[raggedy13]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

Nice renderings. They conveniently leave out the massive downpours that will happen about 12 out of the 16 nights.

Luckily they didn't leave it out in their planning...

2010 party plazas will bury city's 'no-fun' reputation: Vancouver mayor


BY DAMIAN INWOOD, CANWEST NEWS SERVICE
OCTOBER 7, 2009 3:31 PM


Two party plazas in the heart of Vancouver, costing a total of $18 million, will be packed with 13,000 revellers during the 2010 Olympics, say organizers.

And Mayor Gregor Robertson said the fact that alcohol will be served at the smaller LiveCity Site, at Georgia and Cambie, should go a long way to dispelling the city's "no- fun" image.

"It will be the final nail in that coffin," said Robertson. "This is not a 'no-fun' city. I think we'll demonstrate that in spades at these Olympics."

The downtown site at Georgia and Cambie will have a capacity of 3,000 people and will be a "chalet-style" environment including the $10-million Canada House pavilion, a Manitoba pavilion and Tourism Vancouver pavilion.

"The downtown site is more for food and drink," said Robertson. "We'll have some alcohol so people can stop by between events, have a glass of wine and watch some events on the big screens there."

It will be open from 11 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. during the Olympics and from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m., Thurs. to Sun., during the Paralympics.

The Yaletown site at David Lam Park will have a capacity of 10,000 and be a no-alcohol zone.

Robertson said that there have been few fears raised by Yaletown residents about late-night noise.

"We had a lot of feedback from residents in Yaletown who wanted to be sure it was going to happen," he added. "They were concerned that we might have to chop away and there would only be one site and it would be downtown. It will be late-night revelry — but it's only for those 16 days.

Robertson said there will be airport-style "mag-and-bag" security screening to prevent problems like the bomb placed in a garbage can at an Atlanta park during the 1996 Olympics.

He said both sites will feature covered areas where revellers can get out of the rain.

"There'll be some classic shots of lots of people dancing in the rain to some great acts at these LiveCity sites," he added.

The two LiveCity sites cost $18 million, with the city paying $5 million, $10 million from the federal government and the remainder from sponsors.

They will be linked by a pedestrian corridor along Hamilton Street that will boast buskers and other entertainment.

Robertson said the city is determined to run the sites in a “sustainable” way.

A special rubber mat, made from recycled tires, will be laid over the turf at David Lam Park to stop it becoming a "mud bowl."

He said the city will measure and offset its carbon footprint and will divert 85 per cent of waste from landfills by recycling and composting.

The city will only promote the sites in electronic and online media and will promote Vancouver as a green capital at Vancouver House at David Lam Park.

The Yaletown site will also contain sponsor pavilions built by Coca-Cola, Panasonic, Samsung and Acer.

Scott Givens, creative director of Five Currents, said the party will go on regardless of the weather.

"It will be free, fun and safe, and organized to create a great experience," he said.

The Yaletown site will feature a nightly fireworks show and will host the Olympic torch relay on Feb. 11, the night before the opening ceremonies, he said.

"We've built the site, pavilions and stage to be ready for the weather conditions in Vancouver," said Givens. "We know we could go from snow and freezing to rain to hopefully lots of sunny days. It's a party, rain or shine."

He said having the David Lam Park site alcohol-free created a balance.

"Folks can have a choice depending on what they want," he said. "One being dry, it's great for families. And if folks want to come and have a drink they can go downtown."

The entertainment at Yaletown opens with Chicago band Wilco and the closing night show features Blue Rodeo.

Other entertainment includes the Sam Roberts Band and Damian Marley, youngest son of reggae icon Bob Marley.

"Come for a while and we think we'll give you a reason to stay all night," said Paul Haagenson, producer for Live Nation Canada Inc.

He said there'll be late-night acoustic sets and there'll even be dance lessons.

"Jim Byrnes will hold a gospel singalong on the final Sunday morning prior to the men's gold medal hockey game where we're going to give the faith to our boys," he added.

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BY DAMIAN INWOOD, THE PROVINCE