Paul HillsdonUrban commentary from the edge of Metro Vancouver

The cauldron has been extinguished, the venues are being dismantled, and traffic is back to normal. Yes, the Games are officially over. Have you caught a bout of post-Olympic blues yet?

Some people seem to wander mindlessly about their day, lacking the enthusiasm and collective spirit that seemed to embody the entire country the past two weeks. Others, however, have filled that empty space in their lives with creative passion; sure, the Olympics may be over – what big event do we bid on now, they ask.

Global BC reported that Arthur Griffiths is entering preliminary discussions to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Others are saying we should go for the Summer Olympics, much larger than its Winter sister, or bid for another World’s Fair (note, Edmonton is already going for 2017). Mayor Gregor has thought-out-loud about bringing an international arts and cultural festival to town.

While the principle of prepping our city for another large event is noble, there are numerous problems with the suggestions above. Soccer is growing, but is still a notably small sport in Canada, and our culture, as is, just doesn’t seem to support a World Cup. We couldn’t even get a stadium built for the Whitecaps for the longest time.

Nor are we about to receive either another Olympics or World’s Fair, at least for generations. These international events rotate from country to country, and then from region to region. If Canada were to get the honour of hosting an Olympics or Expo, they would likely be awarded to cities that have yet to put on such events. I could see a Summer Olympics happening out East, but not on the Westcoast, at least for a very long time.

Unfortunately for Mr. Robertson, there currently aren’t any major cultural festivals in existence that roam around the world. Those that are large certainly don’t have the time tested, layered structure of an Expo or Olympics. Both such events have a competitive cultural component that is rarely included in normal festivals.

In my opinion, the future lies not in what large event we can bring to Vancouver, but what large events we can create in Vancouver.

We already host several large regional events that, with some more TLC and funding, could evolve into major attractions for the city:

• HSBC Celebration of Light, running for 20 years, with an annual attendance of 1.4 million
• Vancouver Pride Parade, running for 30 odd years, with an annual attendance of 600,000
• Vancouver International Jazz Festival, running for almost 30 years, with an attendance of 510,000
• Vancouver International Film Festival, running for 28 years, with an attendance of over 150,000
• Vancouver Folk Music Festival, running for 32 years, with an attendance of 30,000+
• Vancouver International Fringe Festival, running for 25 years, with an attendance of 28,000

Think about it. The Celebration of Light is one of the few international fireworks competitions left, and we almost let it die last year. The Pride Parade has grown in leaps and bounds the past few years, and has become one of the largest pride celebrations in North America. The VIFF could become the second major Canadian stop on the film festival circuit – we are Hollywood North after all. The Jazz, Folk, and Fringe Fests all cater to more niche markets, and yet are incredibly successful at attracting their respective demographic.

What we should be doing is strengthening these existing festivals. They need more stable funding, support and resources; partnerships with government to expand; and international marketing mechanisms to broaden their profile in the world.

Furthermore, we should seriously think about what other types of events we can jump start in Vancouver to foster a cultural revolution in the region and support our tourism industry. I’d like to see an International Buskers Festival, after experiencing some great street performers during the Olympics; a Nuit Blanche event, after seeing the great spaces that are created when clustered with free art; and a New Year’s Fireworks celebration, since we deserve an option other than private house parties and clubs.

We can have a cultural explosion right here in Vancouver and we don’t need the Summer Olympics to make it happen.

Tags: 2010, art, celebration of light, culture, festivals, film festival, folk, fringe, hangover, jazz, olympics, parade, pride, vancouver, viff

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 4th, 2010 at 2:27 am and is filed under City of Vancouver, Metro Vancouver. You can follow any comments to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.