Hey there. We thought it was fall, but actually: it's election season!!!

If the prospect of wading through the municipal election wasn't enough for you, then worry not: the B.C. government, in its infinite wisdom, has gifted the people of this fair province with a provincial election too. 

We'll no doubt have more on both of the upcoming elections in the weeks to come, so now is a great time to make sure you're registered to vote. Strap in—it's going to be a bumpy ride.

— V.
Senior editor

In Deadly Dinner Party, a closed-room murder mystery gets an absurd twist. Instead of a classic detective story, the audience is in charge of figuring out which comedian did the deed. “Every show is going to be a little bit different,” Alan Pavlakovic, artistic director at the Improv Centre, tells the Straight. “And even the improvisers aren’t going to truly know who the murderer is until the very end.”

Our journalism is only possible because of the Straight Insiders. 

In a time when technology is taking over jobs, the Straight remains what it has always been: a small team of scrappy journalists, doing our best to cover the stories that matter to the city we all love.

For just $8.25 per month—the cost of one fancy latte—you can help support the 60-year legacy of the Georgia Straight. In exchange for your hard-earned money, we've got a huge range of deals, discounts, and free tickets up for grabs—but only for Insiders. 

Right now that includes free tickets to see our September comedy cover stars in action (Emily Woods, Mark Thomson, Jess Lupini, and Sean McDonnell), as well as our ongoing dining deals with restaurants like Minami, Pourhouse, Dovetail, and Prophecy.

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Remember 2023? It was a year when there wasn't a major election—a rarity, given all the general, provincial, municipal, and by-elections that have happened since then. Remember just a few weeks ago, when it felt like one municipal election was all we had to worry about? Well, not anymore. Editor in chief Nathan Caddell breaks down why Premier Eby might regret calling a snap election.

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When a viral video upends a tech worker’s life, a crisis therapy session takes unexpected turns. From Vancouver’s award-winning theatre company The Search Party comes JOB, a gripping psychological thriller by Max Wolf Friedlich that examines what happens when online life collides with offline reality.

There's more than one film festival taking over Vancouver this October. The fiercely independent OFF-VIFF is full of weird, wacky, and wonderful programming, from beloved comedy King Baby to cult trans filmmaker Louise Weard's Castration Movie Chapter III. Find the full lineup here.

After earning a PhD at UC Berkeley, Katie Sardinha returned to her family’s organic orchard in Summerland. Now she’s thinking about more than fruit: healthy soil, biodiversity, resilient farms and a stronger connection between growers and consumers. Meet a young farmer rethinking what B.C. agriculture can become. Read her story.

It'When you can get Queens of the Stone Age to deign to be your support act, you know you're a big deal. Foo Fighters brought an absurdly long set packed with hits to Vancouver's biggest stage, and Tom Paille caught it on camera.

MUSIC: Big Thief will steal your heart. (September 24 @ Malkin Bowl)

TALKS: Economist Stephanie Kelton wants to make you rethink government spending, deficits, and debt. (September 24 @ Vancouver Playhouse)

THEATRE: A young couple (and their parents) get caught up in moving-day complications in Things My Mother Taught Me. (September 24 to October 11 @ Bernie Legge Theatre, New Westminster)

TALKS: Trailblazing scholar Susan Stryker discusses her new book, Changing Gender. (September 24 @ SFU Harbour Centre)

THEATRE: Sarah Rowland's one-woman Fringe hit Big Tips: The Rise and Fall of a '90s Bar Star revisits a Vancouver that no longer exists. (September 25 @ Museum of Vancouver)

FILM: Prudes, avert your eyes: HUMP! Film Festival is back with even more intimate erotica. (September 25-26 @ Rio Theatre)

FOOD & DRINK: We all know Vancouverites are flaky, but are we as flaky as the limited-edition pastries in the Metro Vancouver Croissant Crawl? (September 25 to October 4 @ various locations)

LIVING: Harvest Days will make you fall in love with the city's tranquil garden. (September 26 to October 18 @ VanDusen Botanical Garden)

CULTURE: Celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival with the inaugural Hakka Youth Fire Dragon Ritual and Cultural Festival, featuring Chinese unicorn dancing, poetry, lantern decorating, and more. (September 27 @ Chinatown Memorial Square)  

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

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