In 2005, the Commercial Drive Festival launched the first community-driven Car-Free Festival in Vancouver.
The Festival was wholly volunteer-organized and presented, involving over 30 core organizers and 300 volunteers. It was an enormous success, bringing over 25,000 people out to celebrate the community and party in the street.
The first annual Car-Free Vancouver Day, on Sunday June 15, 2008 ushered in the next phase in this bold experiment that had been gradually happening in Vancouver for many years.
It took the car-free meme to the whole city, and represented the next level in our evolution toward healthy communities, authentic cultural celebrations, and car-free streets.
Kitsilano has been doing something different on Car Free Vancouver Weekend for nine years. Instead of the large street festivals found in other neighbourhoods, Kitsilano encourages individual blocks to hold their own block parties with the support of the Car Free Vancouver Society providing step-by-step toolkit, ideas, entertainers, barricades, insurance and more.
Are you’re interested in hosting your own car-free block party? Check out the Kits Block Party Open House on Thursday, April 6th at 7pm at Kitsilano Neighbourhood House to learn more.
Last modified: March 9, 2017
