Vancouver Critical Mass: CAR-FREE VANCOUVER DAY 2009 is happening!

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Car-Free Vancouver Day 2009 will mark the fifth year since a buncha crazy East Van visionaries first decided to take back their street for people, and say no to cars. Since 2005 global consciousness has expanded exponentially, and in 2008 the meme exploded into multiple community car-free festivals, with around 125,000 people coming out to celebrate and play in the streets. The car-free future of our magical city is becoming clearer every day.

YOU are the people who made Car-Free Vancouver Day such a groundbreaking, pavement-popping success, proving that massive, grass-roots, volunteer-led car-free events can and will happen. The people jive, businesses thrive, and our streets come alive. It's time to come out and be a part of the fun. Every Festival is independently organized and produced, with 100% volunteer labour. Many people report volunteering for CFVD as one of the most gratifying experiences of their lives. Get involved, and help shape your world.

This year 's festival nodes are: Commercial Drive, Kitsilano, West End, Main Street, and Dunbar. Once again, the Festivals will happen more-or-less simultaneously, each with its own distinctive flavour and style.

YOU ARE INVITED TO CO-CREATE THE DREAM

Each Community Festival is now organizing into festival PODS. A ‘pod’ is an independent crew who take an idea and runs with it... such as site management, spoken word, DJ, bike circus, street food, kids zone, yoga, healing, street hockey, barricades, volunteer, recycling, live music, and so on (you get the idea). They report to the overall ‘organizer’ pod to seek guidance, support, and (sometimes) modest funding as needed. Also needed are artists, designers, tech peeps, poster crews, logistics gurus, stage managers, puppeteers, and weather doctors. Being part of a Fest POD is an amazing experience in creative, organic structure.

And of course, each Fest ultimately depends on a small army of day-of helpers to staff barricades, set up, clean up, run about, be "donation fairies", support volunteers, and make sure everything runs strictly in accordance with the rules of joyful chaos. So if you want to contribute on the day-of, for an hour or two or more, please put your name forward now and organizers will get back to you as the date gets closer.

And don't think you necessarily need to participate in your "home" community -- this is our city, and it belongs to all of us. So feel free to volunteer wherever your sense of adventure leads.

So please, come to one of the following organizing meetings, or contact the relevant organizer NOW! Check the website frequently for updates.

Our website is www.carfreevancouver.org -- check it out and sign up now for fast-breaking news and information about all the Fests.

For more info about Car-Free Vancouver Day email info@carfreevancouver.org

Onward to Car-Free Vancouver -- taking back our streets...for FUN!

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CAR-FREE COMMUNITY FESTIVALS: SUNDAY JUNE 14, 2009

CAR-FREE COMMERCIAL DRIVE FESTIVAL

Next meeting is Thursday March 19th from 7-9pm

Organizing: drivefest@carfreevancouver.org

Volunteers: drive.volunteers@gmail.com

CAR-FREE MAIN STREET FESTIVAL

Next meeting is Sunday March 29 (check for confirmation).