Live City plans unveiled, includes nightly fireworks

[mr.x]

This is all on top of VANOC's nightly medal ceremonies at BC Place!






Official website: http://www.livecityvancouver.ca/


















October 7, 2009
City of Vancouver to host LiveCity Vancouver
Two free, festive and fun environments to celebrate the 2010 Winter Games

During the 2010 Winter Games, the City of Vancouver, with support from the Government of Canada, will host LiveCity Vancouver - two exciting and distinct outdoor celebration sites (LiveCity Yaletown and LiveCity Downtown) in the heart of the city.

“LiveCity Vancouver is all about celebration and sharing the moment,” says Mayor Gregor Robertson. “It is about the chance to stand shoulder to shoulder with neighbours from around the block or across the country as well as new friends and visitors to our city – to experience the excitement and celebrate the true spirit of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games together.”

“This is an opportunity to take pride in our country’s rich and diverse culture, bilingual heritage, and amazing geography,” said the Honourable Gary Lunn, Minister of State (Sport). “The Vancouver sites will be a celebration of Canada’s Games and a showcase for our world-class talent. They will unify Canadians from across the country and connect with visitors from around the world. This will be a unique way for visitors and Canadians alike to experience the Games.”

LiveCity Vancouver will be the place to be for free, fun and family Games-time memories, offering top local, Canadian and international entertainment, big-screen Olympic Winter Games sporting coverage, Olympic sponsor and partner pavilions and much more. LiveCity Vancouver will provide the opportunity to showcase and celebrate our Olympic and Paralympic athletes.

* LiveCity Yaletown – on the water’s edge at David Lam Park. LiveCity Yaletown will feature live local, national, and international entertainment on the main stage in the afternoon and into the night, culminating each evening with a dynamic nightly closing show. Giant screens will show highlights of Olympic Winter Games sport coverage and visitors can enjoy the interactive Olympic sponsor pavilions, Vancouver House, and much more… all for free! LiveCity Yaletown will be open the evening of February 11 and throughout the Olympic Games February 12 – 28 from 11 a.m. until 11 p.m. daily.

* LiveCity Downtown – an urban gathering place in the heart of the city at Georgia and Cambie Streets. LiveCity Downtown is all about the spirit of sport and competition. A giant screen will show live coverage of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games events as they unfold. This is the place to meet with friends and mingle with visitors from around the world in a lively, urban setting. Visit 2010 Canada Pavilion and the Province of Manitoba’s pavilion; enjoy the best in local food and drink and cheer our athletes on to gold. Just steps from BC Place and General Motors Place (Canada Hockey Place), this is as close as you’ll get to the action without having a ticket. LiveCity Downtown will be open February 13 - 28, 11 a.m. until 12:30 a.m. daily, and again March 12 – 14 and March 18 - 21, from 1 p.m. until 9 p.m. to celebrate the Paralympic Winter Games.

LiveCity Yaletown and LiveCity Downtown will be within easy walking distance of major transit routes and will be connected to General Motors Place (Canada Hockey Place), BC Place, the seawall and the downtown core by animated pedestrian thoroughfares.

Another key piece of the City’s Olympic strategy, Vancouver House, will be located at LiveCity Yaletown. Building on Vancouver’s new Green Capital business brand, Vancouver House will showcase local leadership and success stories. Vancouver House will be Green Capital in action: a clear, bold statement that says Vancouver means business. Vancouver House will also play a key role in the City’s economic development strategy by hosting visitors, media and dignitaries.

Olympic sponsors and partners:
The City of Vancouver is pleased to have four top Olympic sponsors at LiveCity Yaletown – Acer, Coca-Cola, Panasonic, and Samsung. Each will host an interactive pavilion with displays and programs that will enhance the LiveCity Yaletown site. The City is also pleased to host the Government of Canada and the Province of Manitoba as government partners at LiveCity Downtown.

Programming announcements:
There will be something for everyone on stage at LiveCity Yaletown. The following groups are representative of the wide range of talent from across Canada and around the world that will perform nightly at LiveCity Yaletown: Alexisonfire, Allez Ouest, Blue Rodeo, Crystal Shawanda, Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley, Deadmau5, Jim Byrnes, Steve Dawson and The Sojourners, Johnny Reid, Jully Black, Malajube, the Sam Roberts Band, Wilco and Wintersleep.

There will be more announcements in the days and weeks to come and the full programming line-up will be posted at www.livecityvancouver.ca / www.villevivantevancouver.ca early in the New Year.

LiveCity Vancouver is hosted by the City of Vancouver with Live Nation Canada Inc. as Producer and Five Currents as Creative Director. The talented team offers strong local and national producing experience and very specialised knowledge that can only come from work on past Olympic and Paralympic Games.






Olympic ‘fun zones' take shape
Organizers unveiled ambitions plans for 17-days of free, live entertainment that will include performances from the likes of Wilco and Blue Rodeo

Rod Mickleburgh

Vancouver — Globe and Mail Update Last updated on Wednesday, Oct. 07, 2009 03:02PM EDT

Party, party, party. And it's free.

Organizers of two city fun zones for the 2010 Winter Olympics stressed that no tickets will be required, as they unveiled their ambitious plans for top-ranked entertainment, live Olympic coverage on huge video screens and nightly fireworks displays during the Games.

Their announcement came a day after those responsible for Molson Canadian Hockey House at the Games said the price of admission to their pavilion could be as high as $500.

“This will be the place to be, and it's all for free,” exultant Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson said Wednesday. “No tickets will be required.”

Headlining the impressive musical line-up is the edgy, popular band, Wilco, who will perform on the first night of LiveCity Vancouver's public entertainment.

Closing the 17-day show will be one of Canada's favourite bands, Blue Rodeo.

There will be two city celebration sites, one in the heart of the lively Yaletown district at David Lam Park, and the other in downtown Vancouver on a huge parking lot at Cambie and Georgia, close to GM Place.

Other performers include reggae artist Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley, son of the late, great Robert Marley; the Sam Roberts Band; Jully Black, Juno award winner Wintersleep from Halifax; and star aboriginal performer, Crystal Sahawanda.

Yaletown will be focused on more family-oriented festivities, with a number of pavilions surrounding the site, in addition to the live entertainment. It will also be a no-alcohol zone.

LiveCity Downtown will serve wine and beer, with dining facilities, where the Canadian Pavilion will be located. Described as “an urban gathering place” for the Games, live coverage will be broadcast on a giant video screen.

Creative director of LiveCity Vancouver, which will also go on during the Paralympic Games in March, is renowned producer Scott Givens of Fiv Currents, fresh from helping Rio showcase its winning presentation to host the 2016 Summer Games at the Internationally Olympic Congress gathering in Copenhagen.

Mr. Givens' company was also involved in the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics in 2002. He said Vancouver's plans are far more ambitious and on a grander scale than those in the American host city.

Mayor Robertson said total cost of the two live sites, including pavilion expenses, is $18-million, with the city contributing $4-million, the federal government $10-million, and the remainder from corporate sponsors and anticipated revenue.

Both sides will have airport-style security arrangements, a factor particularly necessary, the mayor said, after the experience in Atlanta in 1996, when a bomb exploded at a live site in that Olympic city.

[SpongeG]

yah looks good deadmau5

[WarrenC12]

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

[Lover Fighter]

Cool, I'll definitely be there for the Wilco show on the 13th. Hope to make it down to some of the other gigs too.

[metroXpress]

Looks fantastic!

[nova9]

not bad, not bad, at all. I mean, free or not free, that's a good lineup.

[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.

[email protected]

© copyright (c) CNS Olympics

BY DAMIAN INWOOD, THE PROVINCE

[Yume-sama]

Bury it for 2 weeks while everyone is watching, anyways

It does sound exciting

[mr.x]

Rendering of BC Place in its nightly Victory Medals Ceremony mode:

[Delirium]

it really bothers me how the media tries to spin things. on CTV last night, they reported "Vancouver unveils plans for LiveCity but..... not everyone is happy about it". they then proceed to interview some old douchebag woman living in Westone who is complaining that David Lam park always has "soccer tournaments", concerts, festivals, and GASP, now this. "we just want to get to sleep". seriously. makes you wonder why she bought a unit downtown, facing a public park.

and then another woman says "i have a two year old - that 11pm closing time is late for the little guy". not sure how he'll get to sleep".

wow. pass her a tissue. like a 2 year old has problems sleeping?
what a joke.

[WarrenC12]

I'm sure they'll relocate to somewhere near the airport and begin complaining about airplane noise.

[SpongeG]

we should plan nightly get togethers at the park and piss those people off 365 days a year

[Yume-sama]

Originally Posted by Delirium

it really bothers me how the media tries to spin things. on CTV last night, they reported "Vancouver unveils plans for LiveCity but..... not everyone is happy about it". they then proceed to interview some old douchebag woman living in Westone who is complaining that David Lam park always has "soccer tournaments", concerts, festivals, and GASP, now this. "we just want to get to sleep". seriously. makes you wonder why she bought a unit downtown, facing a public park.

and then another woman says "i have a two year old - that 11pm closing time is late for the little guy". not sure how he'll get to sleep".

wow. pass her a tissue. like a 2 year old has problems sleeping?
what a joke.

Ohh, you dismiss it now! But just wait until my petition to ban artsy reader folk from hanging outside of the library, within my view, making me feel bad about not reading a book since the 9th grade, comes out. Us downtown NIMBY's will rule the world!! And won't *somebody* think of the children. What child likes fireworks.

Also, my other petition will require streetlights to be dimmed after 10pm. I like to watch my Matlock re-runs in a theater atmosphere.

[johnjimbc]

That's hilarious, Yume! Two thumbs up

[zivan56]

Yeah that old bag on CTV was hilarious. As my French teacher used to say...would you like some cheese with your whine? Seriously, please move to Abbotsford or some other far away suburb...then you can complain all you want.

[metroXpress]

Nice, where did the image come from?

[berrypicker]

Originally Posted by zivan56

Yeah that old bag on CTV was hilarious. As my French teacher used to say...would you like some cheese with your whine? Seriously, please move to Abbotsford or some other far away suburb...then you can complain all you want.

We don't want her!