Car Free Day Vancouver 2020 Will Be Online
byOn a regular summer day in June or July, 300,000 people would take to boulevards, avenues and streets to celebrate their community through arts and culture, coming together in a wide open space normally reserved for vehicles. However due to COVID–19, Car Free Day Vancouver 2020 will be online only.
Car Free Day Vancouver 2020
From the organizers:
“With safety and health in mind, we have come to the unfortunate decision that we must restructure our 2020 operations, and cancel our large-scale festivals.
The West End, Main Street, and Commercial Drive events will move to an online format – there are many ways we can celebrate local arts and culture digitally, and we look forward to still having performance opportunities for local artists, and ways for local makers to connect with customers online. The West End and Main Street festivals remain committed to recognizing and celebrating National Indigenous Peoples Day on June 20th and 21st – as plans develop, please keep watch for exciting announcements for what we have in store.
As the COVID-19 pandemic changes, so will we – when it’s safe to do so, we’ll host a variety of smaller pop-up events and activities to reclaim the space traditionally devoted to cars. Car-culture is not off the hook this year!”
There will still be opportunities for vendors to support the festival, through sponsorship of online events, donating prizes for giveaways, and other donations. Digital event details will be released at a later date. For more information, follow Car Free Day Vancouver on Facebook.
UPDATE Here are the 2020 dates/events:
June 20, 2020: West End Car Free Day 2020 – Online!
June 20, 2020: West End Car Free Night!
June 21, 2020: Main Street Car Free Day 2020 – Online!
July 12, 2020: Commercial Drive Car Free Day 2020 – Online!
Live music is always a big part of the community celebrations, and the virtual festivals will be no different. The June 20th West End festival will feature two daytime stages. Full Circle’s programming includes heavy hitters like singer-songwriter Norine Braun, as well as R.E.D., The Northwest Kid, and the ever popular DJ Kookum. The Summer Sounds stage, curated by WE Arts, will include funky tunes from groups like Raincity, Mad Riddim and more.
The first ever Car Free Night will run online June 20th after the daytime festivities – co-produced with Sleepy Queer Productions. Attendees can expect a night of queer magic with drag performers and musicians all performing from home.
Main Street’s June 21st festival will have multiple stages featuring both live music and workshops and demos. Accordion Noir will present accordionists from BC and around Canada, ZillaLive will host some of the region’s best electronic dance music DJs, and the Paddle Up Main Street stage will feature Indigenous storytelling and art from the likes of Martin Sparrow and more.
Car Free Vancouver’s first two festivals take place during National Indigenous History Month, with June 21st being National Indigenous Peoples Day. Virtual attendees of both festivals can expect Indigenous music from many different genres, and will be able to explore different vendors’ online shops and social media channels from the festival’s interactive map.
Related: TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival is Cancelled; Vancouver Sun Run Has Been Cancelled for 2020; Chilliwack Tulip Festival Cancelled; Bard on the Beach is Cancelled for 2020, Will Present Program in 2021.
