Kids play in the street at Kitsilano block parties
Close to 400,000 people flock to vehicle-free roadways making for plenty of pedestrian traffic
At this year’s Car Free Day, it was Kitsilano, not Main Street or Commercial Drive, that put on the “alternative” event.
In Kits, there were no vendors, no driving beats and no crowds. Instead, at a block party on West 6th, there was a sandbox, lawn chairs and neighbours pulling their patio furniture out onto the street, coming together to share a meal.
“It’s the biggest neighbourhood event of the year,” said organizer Melanie Henderson over the sound of her husband’s band playing The Thrill is Gone to a crowd of about a dozen onlookers in lawn chairs. In the background, children played on a homemade teetertotter and neighbours chatted around patio tables, munching on watermelon.
“It’s an opportunity for us all to come out and enjoy what we have together ... to be able to close (the street) off, keep the cars away, the kids come out and go ‘Can we play in the street?’”
Nancy Gioia, another organizer, said the event has been instrumental in allowing her to get to know her neighbours, something that is important to her. Gioia’s children, who were born and raised on the street “can go into anyone’s house and feel comfortable,” she said.
There were 15 such block parties in honour of Car Free Day throughout Kitsilano, said organizer Lisa Slakov. When the festival expanded out of Commercial Drive several years ago, Kitsilano residents decided not to do another big street party, as there were already several summer festivals that required street closures, Slakov explained.
“We ... really liked the model of encouraging block parties, not just because there were already the large street closures, but because it’s really a ... more intimate connection with your neighbours. I’d done some work on larger street fests, which are amazing, but you don’t necessarily connect with your immediate neighbours in the same way that you do in a block party.”
At the larger events, on Main Street and Commercial Drive on Sunday and Denman Street on Saturday, organizer Matt Carico predicted upwards of 400,000 people came out to play, a significant increase over last year’s event, which was hindered by a downpour early in the day.
This year the weather was more cooperative.
Main Street drew the biggest crowds, with 21 blocks closed off, and local businesses took advantage of the increased foot traffic.
Lucy’s diner didn’t have a patio on the street at last year’s event and as a result business during last year’s event was a little slow, said manager Marie Norbjerg. This year, they put a patio out and it was full all day, Norbjerg said. The diner enticed passersby off the street with free chocolate chip cookies.
Cheryl Nelson and Nicole Harshey said they were at the Main Street event specifically because of the local businesses. Nelson said she needed to buy some vinyl for her boyfriend at Neptoon Records while Harshey wanted to take advantage of a sale at her favourite clothing shop, Devil May Wear.
Another organization taking advantage of the increased foot traffic on Main was the Catholic Church, with the choir performing the street beside a sign that said “Ask a Catholic Priest.
“Pope Francis just released this past week a papal document on the environment, which is part of the focus of Car Free Vancouver,” said Father James Hughes, one of the priests who made himself available to take questions from the public.
“It’s got an environmental message for our community of Mount Pleasant and we certainly look to be in keeping with that.”
Commercial Drive, the original home of Car Free Day, was home to its usual mix of loud music, quirky vendors and eclectic crowds.
In a vintage twist, the Transit Museum Society had a 1957 Brill Diesel bus parked on the Drive, with a 25 Victoria sign on the front of it. Inside the bus were vintage ads from the era.