Free Olympic Fun - Family Activities in Vancouver BC
If your family is lucky enough to score tickets to an Olympic event, you won't have time to do much sightseeing. But most people won't have that luck, or may have one set of tickets and 5 more days of vacation time to fill.
For them, we list some of the free and ticketed cultural events, activities and celebrations taking place in Metro Vancouver during the 2010 Olympic and Paralymic Winter Games.
Arts & Performances
* Cultural Olympiad 2010 (January 22-March 21)
City-sponsored celebration sites - LiveCity are public multimedia spaces where passersby can watch live coverage of Olympic competitions, socialize with eachother, and share the excitement outdoors, over food and drink. It sounds like a very fun way to get the kids psyched about upcoming events!
* LiveCity Downtown (February 13-28, March 12-14, 18-21)
* LiveCity Yaletown (February 11-28)
* Robson Square GE Ice Plaza
* Richmond O Zone (February 12-28)
* West Vancouver Community Centre Spirit Square (February 12-28)
* Surrey 2010 Celebration Site (February 12-28)
* North Vancouver Winterfest 2010 at Lonsdale Quay (February 12-28)
* District of North Vancouver
* Valleyfest (February 12-28)
Culture & Learn More about Canada Events
Provincial, national, regional and theme pavilions reflect this multi-cultural city and are set up in different locations around town:
* Aboriginal Pavilion - focuses on the area's First Nations Peoples, Four Tribes (February 12-28)
* British Columbia Canada Pavilion - Vancouver's main pavilion with lots to do (February 12-28)
* Robson Square GE Ice Plaza - Center of lots of free events, ice skating, performances (open now, throughout Paralympic Winter Games)
* Saskatchewan Pavilion (February 12-28)
* Place de la Francophonie 2010 (February 10-28)
* Atlantic Canada House (February 13-28)
* Molson Canadian Hockey House (February 12-28)
* Holland Heineken House (February 11-28)
* House of Switzerland (February 5-28)
* Quebec Pavilion (February 12-28)
* Canada's Northern House (January 15-March 31)
* CentrePlace Manitoba (March 12-14, 18-21)
* Bell Ice Cube (February 11-28)
* BC Hydro Power Smart Village (February 12-March 21)
* Vancouver 2010 Olympic Line Demonstration Streetcar (January 21-March 21)
* Irish Pavilion at Doolin's Pub (February 12-28)
Fun Promotions for Visiting Athletes
SKI AND BOARD 24/7 ON GROUSE MOUNTAIN
During the 2010 Olympic Winter Games (17 days), Vancouver's Grouse Mountain and all its snow and dining facilities will remain open 24/7. Fancy some skiing or skating at 2am? NBC's Today show will also be broadcasting live from Grouse each Olympic morning (Monday to Friday), beginning at 4:00am local time.
LADIES SKI FOR FREE ON SEYMOUR DURING OLYMPICS
Vancouver has three local mountains - Cypress, Grouse and Seymour (Cypress is the Olympic venue for freestyle skiing and snowboarding). Visitors wanting to get in on some skiing or boarding action during the 2010 Winter Games can ski on either Grouse or Seymour. Mount Seymour is offering a "Girls Ride Free" night every Monday evening (from 6pm) until March 15. This is approximately a $45 value.
FREE YOGA DURING THE OLYMPICS
Yoga is huge in Vancouver… In fact, the popular Lululemon yoga-inspired athletic apparel company was born here. During the 2010 Winter Games, Lululemon and YYoga (one of Vancouver's best group of yoga studios) have teamed up to offer free yoga for locals and visitors at six centres. This translates to more than 1,200 classes during the 17 days.
Comments
Great info. We are planning to go down there to stay with our family for few days.We might just take advantage of some of these free activities.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reminds travelers planning trips across the border into the United States to make sure they have approved travel documents and offers tips to make an easier entry process when traveling back into the U.S. from the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games.
The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), implemented on June 1, 2009 requires U.S. and Canadian citizens, age 16 and older to present a valid, acceptable travel document that denotes both identity and citizenship when entering the U.S. by land or sea.
CBP strongly encourages travelers to obtain a radio frequency identification (RFID)-enabled travel document such as a U.S. Passport Card, Enhanced Driver’s License/Enhanced Identification Card or Trusted Traveler Program card (NEXUS, SENTRI or FAST/EXPRES) to expedite their entry and make crossing the border more efficient.
WHTI-compliant, RFID-enabled documents help reduce the time it takes to process travelers at the border. No personal identification information is stored on the RFID chip embedded in the cards – only a series of ones and zeros that points to information in a secure CBP database.
WHTI document requirements for air travel have been in effect since January 2007. Almost all travelers flying back to the United States need to present a passport or NEXUS card.
For more information, please visit www.GetYouHome.gov or www.cbp.gov
great information i ever got....