Vancouver Adventures: Our Picks for October 31 to November 6

This week: Discover the secrets of Stanley Park, celebrate Diwali, attend Shakespeare’s unmentionable drama + more

The Full Indie Summit – October 31

If you’re looking to geek out among fellow gamers in the flesh, the Full Indie Summit is the convention for you. This full-day gathering features presentations and panel discussions by some of the industry’s top independent developers. Since its 2010 inauguration, the Full Indie group has grown to nearly 3,000 members—guaranteeing a good turnout for their largest event of the year.

Vancouver Convention Centre, 1055 Canada Place, East Building
9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; $35

The 15th Annual Vancouver Art Guild Winter Salon – November 1

Kitsilano has been a creative hub ever since its hippie heydays, making the Jericho Hill Centre a fitting spot to show off some of today’s local fine artists—more than 30 of them in total. The Vancouver Art Guild’s 15th annual Winter Salon is free to attend, which provides added incentive for Vancouverites who want to support locally produced art.

Jericho Hill Centre, 4196 West 4th Avenue
11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Secrets of Lost Lagoon: Historical Walking Tour – November 1

It may not come as a big surprise that Vancouver’s most iconic public park has its fair share of secrets. The Stanley Park Ecology Society invites you to learn the relatively unknown history of Vancouver’s most famous man-made urban lake: Lost Lagoon. The two-hour walking tour includes captivating stories, rare historical photographs and a whole lot of fresh air.

Starts at Stanley Park Nature House on the south-east shore of Lost Lagoon
1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.; $5 for SPES members, $10 for non-members

Sip and Savour – November 2

Who doesn’t love indulging in good food and drinks for a great cause? B.C. Women’s Hospital invites you to do exactly that at its Sip and Savour event, a fundraiser for BC Women’s Newborn ICU in partnership with Numpfer organic bibs and blankets. CTV News anchor and women’s and children’s health advocate Tamara Taggart will be hosting the event.

The Pipe Shop at the Shipyards, 115 Victory Ship Lane, North Vancouver
$60

Diwali Fest – November 3 to 15

Travel to South Asia this weekend without leaving home as Diwali Fest kicks off across the Lower Mainland. Diwali, the biggest festival in the Hindu calendar, will be celebrated at participating locations throughout Vancouver, Surrey and Richmond. The festival’s great variety of events includes cooking classes, Bollywood performances, traditional sari wrapping, mehndi henna hand painting, and rangoli design workshops. View the full schedule of events online.

Various venues throughout Vancouver, Surrey and Richmond

Credit: Vision Photo

The Success Luncheon – November 4

The Dress for Success team is inviting the women of Vancouver to join them for an inspiring lunch designed to cultivate power, respect and success in the workplace. The three-hour Success Luncheon includes a networking reception, seated meal and panel discussion with an exciting keynote lineup comprised of Christine Marks, Rachel Lewis, Jessica Macht and Fiona Forbes. In addition to holding several annual events, DFS donates professional attire to the unemployed to promote the economic independence of disadvantaged women.

Pan Pacific Hotel Vancouver, 999 Canada Place
11 a.m. to 2 p.m., $100 (with $50 tax receipt) for individual tickets, $1,250 for a full 10-seat table

Startup Canada’s #EveryEntrepreneur Tour – November 4

Join Startup Canada at the Vancouver stop of their nationwide tour this week to gain tips on how to kick-start your next company. The local event, which features Second Cup Co-Founder Frank O’Dea and Moxie Trades CEO Marissa McTasney, includes bootcamp-style training sessions and one-on-one mentorship on such key topics as branding and finance, and helps you build valuable connections with organizations that offer funding and support to start ups.

Imperial Theatre, 319 Main Street
8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Credit: Ballet BC

Ballet BC Presents Program 1 – November 5 to 7

Ballet BC soars into their 30th anniversary season with a compilation of contemporary choreography that will change the way you think about ballet. The three-work Program 1 series is composed of New Work by Stijn Celis, Solo Echo by Crystal Pite and Twenty Eight Thousand Waves by Cayetano Soto—three unique pieces by celebrated choreographers who are reshaping the future of the classical dance genre.

Queen Elizabeth Theatre, 650 Hamilton Street Vancouver
8 p.m.; Tickets starting at $21.50

Vancouver Asian Film Festival – November 5 to 8

The 19th annual Vancouver Asian Film Festival sets out to ask, “What’s your role?” with a weekend-long event that explores the complexities of personal and cultural identity. VAFF 2015 will take over the Cineplex Odeon International Village Cinemas in the heart of Vancouver’s Chinatown district with 38 feature-length and short films, all offered in English or with English subtitles. This year’s impressive lineup includes one world premiere, four North American premieres and 13 Canadian premieres.

Cineplex Odeon International Village Cinemas, 88 West Pender Street

Macbeth – November 6 to 15

Shakespeare’s most cursed play is coming to town this fall, but it isn’t the Renaissance version you’re used to. Following their sold-out run at the 2015 Vancouver Celtic Festival with their production of The Weir, Standing Room Only Theatre has adapted Macbeth‘s age-old story of murder and betrayal to fit their own eccentric theatrical style.

Various times
The Cambrian Hall, 215 East 17th Avenue