Looks like the rumours are true, the longstanding Kitsilano Summer of Love Festival (formerly known as Hippie Daze) is no longer. After celebrating the 40th Anniversary of Woodstock in 2009, the community event will not be returning this August.
Is this what Kitsilano is coming to?
First the Kitsilano Chamber of Commerce pulled the plug on the Kitsilano Soap Box Derby and now the Kitsilano 4th Avenue Business Association is ending a West 4th tradition.
The good news is that Greek Day is still going strong and will be returning to West Broadway this Sunday, June 27th.
Last modified: June 22, 2010
Kits is far too rapidly becoming a ghost of Robson. Sad as that is the demise of true creativity, one can still visit Main Street for a breathe of fresh air. Unfortunately, the brand drones have taken over 4th Avenue.
Well Rob, this just means we will have to ramp up our conversations of Kitsilano.ca hosting a kits summer festival!! Excited for Greek Days this weekend 🙂
I have attended a few of the “Summer of Love” events and I have to say that calling it an event at all is very generous. Yeah, yeah, yeah, there was a Beatles tribute band – but when I was roaming the street it didn’t seem like a whole lot was really happening. Perhaps the people who remember the 60’s aren’t even that interested in reliving it.
Momo, I don’t know where YOU have been hanging out for Hippie Daze, but I have always enjoyed the various bands (including the Beatles tribute) and the kiosks, sidewalk “side” events by the businesses and the car show. LOTS of stuff was going on, and I for one will really miss it!
This is one Kits community event that will be sad to see go. My family loved rocking out to the variety of local musical groups that played along W.4th and the featured local artists, activities. It must be harder for the 4th Avenue Business Association to host the event due to these tenuous economic times. Maybe they can host the Summer Love event every two years instead so it won’t be entirely lost to Kitsilano.
Glad to see the back of those corporate wankers-again I note the absence of support from key local businesses for this non-event.
To this veteran/survivor of the 60s, the Summer of Love thing felt like like a parody. I won’t miss it.
I am really sad to this this canceled. I grew up in kits and remember the 60’s on 4th. 4th Ave is known all over for the hippies that hung out here. We truely are losing our identity of the past. I thought hippie daze was great and it was just getting known. more and more each year was added and everyone had a really great time.I think we should all protest! and get it going again! there must be a hippie out there who could put this event together?
totally bummed man.
It is so disappointing that Summer of Love has been cancelled. This was a day to attract people to W 4th and for merchants to get out on the street and connect with lots of shiny happy people. It’s very sad that the gentrification of Vancouver has hit W 4th.
Vancouverites love car free days and this was our only one. It will be missed.
I have mixed feelings about this – living nearby, we would check out the event every year, but only because it was near, not a destination. It was always a little half-hearted. Putting up a couple of stages, and bringing in the traveling car show does not a festival make.
The only decent one was the Soapbox Derby – that’s the one I miss. The RedBull one was epic, but even before their sponsored edition, it was always fun and well attended.
Which brings me to mention of Greek Days. If the Summer of Love is pushing the definition of a festival, Greek Days is a bit of a sorry affair. After years of not getting around to going, we went to last year’s event. I wanted to love it, but seriously, it’s West Broadway turned into a food cart stripmall. And they’re all selling the same thing. What a disappointment. The Greek community can do better than that, surely. We stayed away this year. I’d like to think it was different, but my guess is there was more of the same.
Well, Robin, perhaps I am not as easily amused or excitable – and I take full responsibility for my jaded sensibilities…but I agree with Dan and Jody and I have to stand by my original summary. Last year when I attended – there was absolutely NOTHING happening. Perhaps by the time I got there all the fun was used up – because the streets were pretty much empty of kiosks and attendees. The “Beatles” were on stage and there were about 40 people watching them. The local businesses weren’t involved, that I could see. It took us all of 10 minutes to see the entire set up. It seemed very much “phoned in” and pretty obvious that the 60’s in Kits are history.
And I didn’t bother with the Greek fest this year either…
For anyone sad to see the end of Hippie Daze, 3H Craftworks at 2208 West 4th Avenue will still have handmade tie-dyed t-shirts for sale. They’ve been in the neighbourhood since the original Summer of Love. Not-for-profit since 1966.
I was so looking forward to Hippie Days this year (2010) Last year was fun listening to the bands and seeing lots of familiar former (or not so) hippies. Went to Greek Days this year and it was pale compared to last years Hippie Days. Oh, how sad.
This is a huge disappointment for the Kitsilano Business Association to cancel this awesome event. Very disappointing.
Lets stand up for our community!
My Mother will be very sad to hear that Hippie Daze has been cancelled! We stubbled upon it last year when she came to visit me from Montreal. She has booked her vacation around the date of Hippie Fest so she could go again. She loved it! Dancing away to the Beatles she had a blast, and so did I. We had a fantastic time and was looking forward to this years.
She will be here in a couple of days, I will tell her the sad news then.
I was deeply saddened that hippy daze has been cancelled. Our family attended each year and enjoyed it immensely. Perhaps the powers that be, will realize this tragic mistake and reconsider for next year. We can only hope.
Interesting that yesterday I received in the mail a promotional flyer that is advertising this event as still being on.
Looks like the less-than-stellar management of hippie daze couldn’t be bothered to tie up some loose ends somewhere.
Or is it ‘on again’?
I am dissapointed as Hell! What is it with people these days, if it’s not lip sinking jerks, apparently it just doesn’t cut it. I guess live music is only for people that don’t follow the numbed masses of humanity. Thanks for all the hard work “John”
somewhere in this endless universe, the sixties are just starting.
Boo on kits for cancelling Hippy Daze. Now Kits is turning into a NO FUN area.
On behalf of the many bands who were committed to play this year,
especially Jack Smith who came from Madrid, Spain to play 4th Avenue, my deepest apologies. By the way Jack Smith will be at the 4th avenue reunion at the Yale this Saturday,Aug.14th, 2:30-4:30 pm. & performing at Rohan’s Reunion, Tuesday, August 17th at the Yale with Brent Shindell, Bruce Miller, Doc Fingers, Brainchild, members of Doug & the Slugs, Jane Mortifee and Lindsay Mitchell plus surprises!
Last year was the 5th anniversary of Hippie Daze/ Summer of Love and my involvement organizing the bands. There’s been some great reunions: United Empire Loyalists, Seeds of Time, Mother Tuckers Yellow Duck, Susan Jacks and members of the Poppy Family, The Falcons, Phil Smith & Corsage, The Pointed Sticks, The Melodic Energy Commission plus The Rhythm Vultures, The Strange Magic, Dustcover, Young & The Restless, Ross Barrett, Kentish Steele, Wager, Lee Stevens and Bing Jensen. Many thanks to Cheryl Easton who worked on this project for five years and gathered all the concept bands like Generation Who, Fab Forever, The Unknown Soldiers and more. All these groups donated their time for years and 2009 was the first year we actually paid the groups for their amazing performances. Thanks Michael Willmore. Thank you all who attended and enjoyed the memories. Hoping for the best for 2011. jolly John Tanner
Nothing sadder than a bunch of fat old has-beens trying to live their lost/wasted youth.
YMMV.
I’m glad Greek Daze are here! Greek 4evah!
I lived on 4th in 1975, 76. Then I moved back to the neighbourhood in 1990. When i stumbled upon Kits Daze I was thrilled, and so was my daughter. We made several purchases, and enjoyed the music, and ran into friends… It was just getting started, and promotion was slim, but that seemed to be growing every year, and we kept coming. We moved away in the Fall to North Vancouver, and googled to find when it was this year, so that we could come for a visit. I was so disappointed to see that it is not happening. i think it is a bad decision: it can take time for people to hear about events, and for things to grow, and it is my opinion that this was one of them. it is too bad. We had enjoyed the Soapbox Derby too, and used to come to that. What’s will the next cancellation be?
Hippy Daze has been replaced by a Kits music festival called Khatsahlano! So there’s still great live music and community spirit in the streets: https://www.kitsilano.ca/2011/07/20/everything-you-need-to-know-about-khatsahlano/