Amber Funk Barton stars in Tosca CafeHandout
Tosca Café
Kick off the Vancouver Playhouse season at Tosca Café, an eclectic fusion of dance and theatre inspired by the infamous San Fran watering hole. Stars Vancouver stage veterans Peter Anderson and Dean Paul Gibson, as well as National Ballet legend Rex Harrington – and features music from Puccini to Hendrix (until Oct. 29, vancouverplayhouse.com). More thespianism? Catch Visions of Vancouver, a collection of short plays about our seaside metropolis by some of the city's top scribes (until Oct. 15, pitheatre.com).
Farmer's Markets
Want to whip up an unforgettable Thanksgiving feast? Start with a bounty of local veggies, fruits, meats, cheeses, prepared foods and more from farmers markets at Trout Lake, Kits Community Centre, Nelson Park and in Kerrisdale (eatlocal.org). Or try the 100-metre diet at UBC Farm, where you can pick up tasty victuals and stroll the fields (Saturday, landfood.ubc.ca/ubcfarm), then sate your sweet tooth at Bakers Markets in Vancouver and Coquitlam (bakersmarket.com, tricitiesmarket.blogspot.com).
Cranberry Days
Feeling fruity? Start your morning with a pancake breakfast at the Fort Langley Cranberry Festival (Saturday, cranberryfest.ca), then take a hay wagon ride around a real cranberry bog, or pull on your gum boots and step right in, at Meadows Maze's Cranberry Day (Saturday, meadowsmaze.com).
Thanksgiving Dinners
Let someone else slave over a hot stove at any number of Thanksgiving dinners, including an elegant feast at the Fairmont Empress in Victoria (fairmont.com/empress), turkey and all the trimmings at Kilby Historic Site (kilby.ca), apple bobbing, scarecrow making and tasty pumpkin pie at Huble Homestead in Prince George (hublehomestead.ca), or fancy feasts at Bacchus, the Wedgewood, Seasons in the Park and more.
Sustenance Festival
Speaking of food, learn about living and raw foods, brush up on your dining etiquette, find out how to plate food like the pros, talk food security and take in visual art, live music and theatre at the Sustenance Festival (at the Roundhouse through Oct. 19, ffcf.bc.ca).
Turkey Trot
Need to burn off that third helping of mashed potatoes and gravy? Join the Turkey Trot, the annual Granville Island run, walk and stroll that benefits the Vancouver Food Bank (Monday, turkeytrot.ca), or put a serious dent into your waddle at the Good Life Fitness Victoria Marathon (Sunday, runvictoriamarathon.com). Prefer to do things by half measures? Join the North Shore Half Marathon (Monday, runthenorthshore.com), or seriously reduce your speed at the Sooke Slow Food Cycle (Sunday, sookeslowfoodcycle.com).
Heart As Arena
Explore how ever-shifting forces animate and interrupt communication and relationships in Heart As Arena, an inventive new dance piece by Holy Body Tattoo's Dana Gingras that features top performers – and transmissions from dozens of tiny radios (Saturday, thecultch.com). For more offbeat dance, see the unholy union of ballet and Pink Floyd in Ballet Rocks (through Sunday, balletvictoria.ca).
Canucks Open Practice
Cheer on your hockey heroes as they gear up for their first away game of the season at the annual Canucks Open Practice, where you can also play games, win prizes, and have your photo taken with four major NHL trophies. Just make sure to arrive early (Saturday, canucks.nhl.com). For more athletes on ice, catch Canada's Olympic curling gold medalist Kevin Martin and his stellar squad at the Westcoast Curling Classic (through Monday, westcoastcurlingclassic.com).
Live Music
Hit the town and take in a hearty helping of top indie bands, including Aussie electronic band Cut Copy at the Vogue (voguetheatre.com), the neo-nostalgic Dum Dum Girls at the Electrical Owl (ticketmaster.ca), darkly lyrical Mercury Prize winners Wild Beasts at the Biltmore (biltmore.com), and Floridian garage rockers Jacuzzi Boys at the Waldorf (waldorfhotel.com) – all happening Saturday.
Whistler Turkey Sale
Snowflakes are just around the corner, so gear up at Whistler's famed Turkey Sale, where you can land great deals on new and used ski and snowboard equipment, and check out live music by Animal Nation, Wassabi Collective, Five Alarm Funk and more. Just don't expect to bring home a big bird (through Sunday, whistlerblackcomb.com). Or pick up everything from top-of-the-line gear to bargain rentals at Grouse Mountain's Gear Sale (through Sunday, grousemountain.com).