Ollie Hansen

Fostering Relationships Between Youth & Communities

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Once a humble skate competition, CityFest grows into creative bridge builder on the North Shore

CityFest 2017. Photo by Ollie Hansen.

CityFest 2017. Photo by Ollie Hansen.

The VANDOCUMENT team might spend most of our time in Vancouver proper, but as we grow, so does our documentation of the Lower Mainland’s artistic and creative scenes. Last Saturday saw the 16th annual ‘CityFEST’ take place on Vancouver’s North Shore, so writer, photographer, and street culture aficionado Ollie Hansen went to check it out.

Acting as a corner stone of North Vancouver’s Youth Week, this once humble skate competition has now, through the handiwork of young members of the local community, evolved into a must-see city event.

CityFest 2017. Photo by Ollie Hansen.

CityFest 2017. Photo by Ollie Hansen.

CityFEST is unique in the fact that it is organized by the youth of the North Shore for the youth of the North Shore. You would easily be mistaken when arriving, to assume that it was a high budget corporate event, being such a well organized day with an incredible array of young talents ranging from musicians to visual artists. The standout performers for the day was definitely local boys Landmark 20, a post pop punk inspired group playing out of North Van. Front man Cooper Clark donned the sentimental Blink 182 ‘California T’ as he lead his band in a high-energy show, that actively engaged his audience, (perhaps channelling his inner Mark Hoppus for inspiration).

If music was not your thing, that was more than okay as CityFEST had you covered with a number of other events running throughout the day, with everything from long board races to art shows to film screenings. It was clear that the underlying theme for the day was community spirit, a true celebration of everything North Shore.

CityFest 2017. Photo by Ollie Hansen.

CityFest 2017. Photo by Ollie Hansen.

Events like these are important to the growth and development of Greater Vancouver moving forward because it fosters relationships between youth and their communities, as well as creates an incredible platform for young artists to launch themselves from. Truly a step in the right direction, as we attempt to bridge the gap between the creative elite and aspiring artists.

A slideshow of this year’s CityFest assembled by Michelle Jackson

For more information on CityFest, check out their facebook page.