Vancouver's Christian Alvarez specializes in house music that appeals to loungers and dancers alike. Well-regarded for his club productions, the Spanish-Canadian DJ made his first foray into the home-listening market earlier this year with VIP 01, his superb mix for Las Vegas's Swank Recordings

These days, Pat's Pub is where you'll find the likes of alt-country legend Alejandro Escovedo, alt-noise upstarts the Ponys, and local indie gems Lightning Dust

Whether it's to beat the cold, break the ice, or just add that extra ounce of holiday cheer to your step, December always provides a reason to grab your grandpa's medicine. Office-party mistletoe not doing the trick? Brave the winter elements and head out for one of the following drinks, suggested by the bartenders who lovingly pour them

The best tunes of 2007, as selected by Flipout, DJ Leanne, Snail Rider, Kuma, and Jay Auto

Just because Santa is currently working like a mule doesn't mean that you should be doing the same. Things are going to get real quiet around December 25, so get the partying out of your system at one of the following events

Click here for Straight.com's club guide

Straight.com's clubs guide

Straight.com's Club guide

Close to the beach and a five-minute ride from UBC’s main campus, the corner of West 4th Avenue and Blenheim Street has been the site of a long string of student hangouts, the latest being Nevermind. Given the offer to run a bar, local entrepreneur James Iranzad went in with no real plan for what direction the place would take and ended up with a Kitsilano hot spot.

There’s no point going out unless your fellow clubbers are looking your way. We scour the bars for the hotties who get heads turning.

Alongside partners-in-crime Robin Banks and Snailrider, m_muffler (formerly Morgan Muffler) animates Wanted! Thursdays at the Lotus Sound Lounge, an all-inclusive dance weekly that harks back to the multigenre events that characterized Vancouver’s scene in the late 1990s.

Every summer needs a good anthem. This week, we asked five of the city’s best DJs to place their bets on the platters that will matter this season. We’re putting our own money on the Shop Boyz’ stupid-fun “Party Like a Rockstar”, sure to be heard soon at a wedding reception near you.

Free Alizé in the ‘burbs? Discounts for ladies dressed as angels or devils? Ultimate fighting on Granville Street? Oh, yeah, Vancouver’s a Civil City, alright.