Vancouver Adventures: Our Picks for April 22 to 28

1. BrickCan – Thursday, April 20 to Sunday, April 23

Canada’s largest adult LEGO convention returns to Richmond to showcase amazing structures and give guests the chance to make their own magical creations. The Lego fan convention takes place across four days with the exhibition opening to the public on Saturday and Sunday.
River Rock Casino Resort, tickets $15 for exhibition on the 22nd and 23rd, various time slots

2. Verses Festival of Words – Thursday, April 20 to Sunday, April 30

Celebrate the spoken word with 10 days of poetry slams, workshops and special events featuring big names such as American rapper, singer and spoken word artist Saul Williams.
$75 festival passes (master classes and workshops extra), various venues

3. Sitka Vancouver pop-up shop – Thursday, April 20 to Sunday, April 23

Vancouver Island’s Sitka clothing brand pops up in Vancouver for one weekend only. Head there on Earth Day evening (April 22, 7 to 10 p.m.) for live music, $3 beers (bring your own mug) and $5 Sitka vodka cocktails. Proceeds go to Pacific Wild to raise funds for the purchase of hydrophones to monitor the effects of tanker traffic noise on the species in the Great Bear Sea.
Little Mountain Shop, 4386 Main Street, Thursday: 12 p.m. to 7 p.m., Friday & Saturday: 10  a.m. to 7 p.m. (event until 10 p.m.), Sunday: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., more information here

4. Party for the Planet – Saturday, April 22

B.C.’s largest Earth Day celebration comes to Surrey for a free fun-filled day of music and circus-style performances across three stages, headlined by Juno Award-nominated singer-songwriter Shawn Hook (pictured). Kids can see exotic animals at the Urban Safari Rescue Society booth or big birds at Raptors Ridge Birds of Prey. Visit the various exhibitors—from rock climbing to road hockey—and learn more about how to go green.
Surrey City Hall Plaza, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., free, more information here

5. Earth Day Parade – Saturday, April 22

Commercial Drive’s seventh annual Earth Day Parade begins at Commercial and Broadway at 1 p.m. and ends at Grandview Park with a festival between 2 to 5 p.m. This family-friendly event is spearheaded by Windermere High School’s Youth for Climate Justice Now and will feature climate activists, speakers and performers, as well as activities and entertainment for all.
Free, Commercial and Broadway at 1 p.m.

6. Record Store Day – Saturday, April 22

Listen to live bands, and get special deals and exclusive releases at Vancouver’s indie record stores this Saturday in celebration of Record Store Day. Check out the website for participating shops and for live band lineups and a list of special releases.
Free

7. 80s vs 90s Night – Saturday, April 22

Nothing makes you feel old like having a retro night with music from your misspent youth—and Fox Cabaret is mashing up two great decades, the 80s and 90s, for a night of nostalgic fun featuring Common People DJs (Guilty Pleasures) and Trevor Risk (The Y2k Party).
Fox Cabaret, 2321 Main Street, doors open 10.30 p.m., 19+ $8 advance, $12 door, more info here

8. The Weeknd – Tuesday, April 25

Starboy: Legend of the Fall World Tour brings enigmatic Torontonian Abel Tesfaye (aka The Weeknd) to Vancouver for a live performance of his genre-defying R&B. Discovered by Drake on YouTube, The Weeknd will be joined by special guests Rae Sremmurd, Belly, and 6lac
7 p.m., Rogers Arena, tickets from $115 (resale)

9. Pi Theatre presents Long Division – Wednesday, April 26 to Sunday, April 30

Seven characters are inextricably linked by an unresolved traumatic event that binds their pasts together. Through excursions into number theory, geometry and logic, this innovative work, directed by Richard Wolfe, with choreography by Lesley Telford and musical score by Owen Belton, demonstrates how the seven people need each other, the audience, and mathematical history and theory to find answers.
Tickets $25 to $30, evening performances and matinees available, Annex Theatre, 823 Seymour Street

10. Timeraiser – Thursday, April 27

An art auction with a difference, Timeraiser lets you bid on original pieces by investing volunteer time instead of dollars. Bidders have one year to finish the volunteer hours at a local not-for-profit and then can claim the art, which is donated by up-and-coming Canadian artists.
Tickets $15 to $21.50, 8 p.m. to 11 p.m., The Permanent, 330 West Pender Street