Ah, the Davie Day festival, the time when local businesses and community groups come out to shine. In the last five years my attendance has been pretty sporadic—last year, for instance, I just remember briefly going up and down Davie Street, saying hi to a few friends, and that was it. But this year, I thought I’d be a little more involved. That meant pictures!
The stretch of Davie between Thurlow and Bute held all the fair-like attractions: an old-time picture booth, complete with faux vintage clothes, a display of vintage cars, a play area for the kiddies in front of the police station… and hunky guys with swords!
Didn’t expect to see the Academie Duello here, since they’re not local to the West End. But I’m also glad to see them, since I missed their show at the PNE. Didn’t quite work up the nerve to handle their swords, though…
And more PNE-style goodness: a horse-drawn carriage! Don’t see those too often outside of Stanley Park. And blacksmiths actually forging shoes!
West of Bute was the haven for local artists. All up and down the street I checked out lovely paintings, sculptures and various crafts. No pictures, though.
The east end, between Thurlow and Burrard, is where you’ll find all the political and activist groups. And ping-pong, for some reason.
I volunteered at the Outgames booth, helping to spread the news about what’s coming to Vancouver next summer. Though to be honest, mostly I stayed under the tent because the weather had turned cold and rainy.
And to be even more honest, I’m not that enthusiastic about the games anymore. The volleyball event still hasn’t been officially declared since VGVA decided not to host (a decision I supported, for many reasons which I won’t get into right now), forcing the Outgames board to look for another host group. I guess Volleyball BC is the next logical choice, but it looks like that hasn’t been finalised. So… there may not even be a volleyball event? Well, that’d be kind of a bummer but, in the grand scheme of things, not that big a deal. It’s only a North American event, after all, and there are plenty of other volleyball tournaments going on. So yeah, we’ll see what happens.