Filed under: 2010, 2010 Winter Olympics, Announcements, Attractions, Events, Family Friendly, Food & Beverage, Outdoors & Recreation, sports
Visiting the Olympic Hospitality Houses
With the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games opening soon in Vancouver, many of the hospitality houses are getting ready to welcome visitors. I plan to visit as many as I can and will write about each one individually. Last weekend I went to Canada’s Northern House pavilion, representing the NW Territories, located at 602 W. Hastings St. Later I walked over to BC Place to see Bell’s Ice Cube fan zone, but it isn’t open yet. It will be a 280 square metre structure allowing visitors to watch Olympic events live in HD and will feature entertainment and a chance to meet some of the atheletes.
Some of the hospitality houses, such as US and Canada will be available only for athletes and their families and sports officials. Canada’s Olympic House will take over the entire floor of the Bay store downtown and there’ll be another venue in Whistler. But the guest list will be small.
A place to be sure not to miss is the Four Host First Nations Pavilion in the Queen Elizabeth Theatre Plaza. The Lil’wat, Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations bands will welcome the world to share arts, crafts, food, stories and culture in a Coast Salish longhouse. For $25 you’ll be able to sample First Nations food prepared by excellent First Nations chefs.
Atlantic Canada will have a pavilion on Granville Island to showcase performers, local cuisine and nightly kitchen parties.
Place de Francophone on Granville Island, a lively French Quarter celebrates francophone culture with tourism exhibitions, street entertainment, a farmers market and a lineup of French Canadian entertainers. They will utilize venues such as Performance Works, Waterfront Theatre and the False Creek Community Centre.
Holland’s Heineken House, located in Richmond at the O Zone, will highlight their country while serving Heineken beer. Russia, host of the next Winter Olympics in 2014 in Sochi, has a prime spot at Science World. Saxony, the small state of Germany, is setting up at the Vancouver Rowing Club. in Stanley Park. Ireland’s house will be at a downtown Irish pub and Jamaica will have the “Jamaican Bobsleigh House”. You’ll find China’s house in Richmond at the Lulu Island Winery and it will be by invitation only.
Molson Canadian Hockey House will claim to be the nation’s biggest beer garden, a 62,000 sq. ft. tent that will hold 3,0000 people including hosting executives and Canada’s Olympic hockey teams. It will feature food and drink services, giant high defiition TV screens and a concert stage. But it will cost you $498 – $995 for a single day pass. It will be located right across the street from Canada Hockey Place.
There will be LiveCity venues as well. At Yaletown (David Lam Park) the site will feature giant screens to watch sporting events and a nightly laser light and water show. At Georgia Street between Beatty and Cambie, the old bus depot will be the city’s other celebrataion site and will feature giant screens, live performances and sponsor activations. At Robson Square, the GE Ice Plaza’s outdoor ice rink will be a major gathering point featuring athlete demonstrations, family events and other programs. In addition, Robson Square will be the home of the BC International Media Centre (for unaccredited journalists). 
The City of Richmond will host a celebration site called O Zone near the new Canada Line transit stop at Richmond-Brighouse. It will feature multicultural programs and entertainment.
Grouse Mountain, just 15 minutes from downtown Vancouver, will remain open 24 hours a day offering snow sports and alpine recreation including night skiing. NBC’s Today show will be broadcast live from Grouse Mountain each morning. Fans are encouraged to visit each day to watch the live braodcast and to get a chance to meet Olympic atheletes as well as the show anchors. Today will broadcast live each morning at 4.00 am local time.
PHOTOS by W. Ruth Kozak
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AB C PlaceView Details and Book
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BBay TheView Details and Book
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CQueen Elizabeth TheatreView Details and Book
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DGranville IslandView Details and Book
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EPerformance WorksView Details and Book
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FWaterfront TheatreView Details and Book
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GFalse Creek Community CentreView Details and Book
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HBrighouse Station NorthboundView Details and Book
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IScience World, Vancouver, BCView Details and Book
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JVancouver Rowing ClubView Details and Book
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KLulu Island Winery LtdView Details and Book
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LGeneral Motors PlaceView Details and Book
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MDavid Lam ParkView Details and Book
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NW Georgia St and Beatty StView Details and Book
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OGE Ice Plaza at Robson SquareView Details and Book
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PBrighouse Station NorthboundView Details and Book
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QGrouse Mountain-The Peak Of VancouverView Details and Book
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Vancouver Olympics 2010 WELCOME TO UKRAINE HOUSE
COME CELEBRATE with US! General Admission is FREE! Join us during public hours and experience a bit of Ukraine in Vancouver
• LISTEN AND DANCE TO music by entertainers from Ukraine and across Canada
• ENJOY HOMEMADE Ukrainian dishes such as Pyrohy, Holubtsi, Kovbassa chips at reasonable prices throughout the day
• Taste Ukrainian beer, horilka, and other drinks while watching events on large screen TV
• Participate in an Auction of sports memorabilia, Sunday February 21st. it includes polevaulter’s Segrei Bubka’s running shoes.
• Meet new friends and mingle with Ukrainian athletes
• Purchase souvenirs and Team Ukraine clothing
• For an elegant evening, dance with us at the Olympic Ball Feb. 20th. See website for tickets.
• PARKING Available Join us in this unique and fun-filled experience of a lifetime!
http://www.ukrainehouse2010.com (see schedule) E-mail-ukrainehouse2010@gmail.com
See You There
Official home of Ukraine’s Olympic team for the 2010 Winter Olympics is being run jointly by the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine, Embassy of Ukraine in Canada and Ukrainian Canadian Congress. Ukraine House will be officially opened on February 11th, 2010 and will be open to the public from February 12th through to the 28th. Located at the Ukrainian Catholic Centre at 3150 Ash Street in Vancouver, BC.