Stephen Rees’s blog

BIG NEWS! for all all Car-Free Volunteer superheroes….the time has come…spread the word…

CAR-FREE VANCOUVER DAY is happening! Sunday, June 15 (Fathers Day) 2008

YOU are the people who made the Car-Free Commercial Drive Festival such a groundbreaking, pavement-popping success, proving that massive, grass-roots, volunteer-led car-free events can and will happen. The people jive, businesses thrive, and our streets come alive. Since 2005 we have been throwing it down in East Van to celebrate our neighbourhood, with up to 50,000 people coming out to play in the street (even in the pouring rain!). Now is our chance take the next step, and revel in a car-free vision of our future city.

Car-free Vancouver Day will comprise half a dozen Car-Free Festivals throughout the city, happening more-or-less simultaneously, each with its own distinctive flavour and style. Every Festival is independently organized and pruduced, with 100% volunteer labour.

YOU ARE INVITED TO CO-CREATE THE DREAM

Each Community Festival is now organizing into festival PODS. A ‘pod’ is an independent crew who take an idea and runs with it… such as site management, spoken word, DJ, bike circus, street food, kids zone, yoga, healing, street hockey, barricades, volunteer, recycling, live music, and so on (you get the idea). They report to the overall ‘organizer’ pod to seek guidance, support, and (sometimes) modest funding as needed. Also needed are artists, designers, tech peeps, poster crews, logistics gurus, stage managers, puppeteers, and weather doctors.

Last but far from least, each Fest will depend on a small army of day-of helpers to staff barricades, set up, clean up, run about, and make sure everything runs strictly in accordance with the rules of joyful chaos. So if you want to contribute on the day-of, for an hour or two or more, please put your name forward and we will get back to you as the date gets closer.

And don’t think you necessarily need to participate in your “home” community — this is our city, and it belongs to all of us.

So please, come to one of the following organizing meetings, or contact the relevant organizer NOW! It’s time to take back our streets…for FUN!

Our website is www.carfreevancouver.org –  check it out and sign up now for fast-breaking news, info and discussion. For more info about Car-Free Vancouver Day email info@carfreevancouver.org

CAR-FREE COMMUNITY FESTIVALS

CAR-FREE CAMBIE STREET FESTIVAL Tuesday February 12th, 7-9pm at Douglas Park Community Centre,  Orca Room, 801 22nd Avenue West (at Willow) Info: amy@happyplanet.com or call Amy at 604.873-9987

CAR-FREE COMMERCIAL DRIVE FESTIVAL Wednesday, February 13th from 7-9pm at 1707 Charles Street (the Turks building), around the side through the wooden gate. Info: drivefest@carfreevancouver.org or call Craig at 604.320.6560.

CAR-FREE MAIN STREET FESTIVAL Sunday February 17th,  2pm at Mount Pleasant Community Centre, 3161 Ontario Street at 16th, Arts & Crafts Room Info: mainstreet@carfreevancouver.org

CAR-FREE WEST END FESTIVAL Monday, February 25, 7pm at Gordon Neighbourhood House 1019 Broughton St. (@ Nelson).   Info: westend@carfreevancouver.org or call Dave at 604-646-4615

CAR-FREE MARPOLE FESTIVAL Thursday February 28, 7pm at Marine Court Housing Co-op Common Room, 1599 West 71 Ave (across the street from Mackie Park. The common room is in building 1 by the mailboxes. Info: marpole@carfreevancouver.org or call Claudia at 604.418.8232

CAR-FREE KITSILANO FESTIVAL Kits is doing something a little different – planning to blanket the neighbourhood streets with individual block parties. Please participate or be a block-party host for your street! A block-party organizers workshop is upcoming. Info: kitsilano@carfreevancouver.org or call Mel at 604.731.0599.