Right Here – Sept. 17
Dance Centre Open House
Celebrate a decade of dance at an expanded 10th anniversary Scotiabank Dance Centre Open House, where you can pick up a few ballet, flamenco, contemporary dance and Bollywood moves at open classes and workshops, then see how it's really done at a performance by the high-flying dance troupe Aeriosa (thedancecentre.ca). Want another song and dance? Catch the Tony-winning musical The Light in the Piazza at the Norman Rothstein Theatre (until Oct. 9, ticketstonight.ca).
Rainbow Warrior Festival
Help one of the world's best-known environmental groups mark 40 years at the Rainbow Warrior Festival – happening just blocks from the tiny house where it all began. The fest includes live music and speakers, a history area, a kids zone, climbing training, civil disobedience workshops, zodiac tours and more (at Jericho Beach Saturday 11 a.m.-6 p.m., greenpeace.org/canada).
The Big Lebowski Quote-Along
Can't resist quoting classic lines from great films? No need to hold back at the Victoria Film Fest's new Quote-Along Classics Series, where you can dress up as your favourite film characters and quote, yell and curse along to your heart's content. Starts this Saturday with the Coen Brothers classic The Big Lebowski, dude (victoriafilmfestival.com). If you're still feeling cinematic, catch the Victoria Symphony performing orchestral music from classic films including Gone with the Wind, Lord of the Rings, Jaws, Porgy and Bess and more (Saturday, victoriasymphony.ca).
Asahi Baseball Tribute Game
Mark the 70th anniversary of the Asahi Tigers baseball team – the legendary group of Japanese Canadians who swept championships in pre-Second World War Vancouver, then faced violence, racism and internment after Pearl Harbor – at Oppenheimer Park, where you'll find a tribute game, historical displays and refreshments, 70 years to the day from when they played their last game (Sunday, jcnm.ca).
Eat! Fraser Valley
Take a gastronomic journey to Abbotsford for Eat! Fraser Valley, a huge foodie show featuring demos by superstar chefs Rob Feenie, Chuck Hughes and Galloping Gourmet Graham Kerr, as well as a master chef competition, wine and beer tasting, samples from dozens of Fraser Valley restaurants, and over 100 vendors ready to sell you everything you need to eat, drink and be merry (eat-fraservalley.com). For more tasty fun a little further afield, don't miss the Vancouver Island Feast of Fields (Sunday, feastoffields.com).
Gallery Openings
Eyes feeling left out? Check out new shows at many top Metro Vancouver galleries, including photographer Owen Kydd at Monte Clark (until Oct. 15, monteclarkgallery.com), an exploration of chance in art by Rhonda Neufeld and Rodney Konopaki at the Burnaby Art Gallery (until Nov. 13, burnabyartgallery.ca), a video installation by renowned South Korean collective Young-Hae Chang Heavy Industries at the Audain Gallery (until Nov. 5, sfuwoodwards.ca/audain.html), and an exploration of the art of translation in three new exhibits at the Surrey Art Gallery (until Dec. 11, arts.surrey.ca and more).
Fall Festivals
Welcome the fall harvest at the Strathcona Harvest Festival, where you can enter a pie contest, join a potato sack race and bring your prize dish to a community potluck, then catch live music and entertainment (Sunday, strathconaevents.ca); and don't miss the Renfrew Ravine Moon Festival where you'll find a lantern parade, a field tea garden, shadow puppets and free live jazz (Saturday, stillmoon.org). For more earthy entertainment, don't miss the Autumn Shift Festival on Main, a celebration of sustainability, local eating and urban gardening between Broadway and 12th (Saturday, mountpleasantbia.com), or pick up cooking tips, catch fall gardening demos, take in a live show, then ride a train ride through a pumpkin patch at the Lower Lonsdale Fall Festival (Sunday, lowerlonsdalebusinessassociation.com).
Devo
They were new-wave legends in the late 1970s and '80s, and now you can catch Devo as they continue to Whip It three decades later. With Vancouver faves the Pointed Sticks (Sunday, voguetheatre.com). Like vocals that involve a few more octaves? Don't miss ReSounding Ryerson, a benefit for Ryerson United Church that features Vancouver's top choirs including Chor Leoni, Elektra Women's Choir, EnChor, the Vancouver Cantata Singers and more, with Bard on the Beach's Christopher Gaze as emcee (Sunday, brownpapertickets.com).
Don Rickles
Bring your funny bone and see comedy legend and famed curmudgeon Don Rickles, who became known as "The Merchant of Venom" and "Mr. Warmth" for his hilarious insults – and at 85 is still making 'em laugh (at Red Robinson Show Theatre Saturday, ticketmaster.ca).