Mood Swing (July 24, 2025)
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Promo image for happenstance art collective’s paper goods fest on saturday, july 26, with art by Erica Leong (@ehyleong)
You know what they say: another Thursday, another edition of Mood Swing! Is anyone else wondering how it’s almost August already? Vancouver summers can be tough. It feels like we endure eons of gloom for a few fleeting months of sunshine and by the time the fall rolls around, we’re kicking ourselves for not getting out and doing more.
If the summer scaries are starting to get to you too, fear not, I have a full itinerary of events, workshops and activities to help you embrace the season. Whether you want to try an outdoor drawing class, discover Vancouver’s amazing ballroom scene or stargaze to some curated ambient tunes, there’s still a lot more summer left to enjoy. If you’d like some help making the most of it make sure to subscribe to the Mood Swing newsletter to get more events sent straight to your inbox every Thursday!
PAPER GOODS FEST ☆ A local art market hates to see me and my endless collection of stickers and postcards coming. If you’re anything like me, you’ll definitely want to check out the first-ever Paper Goods Fest at Container Brewing this Saturday, July 26. The pop-up paper party is being hosted by happenstance, a collective of local artists, and will feature tons of cool stickers, zines and prints for sale, plus a DIY table where you can unleash your creativity and make your own work of paper art.
SATURDAY JULY 26, 12:30PM - 4:30PM ☆ CONTAINER BREWING, 1216 FRANKLIN ST ☆ FREE!
OUTDOOR DRAWING CLASS ☆ Ever wish you could immortalize the beauty of summer without the need for your phone camera? Learn the tricks to capturing flora, fauna and foliage in this outdoor drawing class from Drawn Outdoors Club on Wednesday, July 30. The two and a half hour mixed media session is hosted by local illustrator Becky Hill during golden hour in Stanley Park and has an option that includes a sketchbook and various drawing materials, or you can save some cash by bringing your own!
WEDNESDAY JULY 30, 5:30PM - 8PM ☆ STANLEY PARK ☆ TICKETS ($30-40)
POSH BALL ☆ I truly do not have the space in this roundup to express how talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show-stopping (NEED I GO ON?) ballroom culture is. If you’ve never attended a ball, I need you to RUN to Van Vogue Jam’s next annual Posh Ball this Saturday, July 26 at The Pearl. Themed after iconic films, directors, characters and actors, you can catch performers working the runway to categories like Wizard of Oz, old Hollywood and the world of Hitchcock. If you’re already part of Vancouver’s ballroom community or looking to get more involved, Van Vogue Jam is also hosting a full day of workshops followed by a community potluck on Sunday, July 27 with tickets at only $5.
SATURDAY JULY 26, 7PM - 12AM ☆ THE PEARL, 881 GRANVILLE ST ☆ TICKETS ($45)
MUSIC & STARGAZING ☆ Do you love to stare wistfully up at the night sky and ponder just how small we are in the grand scheme of the universe? Then boy, do I have the event for you! Patchbay Neighborhood Sound Lab is hosting another edition of Satellite, an outdoor ambient music concert and stargazing event in Elm Park on Thursday, July 24. Bring a picnic blanket and some cozy layers, sip on warm drinks, peer through telescopes and drift into the night sky to the gentle, ambient music from resident artists Olivia Valenza and Charlie Cooper.
THURSDAY JULY 24, 9PM - 11:30PM ☆ ELM PARK, 5800 ELM ST ☆ FREE! (REGISTER)
CLAY CLUB ☆ If you’ve been dying to get in the mud and play with some clay, then Slice of Life’s Clay Club hosted by Anna Gouthro Phillips (@a.g.pottery) is the place to do it. Clay Club offers incredibly affordable drop-in ceramics at only $20 per visit every Monday and Thursday evening. Each visit includes either two pounds of clay or five ounces of underglaze and free rein to handbuild and paint your masterpiece, limited only by your imagination (and the medium of ceramics). No direct instruction is provided, but Anna is around to supervise, answer questions and fire your piece for you!
MONDAYS AND THURSDAYS, 5PM - 9PM ☆ SLICE OF LIFE, 1636 VENABLES ST ☆ TICKETS ($20)
