The annual Victory Square Block Party is coming up soon! In case you're unaware, Music Waste and Megaphone Magazine have been teaming up since 2004 to present this free event in Victory Square Park that celebrates both community and the city’s local music scene. It promises to be a great party and an awesome last blast of summer that'll support the great work that Megaphone does for the Downtown Eastside: all proceeds from the event’s sponsors and the day’s raffle will go toward this local magazine that is sold on the streets of Vancouver by homeless and low-income vendors.
We asked two of the festival's organizers - Sean Condon of Megaphone and Cameron Reed of Music Waste - to share their favourite moments from the ghosts of Victory Square Block Party's past. Here's what Cameron had to say...
"As devastating as it was, my favorite Victory square Block Party moment has to be in 2007 when the park sprinklers came on during the event. For the second year in a row. The first year the sprinklers went off, the city was on strike and we just failed to consider that it could even happen. The second year, we made sure to confirm with the city that the sprinklers would be turned off. I remember everyone I spoke to that day ribbing me saying, "So, are the sprinklers gonna go off again?" I laughed it off and assured them they wouldn't. Then the sprinkers went off at the exact same time they had the year before. Some people put sandbags on them, some sat on them, most just ran for cover. It was madness. All the organizers pulled out their phones to get in touch with the city. They were eventually turned off and most of the concert-goers had already moved closer to the stage to watch the headliners. In retrospect, it was pretty funny. I promise that the sprinklers will not go off this year. Probably." - Cameron Reed
Photo: David Look
The Victory Square Block Party goes down in the public park at Cambie and West Hastings on Sunday, September 4th from 2-9PM. It's FREE. You should totally go.
