Things to do in Vancouver this week: Nov. 11–17
The Canucks take on the New York Rangers at Rogers Arena, Brett Goldstein opens the week at the Orpheum, and Raffi closes out the weekend at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.
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Wednesday opens wet at 12 to 15 degrees with a 77 percent chance of rain, and Thursday is the best day of the week, overcast at the same temperatures with rain at 56 percent. Friday through Monday turns properly soggy, with Sunday at 100 percent, so that stretch is for indoor plans. Tuesday goes overcast again and cooler at 7 to 10 degrees. Plan the week around a wet middle and two drier edges, and book the theatres, arenas and kitchens first.
Brett Goldstein opens things at the Orpheum on Wednesday at 8 p.m. he is an English actor and writer best known as Roy Kent in Ted Lasso, and he won the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for each of the show's first two seasons. It is a good way to start a rainy week.
Friday is the busiest night. The Canucks host the New York Rangers at Rogers Arena at 7 p.m., and that is the week's biggest crowd. The same evening, BOYNEXTDOOR play the Queen Elizabeth Theatre at 7:30 p.m. on the 'KNOCK ON Vol.2' tour, so you will have to choose. Wolf Parade are at The Pearl for three shows from Friday through Sunday. They are a Canadian indie rock band formed in Montreal in 2003, with Spencer Krug and Dan Boeckner among the members. Eivør with Midori Jaeger return to The Pearl on Tuesday at 8 p.m., tickets from $44 CAD. Jaeger is a cellist, singer and songwriter, and the show is a good midweek escape from the forecast.
For families, Raffi plays two shows at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on Saturday and Sunday. Raffi Cavoukian is the Egyptian-born Armenian-Canadian singer-lyricist behind the mononym, and The Washington Post once called him the most popular children's singer in the English-speaking world. The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra's Liszt Piano Concerto No 1 runs at the Orpheum on Friday and Saturday. Cirque du Soleil's Luzia is under the Big Top from Wednesday through Sunday, and Elf - The Musical is on at the Stanley BFL CANADA Stage from Thursday through Sunday. Houndmouth play the Commodore Ballroom on Thursday at 7 p.m.
Beyond the stage, Kavita and Sumibiyaki Arashi are among Vancouver's picks on OpenTable's new 2026 Top 100 list, and Lee's Donuts has 'coming soon' signs up at 3712 Main St. for its next Vancouver shop, though no opening date is set. At L'Abattoir, Jasper Cruickshank has kept Lee Cooper's foie gras terrine and oysters since taking over the kitchen in March 2025. The Capilano River Hatchery is closed to visitors for a multi-year, $49-million rebuild, so skip the trip this month.
The Templeton is the cheap pick: a diner stop before Friday's puck drop, when the rain is heaviest. Glowbal is the splurge, a pricey lounge bar that suits a night after Wolf Parade or Eivør. For a rainy Sunday, go to Brunch Vancouver | Breakfast & Brunch Restaurant before Raffi.
My own pick for one night out is Wolf Parade at The Pearl on Saturday, because a three-show run from a band that has held together since 2003 is the kind of gig you actually remember, and it lands on the wettest night of the week, when staying in is the wrong call.
