The City of Vancouver will be lighting up some of its landmarks in red starting later this week in a show of support for Canada’s Olympic athletes.
The exterior lights at city hall, Queen Elizabeth Theatre and the Burrard Bridge will all go red for the duration of the 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea Feb. 9 to March 18.
The city is also encouraging its employees to wear Canada or Olympic gear on Feb. 9 to mark the opening ceremonies of the Games, and some city vehicles will sport temporary signage.
The Olympic Winter Games run Feb. 9 to 25 followed by the Paralympics March 8 to 18.
The Vancouver Convention Centre will light up one of the city’s legacies of the 2010 Winter Games — Vancouver’s Olympic cauldron at Jack Poole Plaza.
The cauldron will be lit at a special event Thursday from 5 to 7 p.m. to mark Friday’s opening ceremony. It will be lit again Saturday, March 17 from 5 to 7 p.m. in recognition of the closing ceremony for the Paralympic Games.
Additionally, the cauldron and facility district markers at the convention centres will glow red and white for the duration of the Games. As well, BC Place will glow red on select days and will feature a medal ceremony animation during the opening and closing days, and on days when Team Canada wins a medal.
Share your pictures of the lights with us on Instagram by tagging @vancouriernews.
Community centre viewings
The park board is bringing back its community living rooms.
During regular operating hours, community centres across the city will set up a comfortable place to sit around a TV and watch broadcasts of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. As well, televisions in other areas of the facilities, such as fitness centres, will be tuned into the Games.
Individual centres may also integrate Olympic themed music, crafts, Korean food, decorations and other components into day-to-day operations and programming.
