I’ve come across a serious problem while putting this list together every week: a debilitating case of FOMO—fear of missing out. I’m a serial planner, so often I find my time booked up before I even discover some of the super cool events featured. This month has been particularly dreadful, since I’ve been away on a work trip to Toronto that’s now bled into a family visit in Calgary.

While I’m grateful to have fulfilled my lifelong dream of visiting Niagara Falls, I am simply devastated to miss some of the absolute banger events on this week’s list. So please, for me, take some time this week to tip a drag artist, drink some chai or share an excerpt from your high school diary, and don’t forget to subscribe to the Mood Swing newsletter to get the list straight to your inbox every Thursday!

BAD DRAG ☆ Don’t let the name fool you — Bad Drag features some of the city’s hottest performers trying out new and experimental acts for one low price. The next edition is hosted by Amy Grindhouse of Enby 6, will have happy hour all night (!!!) and grants you free access to the Birdhouse’s Cheap & Cheerful dance party. Just make sure you spend some of those dollars you saved on drinks and admission by tipping the hard-working artists on stage!

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 8PM ☆ THE BIRDHOUSE, 44 W 4TH AVE ☆ TICKETS ($5)

BOOKMARK SEWING WORKSHOP ☆ Join Centre A, a public art gallery for contemporary Asian art, in marking the reopening of their Reading Room with an afternoon of free crafts and poetry readings! Learn kantha, a Bengali embroidery technique, to transform fabric scraps into a unique bookmark. Materials, instructions and refreshments will be provided.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 1PM - 4PM ☆ CENTRE A, 205-268 KEEFER ST ☆ FREE!

DIWALI GULLY MARKET ☆ Celebrate Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, early at this street party that brings India’s bustling gullies straight to Vancouver. Organized by Queer Art Exchange and the Punjabi Market Collective, the market will feature delicious food, hot chai, Desi drag artists and a live bhangra class!

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 11AM - 4PM ☆ PUNJABI MARKET PLAZA, MAIN ST & E 50TH AVE ☆ FREE!

TRUTH & RECONCILIATION DAY ☆ If you get the day off work for National Truth and Reconciliation Day, consider spending some time remembering victims and honouring survivors of colonial violence. Join a collective of local Indigenous advocacy groups for an honour walk at 11 a.m. from the Vancouver Aboriginal Community Policing Centre to Grandview Park, where you can enjoy live performances and an Indigenous market.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 11AM - 3PM ☆ GRANDVIEW PARK ☆ FREE!

TEEN ANGST OPEN MIC ☆ Calling all drama queens and cringe lords! Enabling Arts is hosting a Teen Angst Poetry Open Mic night, encouraging participants to read straight from their old journals and reminisce together about the melodrama of youth. The focus will be on QTBIPOC performers (arrive early if you want to sign up), but all are welcome to watch!

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 6:30PM - 9:30PM ☆ ENABLING ARTS, 343 RAILWAY ST ☆ TICKETS ($10)

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Mood Swing (September 25, 2025)