Mayor Gregor Robertson joined Senator Larry Campbell and Brent MacGregor, Chairman of the Vancouver Fireworks Society today to announce the dates for this years Celebration of Light.

The popular fireworks show, which hosts an estimated 1.4 million people each season, will celebrate its 21st year at English bay over the course of three nights:

China: July 30, 2011
Spain: August 3, 2011
Canada: August 6, 2011

This year’s events will be greener than ever – with the strongest recycling and sustainability plan in its 21 year history. Residents are encouraged to walk, take transit or cycle to the event.

Are you going to the Celebration of Light?
Let us know on facebook: Vancouver Mayors Page

On March 17th, the City Of Vancouver granted cultural organizations, including the Vancouver International Children’s Festival and the Vancouver East Cultural Centre,  more than $7 million in grants.

In all, over 171 organizations received  operating, theatre rental and project grants.

The funds support music, dance, visual and media arts, film screenings, theatre, festivals, multi-media exhibits and more. Many of the organizations receiving grants participated in Vancouver’s 125^th anniversary celebrations, showcasing the city’s vibrant and diverse arts and culture.

Major institutions receiving grant support include the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre, the Museum of Vancouver, Science World, the Vancouver Art Gallery and the Vancouver Maritime Museum.

More information is available in the reports at: Cultural grants report and the theatre rental grant report.

Would you like to discuss Arts & Culture in Vancouver?
Visit the VanMayorsOffice on facebook to tell us what you think of our efforts to maintain Vancouver’s artistic venues and performance spaces.

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Visit the new Vancouver Mayor’s Office Facebook Page to make our custom badges your profile picture for the day!

Simply click on your favorite badge, tag the image with your name, go to your profile page and choose ‘Make this my Profile Picture”.

Click here to visit the gallery.

‘Like’ our new page to continue to get event updates, news and resource information, photos and more. Connect with your City Hall!

“…Our experts were unanimous in their view that the city’s open-data initiative – which aims to make the city’s vast trove of data publicly available online – is a true breakthrough.”
~BC Business Online

left: Mayor Gregor Robertson congratulates senior City staff in Council today for BC Business Innovators Award for their ongoing Open Data Project.

BC Business has awarded the City of Vancouver 2011′s B.C’s Most Innovative Organization, calling them “a hands-down favourite among this year’s panel of experts as one of the province’s leading innovators”
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The Open Data Initiative, proposed by Councillor Andrea Reimer and embraced by City staff, was launched in May 2009 and developed to ensure that citizens and businesses have access to the information that their tax dollars helped to create.

The catalogue now features over 125 data sets, including current business licenses in the city, food vendor locations, public art locations, and complete rapid transit routes – volumes of information applicable to creating everything from digital art installations, City Engineering geotracking or even the next big tourism app for enterprising social media companies.

This marks the first time a government organization has won this award that is most often associated with leading private sector companies.

To read about the city’s award, click here.

There are 19 new tasty ways to explore Vancouver’s celebrated foodie culture without making reservations.

Delicious eats purveyors, including Vancouver chefs Vikram Vij and Karen Barnaby, were among the experts reviewing applications for the sought after spots located in and around the downtown core, adding to the close to 100 vendors offering a wide variety of choices along our city’s pedestrian-heavy streets.

“Adding these new street food options to our streets this summer will enliven our public spaces while supporting diverse and nutritious food choices that benefit our local economy,” said Mayor Gregor Robertson. “These affordable street food options reflect Vancouver’s diverse communities and expand employment opportunities for local food entrepreneurs.”

This year’s vendors are sharing a diverse array of items such as Baja-style tacos, matzo balls, seafood chowder and Korean fusion.

With almost 2,000 people responding to the City’s street food survey, public interest in street food options appears to be high.

Check out our map of the 2011 Food Cart Vendors & Locations:

View 2011 Food Cart Vendors & Locations in a larger map

For more information please visit the vancouver.ca Media Room.

Join us as we celebrate the City of Vancouver’s 125th birthday on Wednesday, April 6th with a free, all-ages event at Jack Poole Plaza, site of the Olympic Cauldron.

Birthday Live will run from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. and feature a fun-filled day of music, street hockey, video art, a dance party, and official ceremonies including a Coast Salish Witness Ceremony, speeches by Mayor Gregor Robertson and other dignitaries, Olympic Cauldron Lighting and a giant birthday cake.

You can even get a Sneak Peek at what it takes to make a cake for thousands of people at VCC the day before on April 5th.

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