This is it, one of the biggest days ever in the history of Vancouver is upon us as the 2010 Olympic Winter Games kick off this evening. With the mysterious opening ceremony tonight at BC Place (including performances and the lighting of the torch) everyone wants to make sure they can catch the action.

Photo credit: John Bollwitt on Flickr

Here are a few options for catching the opening ceremony:

Television
Live television coverage starts at 4:00pm on CTV and it will also be streamed online on the CTV Olympics site.

Radio
As the official radio station of the Games, News1130 will stream live audio from tonight’s ceremony on air and on their website starting at 6:00pm.

LiveCity
On the big screens at LiveCity Yaletown they’ll be playing the opening ceremony from all Winter Games since Calgary 1988. At 5:30pm they’ll have a pre-show for Vancouver before the main event begins at 6:00pm. The first 1,000 people through the gates will get a pair of red mittens.

Celebration Sites

Whether you’re at home, with friends, or at a public site, I have a feeling the entire Province, nation and maybe a big chunk of the world will have their eyes, hearts, and spirits focused on Vancouver tonight.

Another pavilion powering the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games is the BC Hydro Power Smart Village. Located on Dunsmuir from February 10th until March 21st it will feature state of the art energy saving attractions and activities.

The Expression Wall
The digital Expression Wall is for anyone to colour, write, and create using an infrared marker.

Home of the Future
“A showcase for the latest in home conservation, from smart appliances and a solar garage housing a plug-in vehicle to a green wall and hybrid water heater.”

Club Energy
Featuring the Sustainable Dance Floor, an interactive floor that lights up the more you dance on it. “From Sustainable Dance Club, a company headquartered in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. It generates its own power by translating the vertical movement of the floor into electricity. If you’ve ever been to a dance club, you know how much the floor moves when a popular song comes on.”

The Volt
Chevrolet’s electric vehicle, the Volt, is also on display at the pavilion. I had the chance to ride in it the other morning and it was pretty amazing.

There will be daily dance lessons (from salsa to swing) and all out dance marathons for those who just want to get down and light up the floor. The Power Smart theatre will be showing daily Games coverage, there’s a featured Paralympic Games showcase, and a mobile conservation lab to teach you the ins and outs of saving electricity.

If you can’t make it out to the village, our friends at Social Signal have created the Power the Games Facebook application for BC Hydro, which you can add to your profile.

I haven’t been by yet but I’ll be heading there throughout the Games to check things out and maybe I’ll attempt to bust some sort of move out on that dance floor.

Photo credit: City Caucus on Flickr

Price: Free
Hours: Feb 10-28 10:00am – 8pm weekdays and until 10pm Fri & Sat
Read more: Vancouver 2010 Pavilions and Hospitality Houses and all posts in my tag: pavilions.

Olympic Ticket Giveaway

BC Hydro Power Smart Village has generously offered up two tickets to one lucky Miss604.com reader for the Men’s Semi-Final Ice Hockey game February 26th at Canada Hockey Place.

There are three ways you can enter to win these tickets:

or

or

You can combine A, B, and C for 4 entries or just enter individually however you choose. I’ll calculate all the entries and I’ll do a live draw at the Power Smart Village at 10:00am on Saturday February 20th at the Club Energy dance floor. Contest will close at noon Friday February 19th so that I have time to put all the entries together for the draw.

Update February 16, 2010 The re-tweet tracking system (Tweetmeme) only archives tweets for 7 days. Since the contest runs for 8 days, do not be alarmed if you see your original/early entry no longer on the re-tweet list. I have already archived the first 6 days so no entries will be lost at all.

Update February 19, 2010 The contest closed at 12:00pm today and all entries (by Flickr, Twitter or comment) were received. I will compile all participants into one master spreadsheet list and do the draw tomorrow morning from the Power Smart Pavilion at 10:30am. Feel free to stop by for the draw as the winner will have to collect their tickets from there regardless.

Update February 20, 2010 I have to stay close to home this morning so I’ll post video of the draw online at 10:30am so all can see the draw.

Update February 20, 2010 I did the draw this morning and recorded a video of the process. Unfortunately the sound didn’t work but to avoid a re-draw here is the video anyway:

Thanks to my mom for helping me compile all 1405 entries that came in through Flickr, Twitter and comments. Also, thank you to everyone for entering and sharing some awesome tips. Congratulations to @WayneRacine on Twitter. Wayne, you have 24 hours to confirm your prize and I have sent you a Direct Message about this.

Fine print: Tickets are for the 12:00pm semi-final game on February 26, 2010. Commenters must enter a valid email address and confirm within 24 hours of notification that they can use their prize. Twitter users will also have 24 hours to confirm their winnings and will be notified by “@” or direct message. Tickets can be picked up from the Power Smart Village with valid government ID. Ticket may not be used in any other contests. If the winner cannot attend another name will be drawn.

Known to many as the “O! Canada Horns” the Heritage Horns that sound from atop Canada Place everyday at noon are a lunchtime staple for Vancouverites. Just as the Nine O’clock Gun in Stanley Park sounds the start of prime-time television, the 4 notes of our national anthem sounded by the Heritage Horns announce the rumbling of bellies hungry for their lunch break from work.

Heritage O Canada Horns Canada Place

Photo credit: Ted McGrath on Flickr

The horns weren’t always at Canada Place, they used to be on the top of the BC Hydro building (now condos) on the corner of Nelson and Burrard. I learned that much from my friend Laura and discovered a bit more with the help of the Spirit of Vancouver website:

• The 10-cast aluminum horns point out towards the harbour and sound their notes every 12 noon.
• The Heritage Horns were built as a BC Hydro Canadian Centennial project in 1967 and were designed by engineer and sound specialist, Robert Swanson.
• They sounded every high noon for 20 years at Burrard and Nelson before moving out.
• When BC Hydro vacated the building in the 1990s, the horns fell silent. Shortly thereafter, a permanent home was found at Canada Place.
• Canada Place Corporation acquired and refurbished the horns, and placed them on the roof of the Pan Pacific Hotel.
• On November 8 of 1994, the familiar sounding of the horns returned to Vancouver at noon.

As a special treat for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games, the Heritage Horns will sound every time a Canadian wins a medal. For 16 days they will support our athletes and sound out the victory across Vancouver.

“At 115 decibels, ‘O Canada’ won’t be missed. The horns can be heard throughout downtown, on the North Shore, and sometimes, even a little beyond,” explains Robyn McVicker, Director of Communications & Public Affairs, Canada Place Corporation. “We are all proud Canadians, and Canada Place will be the orchestrator signaling a time for all of us to celebrate our great nation and our athletes who have worked so hard to represent Canada.”

In the midst of all the Olympic excitement there are two special days being recognized in Vancouver on February 14th. The first is the Chinese New Year Celebration, and the next is Valentine’s Day. Here’s a quick roundup of events taking place on Sunday that you can enjoy.

Photo credit: darwinbell on Flickr

Richmond O Zone
When: February 14th from 12:00pm (concerts & fireworks)
Where: Richmond O Zone – Minoru Park
Cost: Free
More info: Richmond O Zone

Chinese New Year at Plaza of Nations
When: February 14th from 3:00pm (120 different shopping, food & drink vendors)
Where: Edgewater Casino Celebration Village (Plaza of Nations)
Cost: Free
More info: Edgewater Casino

Chinese New Year Parade
When: February 14th from 9:30am until 11:00am (Year of the Tiger festivities)
Where: Starting at Millennium Gate at Pender St and onto Chinatown
Cost: Free
More info: Chinese Benevolent Association or About

LiveCity Yaletown
When: February 14th from 6:00pm (featuring Silk Road)
Where: LiveCity Yaletown – David Lam Park
Cost: Free
More info: LiveCity

Valentine’s Day at House of Switzerland Canada
When: February 14th from 11:45am until 1:00pm (chocolate contest)
Where: House of Switzerland Canada – Bridges Restaurant on Granville Island
Cost: Free
More info: House of Switzerland

Molson Canadian Hockey House
When: February 14th from 8:00pm until 9:00pm (concerts & events)
Where: Molson Canadian Hockey House at Concord Pacific
Cost: Will require a pass for the Hockey House
More info: Molson Canadian Hockey House

Mountain View Cemetery
When: February 14th at 2:00 pm (with a lantern walk at 4:00pm)
Where: Mountain View Cemetery – 5455 Fraser Street
Cost: Free
More info: Mountainview Cemetery

LunarFest 2010 Lantern-Making and Lantern Procession
When: February 14th from 12:00pm until 8:00pm (lantern procession at 7:15pm)
Where: Granville Pedestrian Corridor (between Georgia & Robson)
Cost: Free

Surrey House – Chinese Parade
When: February 13th from 12:00pm (thanks to Gary for the tip)
Where: Surrey’s Celebration Site – Holland Park
Cost: Free
More info: Surrey 2010

If you have a community event you would like to highlight on this list, please feel free to leave information in the comments or contact me.

Atlantic Canada House located at the Arts Club’s Revue Stage and the Backstage Lounge on Granville Island is already full of music, food, and great beer — and it hasn’t even officially opened.

I stopped by today on a media tour and we were greeted with trays of lobster brioche, PEI mussels, oysters, and two kinds of chowder.

The Once was playing on stage and they profiled all of the acts from New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador that will be entertaining the masses.

Concerts at Atlantic Canada House
[DDET (Click to Expand & View All)]

[/DDET]

Since we had a bit of sticker shock at another pavilion this week ($9 for a Guinness in a plastic cup) I made sure to ask about their pints. With a wide selection of East Coast ales at $5.75, they seem to have done things right.

The Atlantic Canada House is licensed and admission is free (although evening shows at the Backstage Lounge are 19+). Find them on Twitter @ACH2010 and stop by one night to take part in a legendary kitchen party. I’ll be heading over again and will bring my wooden spoons with me.

Price: Free
Hours: Feb 13 – 28, 2010 from 11:00am
Read more: Vancouver 2010 Pavilions and Hospitality Houses and all posts in my tag: pavilions.