A quick recap in case you missed Main Street Car Free Day 2014…
Main Street Car Free Day 2014 closed off the largest sector of the city, promising a full 21 blocks of car free fun. The event attracted everyone imaginable. Men and women of all ages, children, dogs, babies in onesies, parrots, even a deceased Queen Victoria managed to posthumously make a visit to the event.
“Despite the torrential downpour at the beginning of the day, the spirits of everyone involved were not dampened and we ended up having a great time with lots of family fun” said Charmaine Carpenter, organizer of the Beaumont Studios stage.
Car Free Day originated in 2004 on Commercial Drive, as a protest of a highway expansion and has since grown to Vancouver’s largest street festival that includes four different neighbourhoods (Main Street. Commercial Drive, the West End, and Kitsilano) sparking one of the largest volunteer movements in Vancouver.
Hundreds of street vendors populated Main Street. You could purchase anything from honey to handmade license plate art. If you didn’t have money to spend, there was still plenty of free fun including popcorn and cotton candy from the Mount Pleasant BIA, massages, places to dance and listen to music and a chance to jump in a bouncy castle.
For those that were hungry food trucks and patio extensions on every block supplied burgers, hotdogs, cupcakes, grilled cheese sandwiches, popsicles, chicken skewers, crepes, chili, waffles… It was a great day for community spirit and showcasing the amazing people and businesses that make Main Street cool, the only harm done on Car Free Day was the stomach ache induced from tasting a little too much of the amazing food!
Written by Mormei Zanke
