Still from Conan O'Brien Live, showing at teh Best of Hot Docs at the Vancity Theatre on Seymour St. in Vancouver.Supplied
The Cheaper Show
Is your visual art collection more IKEA than MOMA? Head for The Cheaper Show, a fun show and sale where 200 top artists offer up paintings, photographs, prints, sculptures and more for just $200 dollars apiece. But get there early, because the lineups start hours before the doors open (Saturday, thecheapershow.com).
The Chosen Ones
Now that your walls are taken care of, spruce up your spring wardrobe at The Chosen Ones Summer Market at the Waldorf, where you'll find hand-picked vintage from hand-picked vendors (Saturday and Sunday, waldorfhotel.com), or at the Portobello West fashion and art market - now at the new Creekside Community Centre (Sunday, portobellowest.com).
Rihanna
She grew up in Barbados, skyrocketed to superstardom in America, got tangled in a domestic abuse case, and bounced back with a blockbuster album and sold-out stadiums - all before the age of 23. Now you can check out Rihanna's powerhouse Loud tour at Rogers Arena (Saturday, ticketmaster.ca). More hit makers? You'll find Celtic rockers the Dropkick Murphys at the Commodore (ticketmaster.ca), local blues legend Jim Byrnes at the Yale (theyale.ca) and freshly reunited indie folk faves Two Gallants at the Media Club (ticketweb.ca).
Best of Hot Docs
Find out what happened to Nim, the 1970s chimp who was raised like a human child, follow comedian Conan O'Brien on his post- Tonight Show live tour, board a Somali pirate ship, and ride with famed Formula One driver Ayrton Senna at the Best of Hot Docs - top films from Toronto's favourite doc fest (viff.org). Like your cinema a little dustier? Don't miss unforgettable Anthony Mann westerns including The Naked Spur, The Far Country and The Man From Laramie at Pacific Cinémathèque (through June 30, cinematheque.bc.ca).
Greek Day
Go Greek and enjoy a day of great food, live entertainment, great food, kids activities, and great food along West Broadway from Macdonald to Blenheim at the fun and free 21st annual Greek Day (Sunday, greekday.com).
Strawberry Festival
Still have a little room left after all that souvlaki, dolmades and spanakopita? Head for the Strawberry Festival, a sweet fundraiser for the West End Seniors' Network that comes complete with baked goods, a cake walk, kids games, fortune telling, live music, an arts and books sale, and yummy strawberry shortcake (Saturday, wesn.ca)
East Side Pride
Put on your colours and mark the 42nd anniversary of the Stonewall Riots with a day of LGBT-friendly live music, dance, artisans and info booths at East Side Pride in McSpadden Park, located at Victoria and 5th (Saturday, vancouverpride.ca).
Carnaval del Sol
Summer may have only arrived on the calendar, but you can feel the heat at Carnaval del Sol, a celebration of Latin American culture that includes a soccer street tournament featuring a few Vancouver Whitecaps and Mayor Gregor Robertson, salsa and Zumba street dancing, live performances, and an authentic Latin open-air food court and marketplace (along Granville Mall Sunday, latincouver.ca). And you won't have to look both ways, because Granville Mall is now closed to traffic on weekends through Labour Day (vancouver.ca).
MEC Bikefest
Celebrate all things bicycle-related at MEC Bikefest, where you can try out new bikes and cycling gear, watch demos, pick up tips from top pros, and maybe even go home with a shiny new steed (at the former Olympic Athletes Village plaza Saturday, mec.ca). Then join a pack of cyclists as they finish the final leg of a 1,200-kilometre journey that has raised more than $600,000 for cystic fibrosis - or save your quads and calves and head straight for the finish line at BC Children's Hospital for a barbecue, live music, prizes and more (gearup4cf.org).