The Waterfront Vancouver development is still a work in progress, but the city doesn’t want to let summer slip past without letting everyone feel the magic of a beautiful July evening in its public centerpiece, the 7.3-acre Vancouver Waterfront Park. Also, city planners want to see just how many people might show up for a free party in that scenic space.
So the city’s multiple series of free, outdoor summer concerts and movie screenings get a combined launch July 5 at a special Celebration on the Waterfront. It’s the only event scheduled for Waterfront Park this year, according to event manager Stacy Donovan, and it will serve as a test run for more fun beginning next spring. (Unfortunately, the artistic water feature that’s still behind a chain-link fence will stay that way, according to Vancouver Parks and Recreation spokeswoman Melody Burton. “We are definitely excited for it to open, but we have no firm date yet,” she said.)
A temporary bandshell and then a temporary movie screen will rise July 5 at the far east end of Waterfront Park, facing west toward the grassy area and the Grant Street Pier, Donovan said. From 6 to 8 p.m, high-energy Portland party band Top Shelf will rock the park; then, after dusk sets in, the family-friendly “Mary Poppins Returns” will be shown on a big outdoor screen. Bring blankets, low-backed lawn chairs and picnic dinners, or buy a meal at a food truck or local restaurant.
More concerts and movies
After July 5, the city’s annual lineup of free summer concerts and movies proceeds as usual. Music is headed for Wednesday lunchtimes and Thursday evenings in Esther Short Park, plus Sunday evenings in Columbia Tech Center Park; movies are scheduled for Friday nights at dusk in various parks. (The daytime Wednesday concerts tend toward mellow, featuring light classical sounds, bluegrass, singer-songwriters and world music; the Thursday and Sunday night shows star rockin’ tribute and cover bands that will try to make you get up and boogie.)
