It's time again for the Mother of All Street Parties, the one that started it all!
In 2007, the Car-Free Commercial Drive Festival gave around 35,000 people a glimpse of urban paradise --TWICE! Even in the pouring rain, people came out to dance in the streets, at this glorious free-for- all street party thrown BY the people of East Van, FOR the people of East Van. This year we will only be doing one Fest, on Car-Free Vancouver Day (June 15) -- but it's going to be a goodie.
This landmark grass-roots phenomenon features roving artists and performers of all flavours, spontaneous peculiar occurrences, a Soap Box for speechifying, Commercial Drive Merchant Market, organization info tables, Special Kidzone, the Cooperative Way, street hockey, tons of babies and dogs, more crazy bikes than you can shake a stick at, and general merry mayhem. Three perfomance stages include the Grandview Live Stage boasting an eclectic mix of local performers; the Streetbeat Stage featuring Vancouver's best dj's and other dance- oriented movers; and a spokenword stage dishing up spokenword, storytelling, slam poetry and audience activation.
Please come out and help us party like only East Van can! E-mail: drivefest@carfreevancouver.org or call Craig at (604) 320-6560.
Kitsilano
Kitsilano is planning to celebrate Vancouver's Car-Free Day on June 15th with an innovative twist- instead of hosting one big celebration, the neighbourhood will come together with numerous smaller local block parties. These parties will be as individual as the neighbours who have thrown them, but all will be enjoying the benefit of a car-free street in which to get together with other neighbours and celebrate.
The Kitsilano Block Parties Day organizers assist individual blocks and block areas to pull together their own gathering that will, at the same time, form part of the city-wide Car-Free Day.
Learn how: to connect up with neighbours to engage everyone in the party; to plan for fun- potluck food, "open-mike", children's games, street hockey or simply meeting outside in the glorious late spring over coffee; and where to get the street barricades that will allow the party to happen.
If you're interested in learning about hosting a block party or just want to find out more, please email us at kitsilano@carfreevancouver.org
We're looking forward to meeting our Kitsilano neighbours on the streets on the 15th of June. See you there!
Main Street
"Liberty, Equality, Fraternity" - Main Street Car Free Day Festival.
The people of Mount Pleasant have spoken, and they want a message and a festival to call their own. And so it shall be. In conjunction with the good people at Car Free Vancouver Day (see Commercial Drive "originators"), a Main Street contingent is forming to create and deliver more of the same, but different, right in the heart of the community that is MAIN.
Joining forces, combining talents, sharing information and know how, the various Car Free communities (see other locations on this website) will band together to create a network of Car Free streets and parks of Vancouver on Sunday, June 15th, 2008. The Main Street event will likely take place between 12th and 16th Avenues (exact location TBD), between 2-8PM, and will involve the complete closure of Main Street itself. Supported by the Riley Park Residents Association and empowered by activists, local business, scenesters, artists, parents, musicians, walkers, riders, skaters, homies, chillaxers, strollers, concerned citizens, and so on and so forth, The Main Street Car Free Day Festival (or something along those lines) aims to provide a fun, free, safe and stimulating atmosphere for everyone and anyone.
If you would like to get involved in helping to organize this event and/or have any great ideas for it's success, please do not hesitate to contact us at the information provided below. And yes, the City of Vancouver Special Events Department sanctions this event - We have civic immunity! Please come help us build our CIVIL defense: Taking back the streets FOR THE PEOPLE
West End
Our mandate is to celebrate, stimulate and discover our local neighbourhood by closing off Denman Street to cars and handing the space back to you, the community. It's all up to you!
Why a "car-free" festival?
When you take away cars and add a whole lot of community to the street you create a stage for local businesses, artisans, and musicians; a stage for all of us to share and enjoy. It benefits the environment. Gone are the dangers, noises, and pollutions associated with cars and replaced by creativity, smiles and excitement.
Why the West End?West End means so much to all of us, and we all share a responsibility to care for it, and we all have a right to play in it. This neighbourhood is worth celebrating - so come out and join us on June 15th in imagining less cars and more community.
How you can help!
Our event is FREE and is run entirely on a network of volunteers. Volunteers are needed for the 2008 West End Car-Free Festival, taking place on Denman Street from Robson to Davie. We need pre-festival volunteers to help with design, fundraising, and facilitating venues. During the festival we will need help with barricades, stage-crew, setting up and cleaning up venues. Get involved! We need friendly, outgoing people who want to be part of a great event. We want to hear your ideas; this after all is festival for the community by the community.
On Sunday June 15th (Fathers Day), come experience Car-Free Vancouver Day – featuring FOUR simultaneous Community Festivals, each with its own unique flavour and style.
We know that that less cars means more community, and more community means less cars. As the price of gas soars, urban congestion increases, and air quality declines, smart cities around the world are beginning to move away from car-dependency. Vancouver's time is fast approaching. We are taking this one day to visualize our city's future, free of cars!
This massive event is 100% volunteer produced and organized. It's YOUR party. So get involved! Let's reclaim our city by dancing in the streets.
It's time again for the Mother of All Street Parties, the one that started it all!
In
2007, the Car-Free Commercial Drive Festival gave around 35,000 people
a glimpse of urban paradise --TWICE! Even in the pouring rain, people
came out to dance in the streets, at this glorious free-for- all street
party thrown BY the people of East Van, FOR the people of East Van.
This year we will only be doing one Fest, on Car-Free Vancouver Day
(June 15) -- but it's going to be a goodie.
This landmark grass-roots phenomenon features roving artists and performers of all flavours, the Healing Garden, Commercial
Drive Merchant Market, organization info tables, Special Kidzone, the
Cooperative Way, street hockey, tons of babies and dogs, more crazy
bikes than you can shake a stick at, and general merry mayhem. Three
perfomance stages include the Grandview Live Stage boasting an eclectic
mix of local performers; Tribal Harmonix dj dance stage, chill zone by Burn BC (local Burning Man afficionados), Libra Room live stage; and a spokenword stage dishing up spokenword, storytelling, slam poetry and audience activation.
Come join us at the Main Event! Help make the point that streets are for people, not cars. Participate in the celebration that will define the future of our community. The festival will occur between 16th and 12th Avenues starting at 4:00PM until 10:00PM. When you get here you will find a MAINstage where you can get on your good foot, watch a skateboard demo courtesy of the Vancouver Skateboard Alliance and the good people at AntiSocial, watch a film festival of short clips by Happy Bat Cinema, watch a street performance by Fireplay, pick up a stick and play some street hockey, shop for organic local produce at the farmer's market and join the marching band in our opening and closing spectaculars. And there will be more, much more, to keep you smiling, laughing and grooving.
Supported by Mount Pleasant BIA, Riley Park Residents Association and empowered by activists, artists, parents, musicians, walkers, riders, skaters, strollers, concerned citizens, and so on and so forth, The Main Street Car Free Day Festival aims to provide a fun, free, safe and stimulating atmosphere for everyone and anyone.
Join!
If you would like to get involved in helping to organize this event. We need more volunteers. Taking back the streets FOR THE PEOPLE. Setting up will start at 2:00PM - volunteer shifts will go until tear down until 11:00PM.
If you are intersted in general volunteering at the Main Street Car Free Festival please contact us at: mainstreet@carfreevancouver.org
Kitsilano Block Parties Day: 21 parties and counting!
Kitsilano is celebrating Vancouver's Car-Free Festival with an innovative twist -- instead of hosting one big celebration, the neighbourhood will come together on June 15th with a bunch of simultaneous block parties! These parties will be as individual as the people who host them, and all will enjoy that car-free feeling when they get together with other neighbours and celebrate in the street.
You don't have to live in a block of single family homes to host or take part in a block party. People in apartment towers, townhouses and condos have them too! If you're interested in learning about hosting a block party or just want to find out more, please email us at kitsilano@carfreevancouver.org or call Mel Lehan at 604.731.0599.
We can help you out with the city block party application process, and provide you with information on fun party activities, as well as tips to make sure your block party runs smoothly. Check out our Host a Party and Party Tool Kit Links below to find out more, or get in touch with us directly.
We're looking forward to meeting our Kitsilano neighbours on the streets on the 15th of June!
Thanks to everyone who helped make the first annual West End Car-Free Festival a huge success, including the organizers, volunteers, performers and attendees!
Check out our blog below for links to news stories, photos, and videos from the festival.
We need you to help make the party and keep out the cars. A minumum two-hour volunteer shift gets you fed and treated like a rockstar, and invited to the fantastic Work Less Party VOLUNTEER AFTERPARTY.
Did you know that this region is under masive threat by Gateway a highway-building megaproject which would bring thousands more cars into our neighbourhoods as well as destroying Burns Bog, valuable farmland, and the wildlife of our region? Crazy but true! We can stop it. Find out how:
