A Granville Street nightclub operator said he’s received conditional approval from the City of Vancouver for a Labour Day block party in the 1100-block of the entertainment district.
Cabana owner Dave Kershaw, who experienced his best two months in sales ever during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, said he hopes to welcome 5,000 people at the Granville DJ Festival on Sept. 7, the final day of the extended pedestrian zone.
Kershaw told Global News the event will be free, with options to purchase VIP tickets to get “ahead of the line”.
“A big 7,000 square foot outdoor party with DJs and fully licensed, featuring local food vendors and I’m getting every one of the bars and restaurants and clubs in this block involved,” Kershaw said Thursday. “So really, kind of a summer ender block party for Granville.”
On July 30, a salsa flash mob appeared outside the Luugat SRO or former Howard Johnson hotel at 1176 Granville Street, where one resident remains past the end of June B.C. government deadline for tenants to be relocated to alternative housing elsewhere.
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“It’s not the craziness of FIFA but it’s been a definite shot in the arm and continued success for Granville,” Kershaw told Global News.
Post World Cup, the Granville pedestrian zone has seen its challenges with visible street disorder, and nowhere near the more than 100,000 people the city said FIFA brought on some days during the tournament.
“Our measurement of success was never expecting the same crowds as the FIFA level,” Downtown Van operations director Joshua Davidson said in an interview.
Downtown Van, which is receiving up to $1.25 million of the $4.75 million council approved to extend the Granville street party for seven weeks, said live music is a huge driver.
The non-profit organization that represents 8,000 business and property owners in Vancouver’s downtown core said it is also programming contests, giveaways and family-friendly activations to generate foot traffic.
“We know that the early mornings on Granville are still pretty quiet and parts of the afternoon,” Davidson told Global News. “We’re trying to fill it up as much as possible, spread things out throughout the day.”
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In defending the cost to taxpayers, ABC Vancouver city councillor Peter Meiszner said there was overwhelming desire from Vancouverites to see the Granville pedestrian zone continue after FIFA, and ultimately become a permanent pedestrian street.
The seven-week extension, he said, is more expensive as barriers need to be brought in, and extra security is required to guard temporary installations overnight.
“Once we have a permanent pedestrian zone, we will have things like barriers that are in place permanently, we will have things like public art that’s in place permanently and that wouldn’t require ongoing police presence or security presence,” Meiszner said in an interview.
“Yes, it is expensive, but we need to spend the money in order to program the space to give people a reason to come.”
Meiszner said the city will use this as a test case for the long-term pedestrian vision for Granville Street – to see what works and what doesn’t, how it needs to be programmed and public safety requirements.