Khatsahlano ready to rock on West 4th
PARTY: Day loaded with sound amid a true sense of community
As the operations team behind Surrey’s Canada Day and Fusion Festival, FVDED in the Park and the fifth annual Khatsahlano Street Party, John Donnelly and Associates Event Marketing Inc. knows its way around a site.
The first three events take place in Holland Park taking approximately five days to set up. Shutting down the key West Side traffic artery of Fourth Avenue is a same-day operation.
“We hit the ground running at 5 a.m. with everyone getting ready for what we estimate will be over 150,000 people this year, who start showing up by 9 a.m.,” said Donnelly.
“We have eight stages to build, 350 vendors setting up, four beer gardens and all of the other special events sites (skateboarding, etc.) to create what has really become the leader of all regional street parties.”
It’s true. Unlike Broadway, Commercial Drive, Davie, Denman or Main Street, Fourth Avenue has the benefit of being six lanes wide. The crest of the hill dividing the site approximately in half between Burrard and MacDonald helps, too. Finally, there is the sense of community behind the event.
“This is the Fourth Avenue Business Improvement Association behind this and the merchants really step up, so it’s all-local,” said Donnelly.
“From the Australian Boot Company toss or a challenge to win a free all-natural Popsicle and more, everyone is thinking up new games and prizes to make the event more fun, and the entertainment is a celebration of the local scene too.”
From Rockin’ Robin at the Family Zone to mainstages with Yukon Blonde and the legendary Pointed Sticks, to the Peak Performance Project Top 12, the day is loaded with sound. There is also the Busker Zone, where such street performers as Basketball Jones and Eden will mesmerize crowds with stunts and magic tricks.
Donnelly admits that crowd management is always an issue, and at peak times in the day it can be a challenge keeping things flowing. But a lot of improvements have been added to ease this.
“Most you won’t notice, as they are behind the scenes, but we have more bike storage, have really upped the recycling and composting to try to go even greener, and the timetable is always being tweaked,” he said.
“Also, we know how popular the food vendors are, and that lineups can be an issue, so we have added more and in more places in the site besides the mini-Food Cart Festival zone.”
Thirsty folk with proper ID can enjoy an extra beer garden, which brings the total up to four.
“Ideally, we would like to see a sitewide licence in our lifetimes, but it’s good to have one more beer gardens this year,” Donnelly said.
Perhaps by the next century people won’t have to enjoy a cold one like livestock in holding pens. At last year’s event, legions avoided the brew pen lineups and opted to exercise their right to medical marijuana instead.
Who knew there were so many sick people in an area as seemingly fit as Fourth Avenue?