It’s been several years since the Vancouver Whitecaps called Swangard Stadium their home. But the loss of pro sports hasn’t slowed down the nearly 50-year-old facility.
In recent years, the stadium has hosted a number non-sports related festivals including EuroFest, the Korean Cultural Heritage Festival, Canada Day celebrations and the Taco Festival.
Dave Ellenwood, the city’s parks and recreation director, noted the loss of the Whitecaps allowed the municipality to diversify the use of the stadium. He suggested it’s a move both city council and the public want.
“It’s a great venue; central venue for those types of events and it has proven to be successful,” he told the NOW.
While the efforts to attract new events have worked out well, there is a small fly in the ointment at city hall.
The stadium’s liquor licence is decades old, and when a non-sporting event is being hosted, the facility has to de-licence and then apply for a special occasion licence through the province’s liquor board.
Recently, the board suggested the city change the licence permanently to avoid having to go through the administrative hoops for every festival.
Ellenwood explained the change will make the process more efficient, meaning staff won’t need to fill out paperwork.
The change will also save money, both on staff time and the cost involved in getting a new licence each time.
“It’s going to make it a lot less rigorous process now. We don’t have to de-licence and special occasion licence every time we want to have a non-sporting event there,” Ellenwood said.
Meanwhile, the city has posted notice at the stadium about the proposed change to the licence.
The process is expected to take several weeks but should be in place by the spring when the festival season begins.
