The ThunderBlogs

Vancouver’s vibrant West End was buzzing Saturday as thousands attended the 7th Annual Davie Day street festival. Over 130 vendors and entertainers lined Davie Street from Burrard to Broughton, adding additional colour to a backdrop of rainbow flags and bright storefront canopies.

From the west-facing windows of St. Paul Hospital’s top storey, area residents could be seen below, moving through side streets to and from the festivities. The drumming of samba beats carried upward.

“The West End is lousy with festivals,” said Rob MacDonald, a hospital porter and long-time area resident. “But that’s part of what gives these streets so much character.”

On the ground, crowds gathered around dance troops to take pictures and clap along with the music, while dog walkers stopped to sample baked goods and receive head massages. Children, lined up for face painting, held tightly to helium balloons. One man with a rainbow mohawk browsed booths while munching on popcorn.

Nearly every store and community centre on Davie Street had its own booth. Outside of the West End – Coal Harbour Community Policing Centre, volunteers in yellow shirts led kids through a safety-skills obstacle course made of pylons and hula hoops. Across from them, a smoke shop displayed a table of bongs. Hung from it was a sign that read: “Smoke More, Bitch Less”.

The West End Business Improvement Association holds the event annually to help promote local businesses, yet it welcomed outside contributors. Independent farmers sold produce, while artists from the Stanley Park Painters Circle displayed their work. One busker, Daniel Nimmo, approached organizers just as the event was starting to ask if he could promote his Fringe Festival play. They found a space for him to perform right in the centre of the action.

“All of these festivals are the exact same,” 29 year-old Angela Mader was overheard telling her friends. Clearly she hadn’t seen Nimmo. “But I guess that’s why I keep coming back”, she said.

By afternoon, light rain barely slowed the event. Many couples shared umbrellas. One man walked with a newspaper draped over his head. He seemed unfazed.

In fact, it was the weather that spurred one area resident to attend Davie Day. “I wanted to go hiking, but there’s rain,” said Jonathan Ali. “I knew there would be something fun to do around here instead”, he said of his West End neighbourhood, “and so I came down here.”