The Vancouver New Year’s Eve Celebration Society says funding and in-kind donations are on track now for a $400,000 event in front of Canada Place featuring bands, food trucks, a family zone and a modest fireworks display over Burrard Inlet.Cherkas/Getty Images/iStockphoto
For the first time in more than a decade, Vancouver will have a family-friendly major public celebration of New Year's Eve – returning an event whose absence has contributed to the region's reputation as "no fun city."
A year ago, plans for a similar celebration fell through when organizers said they were unable to raise enough money. There hasn't been such an event since 2003, when a First Night celebration with paid-access events petered out after losing a major sponsor.
This week, city council voted to approve a $125,000 grant for the event, which is also being funded through corporate sponsors.
As New Year's Eve approaches, the Vancouver New Year's Eve Celebration Society says funding and in-kind donations are on track now for a $400,000 event in front of Canada Place featuring bands, food trucks, a family zone and a modest fireworks display over Burrard Inlet.
Charles Gauthier, president of the celebration society, whose members include Tourism Vancouver, Port Metro, Starbucks and the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association, said bands at the event will include indie performers Matinee, We Are the City, Current Swell and a fourth band to be named soon.
Mr. Gauthier, also president and chief executive officer of the business improvement association, said the challenge around the New Year's events has been the amount of work required to pull them off. He also cited the necessary process of covering all issues well enough to meet the city's concerns as a challenge.
However, he said it's all worthwhile.
"Festivals and events define us as a society and a city," Mr. Gauthier said Wednesday, adding they bring people together and can help overcome the isolation some have deemed a worrisome aspect of life in Vancouver.
More tangibly, he said, they also help generate revenue for the hospitality sector in Vancouver, which is helpful at a time of year when things can be lean for such businesses.
A City of Vancouver staff report released this week pinpointed the events' fiscal impact.
Vancouver hosts a "large number" of events and festivals that take place from late spring to late fall, the report says.
"The event 'season' therefore coincides with the established tourist season. The creation of large public events that fall outside of the tourist season leads to economic sustainability and year-round opportunities for businesses that support the tourist and event industries."
The report said the city's investment would be in a "relatively risk-reduced product" that will encourage economic growth and community engagement.
It recommended that council provide the funding, noting that the city's financial support would assist with adequate safety personnel and equipment for the event.
The report also said the city is requiring a "robust safety plan" of organizers that will mean contracting for personnel and services – a necessity the funding will help cover.
"Financial support for the 2015 New Year's Eve event will help provide a safe, barrier-free celebratory experience for Vancouver's residents and visitors in its first year. Such events, when strategically cultivated, have the potential to become a signature experience that helps define the reputations and appeal of the cities in which they take place."
Ian Bailey