'No-fun' New Year's Eve irks Vancouverites
Anyone looking to ring in the new year at a big public celebration in Vancouver may be in for a disappointment this year, after the city decided to return to its "no-fun" roots and not sponsor any public events.
During the lead-up to the Olympics, Mayor Gregor Robertson said he wanted to dispel the image of a "no-fun" city by sponsoring the highly successful Live City concert celebrations in downtown Vancouver every night during the Games.
"It will be the final nail in that coffin," Robertson said in October 2009. "This is not a 'no-fun' city. I think we'll demonstrate that in spades at these Olympics."
But despite the overwhelming success of public celebrations during the Olympics last February, not a single Lower Mainland municipality has decided to host any public celebrations for New Year's Eve.
Blogger Rebecca Bollwitt, whose popular Miss604 website focuses on local events, says she is surprised Metro Vancouver is not following up on the success of the Olympics with some sort of public event.
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"I think people are really expecting more public events, more outdoor celebrations, more public gatherings that will bring people together, because after the Olympics people have just been craving that in Vancouver. They've been craving festivals, concerts and reasons to celebrate."
Bollwitt says lots of small family-friendly celebrations were planned for Friday night, but she feels an opportunity has been missed for a big public observance.
"I actually had a few comments on my blog of people asking if they were going to be lighting the cauldron on New Year's Eve," said Bollwitt.
Vancouver used to host an alcohol-free First Night event, but the last one was seven years ago. Whistler planned a family-oriented First Night party to welcome 2011, but charged for tickets.
Polar 'Bare' swim
Anyone looking to cool off on New Year's Day can join one of several polar bear swims around the region, including a nude polar 'bare' dip at White Rock's Crescent Rock Beach.
Other communal swims are planned for Vancouver's English Bay Beach, Centennial Beach in Tsawwassen, and Rocky Point Park in Port Moody.