The History of Car Free Day
In 2004, founders Matt Hern and Camren Mills started the first festival on Commercial Drive. The event was run and organized by volunteers, including 30 main organizers accompanied by roughly 300 volunteers. The event was a success with over 25,000 individuals attending. The festivals expanded in 2008 and were held at Main Street, West End and the Kits Block Parties.
Car Free Day Vancouver Society Today
As the festivals flourished throughout the years, Car Free Vancouver Society formed to oversee and preserve the overall mission. Car Free Vancouver festivals follow these values by closing off busy streets to celebrate and support local communities, the environment and car-free spaces. Festival attendees can experience and celebrate diversity and inclusivity while promoting a zero-waste environment through accessible waste stations throughout sites. Surrounding communities can enjoy live entertainment, food vendors, community booths and more throughout each event. Car Free Day strives for festival goers to find environmentally friendly ways of transportation to reduce carbon footprints. All festivals are easily accessible by transit, biking or walking distance.
Car Free Vancouver Society is a non-profit organization that is passionate about reducing congestion, promoting zero waste, active transportation, sustainability and community spaces. To support the mission, the organization hosts Car Free Days Vancouver annually by closing busy streets with car traffic. This allows hundreds of thousands of surrounding Vancouver communities to gather and enjoy day-long festivals.