A Vancouver city councillor is making a push for the city to host a New Year’s Eve celebration to rival other major international cities, shaking off our reputation as a no-fun city.
NPA Councillor George Affleck will present a motion to the City of Vancouver to re-visit the idea of hosting a New Year’s celebration to ring in 2014.
While the city has hosted such events sporadically since the 1980s, for the past four years the bash has been a family-friendly event that ends before the clock strikes midnight.
Affleck, who lives downtown, says he’s noticed people congregate around Robson and Granville streets around midnight looking for something to happen, and a party could bring people together.
“I believe that as one of Canada’s major cities, we should be able to hold an event that is just as successful as we see in other cities across the country and around the world,” he said in a statement.
NPA Councillor Elizabeth Ball is backing the suggestion, saying it could showcase Vancouver’s “vibrant arts and culture sector.”
Affleck’s motion will be debated at a council meeting next week.
He hopes that early planning would leave time to find sponsors for a party, so that the cost isn’t shouldered entirely by taxpayers.
“The least we could do is have a countdown clock so that everyone is not staring at their watches, or phones or each other wondering – is it the new year yet?” he said.
Have your say: Do you think the City of Vancouver should start hosting New Year’s Eve Celebrations again?
