Vancouver Adventures: Our Picks for October 5 to 11

Magic at a speakeasy, DIY puppet monsters, a haunted trolley ride + more

1. VIFF — Until Friday, October 11

Vancouver International Film Festival returns with more than 320 films and events—including the largest Canadian film program in the world—while playing host to approximately 400 industry professionals from around the globe.
Details online

2. Hidden Wonders — Friday, October 4 to Saturday, October 26

Experience a speakeasy-style magic show in a secret Chinatown location for a limited time only as Shawn Farquhar’s Cabaret of Wonders comes to Vancouver for a special set of performances. Hidden behind a fake business facade, the 75-minute intimate magic entertainment experience features effects exclusively designed for the venue, as well as several that Shawn created to win the world championship, impress Ellen, and fool Vegas’s Penn and Teller on their hit television show Fool Us.
Performances take place at a secret location; Tickets $25 to 60; Details online

3. Lil Monster Puppet Making Workshop — Saturday, October 5

MoA’s puppet artist-in-residence and Vancouver’s “puppet doctor,” Dusty Hagerüd, will lead you through the day where you’ll learn about the parts and materials, the mechanics and the making of a puppet. Dusty will also help you develop your puppet’s character and voice. Get inspired, let your inner child play, and make some new friends—puppet and human alike.
Museum of Anthropology, 6393 N.W. Marine Drive, Vancouver; 18 and up; 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Details online

4. Papi’s and Friends Dinner — Saturday, October 5

Papi’s Seafood and Oyster Bar‘s chef Max Straczek will share the spotlight with two fellow alumni of Top Chef Canada when he welcomes Mark Singson and Wallace Wong for a Papi’s and Friend’s Collaborative Chefs Dinner. Guests will enjoy a welcome reception before a culinary collaboration that showcases their respective styles.
Papi’s Seafood and Oyster Bar, 1193 Denman Street, Vancouver; Tickets $79 per person, plus taxes and gratuity; Details online

5. Seaweed Pressing Workshop — Sunday, October 6

Learn to press and preserve seaweed in a variety of colours, texture, and sizes. Discover how to identify some common West Coast species, ethically collect your harvest, and then store it properly. Create three mounted specimens in a DIY plant press to take home. 
VanDusen Botanical Garden, 5251 Oak Street, Vancouver; Members $49.50 and non-member $55; 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. or 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.; Details online

6. Sunday Night Movie Series — Sunday, October 6, 13, 20 & 27

Fraserhood hangout and beer hall Bells and Whistles gives cinephiles a front-row seat to some classic flicks during its Sunday Night Movie Series, which continues this October starting with the screening of Major League on October 6th. During each screening, guests can also take advantage of late happy hour specials from 10 p.m. to close.
Bells and Whistles, 3296 Fraser Street, Vancouver; 9 p.m.; Details online

7. Hawksworth Young Chef Scholarship Fundraiser — Monday, October 7

For one night only Chef Phil Scarfone (Nightingale) is joined by Chef Renée Lavallée of The Canteen and Little C Take-Out (Nova Scotia) and Chef David Hawksworth to prepare a multi-course feast in support of the Hawksworth Young Chef Scholarship Foundation. Proceeds from ticket sales support the foundation.
Nightingale, 1017 West Hastings, Vancouver; Tickets $175, including wine, taxes and gratuity; 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Details online

8. National Geographic Live: Standing at Water’s Edge — Tuesday, October 8

Adventurers, environmental enthusiasts, and anyone interested in enchanting storytelling won’t want to miss Canadian explorer Cristina Mittermeier take the stage at the historic Orpheum Theatre for National Geographic Live. Cristina will share her investigations of sustainable living in communities such as the Kayapó of Brazil and the Inuit of Greenland.
Orpheum Theatre, 601 Smithe Street, Vancouver; 7 p.m.; Tickets from $52; Details online

9. Fall Exhibition Opening — Thursday, October 10

Visit Vancouver’s Contemporary Art Gallery for an evening of art and mingling to celebrate the launch of the new exhibition season and preview new shows by Ingrid Koenig, Sreshta Rit Premnath and Olivia Whetung. With the galleries open until 9 p.m., free admission and a cash bar open all evening, this is a great way to see the exhibitions before they open to the public the next day.
Vancouver Contemporary Art Gallery, 555 Nelson Street, Vancouver; Free; Details online

10. Haunted Vancouver Trolley Tour — Friday, October 11 to Thursday, October 31

Sightseeing gets pretty spooktacular this month as the Haunted Vancouver Trolley Tour takes a jaunt through the city’s spookiest sights, with plenty of ghost stories and historical horrors to keep everyone entertained this Halloween. 
Canada Place, 999 Canada Place, Vancouver; Tickets from $59; Details online