Vancouver Adventures: Our Picks for May 6 to 12

This week: celebrate Cinco de Mayo, check out a night market, learn how to identify mushrooms + more

 

1. Illumination Summer Night Market – Friday, May 5 to Sunday, September 10

Be dazzled by Richmond’s new Illumination Summer Night Market, which features a world travel theme (including a 17-metre tall LED-lit Eiffel Tower) and numerous lanterns as part of North America’s biggest summer light display. Food and merchandise stalls will keep everyone fed and entertained, and admission is free on opening weekend!
Friday and Saturday from 7 p.m. to midnight; Sunday from 7 to 11 p.m., and long weekends from 7 to midnight
12631 Vulcan Way (behind Home Depot on Sweden Way), $3

 

2. Shipyards Night Market – Friday, May 5 to Friday, September 29

Fresh food, locally made products, musicians, art and live entertainment come to Shipbuilders’ Square for the weekly Friday night markets. Make a night of it with over 40 food trucks and a beer garden selling local craft beer, cider and Betty’s Vodka Iced Tea.
Friday nights, 5 to 10 p.m.

 

3. Cinco de Mayo – Friday, May 5 & Saturday, May 6

Get ready for a fiesta at Cinco de Mayo en la Casa de Amigos 2017! Enjoy gourmet tacos, ceviche, churros and other hand-held Mexican street-style foods, alongside live entertainment of traditional Mexican folk dancing, luchador wrestlers and Mariachi bands, as well as tequila cocktails, of course.
Friday 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. and Saturday 3 p.m. to 11 p.m.
UBC Robson Square, 800 Robson Street; $18.95 plus GST

 

4. PetSmart National Adoption Weekend – Friday, May 5 to Sunday, May 7

Head to your local PetSmart this weekend to meet a bunch of adoptable little furry friends. Held four times a year, the quarterly events bring together local animal adoption charities to showcase pets in need of a home.

 

5. Got Craft? Saturday, May 6 & Sunday, May 7

Looking for Mother’s Day gifts? Got Craft? celebrates its 10th anniversary this year with 75 handmade makers (including 40 per cent new vendors), nibbles from Melt City Grilled Cheese, and letter-writing workshops hosted by The Anthropology of Giving. The first 50 people at the event each day will get amazing swag bags filled with locally made goodies.
Maritime Labour Centre, 1880 Triumph Street, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Tickets online for $3 or at the door for $5

 

6. DJ Mustard – Saturday, May 6

The producer behind some of rap’s biggest hits for artists including Snoop Dogg, T.I, Wiz Khalifa and Drake, L.A.’s DJ Mustard comes to Vancouver for a show that’s bound to be full of big beats and danceable tunes.
Celebrities Nightclub, 1022 Davie Street, 10:30 p.m., $45

 

7. Opus Outdoor Painting Challenge – Sunday, May 7

Professional plein air painters and novice artists who love the great outdoors can all take part in this al fresco art challenge. Pre-register to join the Painting Zone and try something new this Sunday. All of the art created that day will be on display between 3:30 and 4:30 p.m.
10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; various locations in B.C.; free

 

8. Learning to Identify Mushrooms – Tuesday, May 9

Learn how to identify edible (and non-edible!) mushrooms with mycologist Willoughby Arevalo in this informative workshop, which teaches the core principles and skills of mushroom identification and teaches broad concepts and tools for the beginner to intermediate mushroomer.
Homestead Junction, 649 East Hastings; 6 to 8 p.m., $25

 

9. After Hours Trivia – Thursday, May 11

Put your aquatic knowledge to the test at the Vancouver Aquarium’s first trivia-themed After Hours. Take part in a Q & Ray while stroking the stingrays, discover dangerous animals in an interpretive talk, or play Jeopardy-inspired trivia.
Vancouver Aquarium, 845 Avison Way
6 to 10 p.m., 19+; tickets are only available online: $23 for members and $31 for non-members

 

10. Traces of Words – Thursday, May 11

Celebrate the opening of the Museum of Anthropology’s new exhibition, Traces of Words: Art and Calligraphy from Asia, which honours the special significance that written forms hold across many diverse cultures in Asia. Highlights include an interactive, 360-degree projected world from ultra technologists teamLab, a large-scale calligraphy performance by Kimura Tsubasa, set to a stunning improvisational soundtrack by cellist Marina Hasselberg (7:15 p.m.) and live South Asian music by Muhammed Assani (sitar) and Khalfan Kaba (tabla).