Things to do in Vancouver this week: July 26–August 1

This week splits clean: three days of heavy rain followed by a genuine clearing that makes Friday and Saturday worth planning around. Sunday starts soggy at the Arch, but the next 48 hours stay grim enough to keep you indoors. By Wednesday the clouds thin out and Thursday turns properly clear and mild—that is when you plan to be outside. It is a week for timing, not just showing up.

Alabama Shakes anchor Sunday evening at Freedom Mobile Arch. The band, formed in Athens, Alabama in 2009, built their reputation on the combination of lead singer and guitarist Brittany Howard's distinctive voice and the band's tightly wound rock foundation. Even on a rain-soaked night, this is the kind of show that justifies leaving the house early in the week. If you want dinner first, Thank You Pizza on Main Street keeps that cozy-room energy that suits a wet Sunday, and it is close enough to the venue that you can move through the evening without friction.

Clue opens at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on Tuesday, July 28 and runs through August 1 with six performances. This is the touring production of the murder-mystery comedy—the kind of play that works best on a night when you want to be inside anyway. Tuesday itself sits squarely in the wet stretch, so the timing aligns. The theatre is downtown and easy to reach from anywhere in the city.

The 2026 Odlum Brown VanOpen Tennis tournament runs Sunday through Tuesday at Hollyburn Country Club in West Vancouver, about 7 kilometres from downtown. Day passes start at $62 on Sunday and $84 Monday and Tuesday. If you are willing to make the short drive out to the North Shore and the rain is not deterring you, professional tennis is worth the outing—particularly Monday if you want to catch the matches before the weather breaks.

Beyond the marquee events, the city is opening and eating well right now. Kozak Ukrainian Restaurant has expanded to the North Shore, bringing handmade pierogies and shashlyk to North Lonsdale—a notable move for a restaurant group that has hired over 100 Ukrainian refugees since 2022. Parker Rooftop, on the ninth floor of a Howe Street building, has launched a summer menu that pairs flame-seared sushi and grilled steaks with handcrafted cocktails, and their Golden Hour runs 3 to 6 p.m. daily. On a clear Friday or Saturday afternoon, that rooftop perspective is worth the climb. Fanny Bay Oyster Bar on Cambie Street has brought back weekend brunch—Saturdays and Sundays, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.—with smoked oyster quiche and house cocktails called Lavender Shafts; it is Michelin-recommended, which means the line moves for a reason.

If you have only one evening free, pick Sunday: Alabama Shakes in the rain, then dinner at The Templeton afterward. A diner, casual, close to the venue, and exactly the kind of place where a live-music night ends well.