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Being from Vancouver can disinfect you of some of the city’s inherent charms that we really do take for granted.
I don’t imagine there are too many World Cup host cities in which you can take a transportation-linked boat across water from the downtown core (though the two-zone fare is a little much) and then arrive on a sun-kissed plaza a short walk to a fan festival with screens everywhere and activations galore.
But that’s something of a reality here in Vancouver; the Shipyards have been a burgeoning visiting area for tourists and a place where Vancouverites remark, “Oh, we should really go there this summer!” for years.
Indeed, it’s about as welcoming and obvious a choice to host an event like this that we have in Metro Vancouver. And the people who made it come to life did a great job on the execution.
I watched the exciting England-Croatia game at the Shipyards watch party, and, I have to say, I was really impressed. Though I’m often turned off by the word “activation”, the Shipyards is a prime example of using a vast amount of square footage in intriguing ways, with tons of different stands for merch and other items (my friends picked up a couple of pack of World Cup cards to their delight). The areas around the main screen were executed to great effect, with mini screens throughout the plaza and food trucks (you always get extra points when you throw in Triple O’s; that’s just a rule) that were well picked.
The main screen was a little bit tougher to judge. The organizers made the call to go with minimal seating, and while I didn’t hate it, I do think it ever so slightly dimmed the atmosphere, as it was just a lot of standing for many in the crowd, including kids. Eventually, a large portion of those in attendance took to sitting on the concrete floor. So yeah, I probably would have preferred a few more tables for leaning on. The rock structures at the side were completely covered with people, and fair enough.
I also would say that the crowd atmosphere in general was a tad more laid back than i would have thought. England scored early in the game, and the match had six goals. Some had a big reaction but not the pop that maybe we’ve gotten used to over the course of this tournament. In the end, a very enjoyable time. I would Ship again.
Rating: 4.5/5