for TikTok-ready weirdos like Ashnikko to thrive.

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Jonathan Van Ness will bring their highly anticipated new live show, Hot & Healed, to Vancouver for one night only on November 7 at Chan Centre for the Performing Arts. This is a live experience that will be showcasing sides of Jonathan that fans have never seen before. ON SALE NOW!

BOOKS: Nisga’a theatre-maker Cee Peal, the Vancouver Public Library’s Indigenous storyteller in residence, introduces himself. (March 31 @ VPL Central Branch)

THEATRE: Canadian Psycho re-imagines representation as something worth killing for. (March 31 to April 12 @ Firehall Arts Centre)

TALKS: Calling all public transit nerds: TransLink CEO Kevin Quinn is appearing at this breakfast keynote. (April 1 @ Westin Wall Centre, Richmond) 

FOOD & DRINK: Nearly two dozen food trucks will be parked up at UBC this week. (April 1-2 @ UBC Commons)

VISUAL ARTS: Capture It puts local photography centre stage. (April 1-26 @ Gallery George)

MUSIC: The 7th annual Dragon Music Festival celebrates Chinese music old and new. (April 2-5 @ The Annex)

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

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