Celebrate Vancouver’s 125th Anniversary on April 6 with Birthday Live - FREE!
The Birthday Live celebration begins with a street hockey tournament for youth and adults at 2pm and continues until 10pm with live music, DJs, food, street arts, spectacular video art, special performances and more. Vancouver’s Mayor Gregor Robertson and other dignitaries will be on hand for official ceremonies including lighting the Olympic cauldron and cutting a BIG birthday cake! Close to transit, free bicycle valet on site.
Date: Wednesday, April 6, 2011 from 2pm to 10pm
Location: Jack Poole Plaza (site of the Olympic Cauldron), outdoor plaza at Thurlow & Canada Place, adjacent to the Vancouver Convention Centre (1055 Canada Place)
View the location map and full schedule of events and activities
Featured Artists & Activities
* Street Hockey Tournament for adult and youth teams from 2pm to 5pm. Five Hole For Food will be collecting donations for the Greater Vancouver Food Bank and DJ Marvel of the Freshest and Duh Hockey Guys will be there to spin tunes and keep everyone laughing.
* Official ceremonies from 6pm to 7pm with Mayor Gregor Robertson, leaders of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations and other dignitaries.
*Olympic Cauldron Lighting during the official ceremonies.
* A giant birthday cake created by the faculty and culinary students at Vancouver Community College Baking and Pastry Arts Department. Free cake will be served following the official ceremonies.
Main stage performances running from 4pm to 10pm (all performance times are approximate only):
54-40 (8:45pm performance time)
54-40, the iconic Canadian alternative rock band with Vancouver roots, will headline the Birthday Live main stage. Celebrating their 30 year anniversary, the band has a catalogue of hit songs, including “Baby Ran”, “I Go Blind” and “Ocean Pearl”. The band has toured throughout the world, carved out a legacy of gold and platinum albums, received numerous awards and achieved almost a dozen Top-10 hit singles.
Leela Gilday (5pm performance time)
Leela Gilday is a Dene singer/songwriter whose acclaim includes a Western Canadian Music Award, a Canadian Aboriginal Music Award, and an Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Award. She is a passionate, soulful performer whose lyrics reflect her northern roots. She has toured extensively throughout Canada playing festivals, theatres, ceremonies, and folk clubs.
Uzume Taiko (4pm performance time)
Uzume Taiko is a mesmerizing percussion ensemble that infuses traditional Japanese taiko drumming with a unique West Coast style. Uzume Taiko has performed across the world and at local venues including the Vancouver Playhouse, the Vogue Theatre and the Vancouver East Cultural Centre, as well as at the Vancouver Folk Music Festival and the Vancouver International Jazz Festival.
Bend Sinister (7:35pm performance time)
Bend Sinister is hailed for their original indie songs and high energy shows. Launched in 2001 in Kelowna, they moved to Vancouver and released two albums: ‘Through The Broken City’ and ‘Stories of Brothers, Tales of Lovers’. The band has toured across Canada and their single, ‘Things Will Get Better’, was rated one of the top 10 songs of 2010 by Grant Lawrence’s CBC Radio 3 Podcast.
Vancouver Bach Choir (6:40pm performance time)
Vancouver Bach Choir will lead the crowd in singing O Canada and Happy Birthday, and perform popular arias and choral favourites. Since its founding in 1930, the choir has won top prizes in international choral competitions, including the European Broadcasting Union sponsored “Let the Peoples Sing.” The choir has sung from Warsaw to Tokyo and from London and Oxford to Toronto and Calgary.
mmHoP: HOP•JUMP•JIVE •125 (4:40pm and 7:10pm performance time)
HOP•JUMP•JIVE •125, darlings of audience-engaging, multi-media performance art, mmHoP dancers will perform Hop-Jump-Jive-125 a site specific birthday dance party that will have everyone shaking their thing. Directed and Choreographed by Martha Carter, Hop-Jump-Jive-125 features Vancouver MC / DJs Jacob Cino and Ndidi Cascade who will lead the performance with their unique musical style.
Time Drifts: Video and light art installation (8:20pm start time)
Time Drifts is a large-scale video and light art installation by Berlin-based multi-media artist Phillipp Geist. Geist works internationally using video, performance, photography and painting. He has exhibited his live video performances at venues including the Palazzo delle Espozioni in Rome, the Central House of Artists in Moscow, the Institute of Contemporary Art in London, and the opening of Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich.
Event Location & Transit Information
The Birthday Live event will be held at Jack Poole Plaza, site of the Olympic Cauldron. It is the outdoor plaza at Thurlow & Canada Place, adjacent to the Vancouver Convention Centre at 1055 Canada Place. The site is easily accessible by transit and it is within walking distance of the downtown core - just head toward the waterfront. Free bike valets from BEST will be available on site for cyclists.
Download the event schedule (click on the image):
