Presenting to all the SFU Students and money savers around the lower mainland, a list of free concerts from February 12th to 28th 2010. Part of the Cultural Olympiad. ALL showtimes are PM. Courtesy of the Facebook group FREE Olympic Shows.

The one I’m most looking forward to is Deadmau5 on the 19th in Yaletown. It’s gonna be bumpin!! Hit the jump for the rest of the free shows!

Fri Feb 12th – Venice Queen – 10:15 @ Ozone
Fri Feb 12th – Bedouin Soundclash – 10:00 @ Ontario Pavillion
Fri Feb 12th – Blue Rodeo – 9:15 @ Holland Park
Sat Feb 13th – Matthew David – 3:15 @ Ozone
Sat Feb 13th – Jet’s Overhead – 8:00 @ Holland Park
Sat Feb 13th – Five Alarm Funk – 9:00 @ Holland Park
Sat Feb 13th – Daniel Wesley – 10:00 @ Holland Park
Sat Feb 13th – Califone! – 7:30 @ Livecity Yaletown
Sat Feb 13th – Hey Ocean – 8:00 @ Ozone
Sat Feb 13th – Bedouin Soundclash – 9:30 @ Ozone
Sat Feb 13th – Jessie Farrel – 10:00 @ Livecity Downtown
Sat Feb 13th – Default/Wilco – 6:15/10:00 @ Livecity Yaletown
Sun Feb 14th – Keisha Chante – 10:00 @ Ontario Pavillion
Sun Feb 14th – Mother Mother – 8:00 @ Livecity Yaletown
Sun Feb 14th – Rich Hope – 8:00 @ Livecity Downtown
Sun Feb 14th – Daniel Wesley – 9:30 @ Livecity Yaletown
Sun Feb 14th – Elliot Brood – 9:30 @ Livecity Downtown
Sun Feb 14th – Serena Ryder – 9:00 @ Holland Park
Mon Feb 15th – Sloan – 10:30 @ Atlantic Canada House
Mon Feb 15th – Serena Ryder – 10:00 @ Ontario Pavillion
Mon Feb 15th – Jet’s Overhead – 9:30 @ Livecity Downtown
Mon Feb 15th – Matisyahu – 9:30 @ Livecity Yaletown
Tue Feb 16th – Fresh IE – 7:30 @ Livecity Downtown
Tue Feb 16th – Alexisonfire – 9:30 @ Livecity Yaletown
Tue Feb 16th – Buck 65 – 9:30 @ Livecity Downtown
Tue Feb 16th – Eliot Brood – 10:00 @ Ontario Pavillion
Tue Feb 16th – The Trews – 10:30 @ Atlantic Canada House
Wed Feb 17th – DRUM! – 5:00 @ Livecity Yaletown
Wed Feb 17th – Corb Lund – 9:30 @ Livecity Yaletown
Wed Feb 17th – The Arkells – 10:00 @ Ontario Pavillion
Wed Feb 17th – Hawksley Workman – 9:30 @ Ozone
Wed Feb 17th – Hot Hot Heat – 9:00 @ Holland Park
Wed Feb 17th – Ivy League Brawlers – 10:00 @ Plaza Of Nations (Edgewater)
Thur Feb 18th – Jully Black – 10:00 @ Ontario Pavillion
Thur Feb 18th – Keisha Chante – 8:00 @ Livecity Yaletown
Thur Feb 18th – Corb Lund – 9:00 @ Holland Park
Thur Feb 18th – Rumba Calzada – 9:30 @ Livecity Downtown
Thur Feb 18th – The Arkells – 8:30 @ Ozone
Thur Feb 18th – Our Lady Peace – 9:45 @ Ozone
Thur Feb 18th – Marianas Trench – 9:30 @ Livecity Yaletown
Fri Feb 19th – Deadmau5 – 9:30 @ Livecity Yaletown
Fri Feb 19th – DRUM! – 8:00 @ Ozone
Fri Feb 19th – Jully Black – 10:00 @ Holland Park
Fri Feb 19th – The Arkells – 7:00 @ Holland Park
Fri Feb 19th – Dan Mangan – 8:00 @ Holland Park
Fri Feb 19th – Sam Roberts – 9:00 @ Holland Park
Sat Feb 20th – The Arkells/ Sam Roberts – 6:30/9:30 @ Livecity Yaletown
Sat Feb 20th – Marianas Trench – 9:30 @ Ozone
Sat Feb 20th – Mother Mother – 10:00 @ Holland Park
Sat Feb 20th – DRUM! – 6:30 @ Holland Park
Sat Feb 20th – Hey Ocean – 8:30 @ Holland Park
Sun Feb 21st – The Odds – 7:30 @ Holland Park
Sun Feb 21st – 54-40 – 9:00 @ Holland Park
Sun Feb 21st – Jully Black – 9:30 @ Livecity Yaletown
Mon Feb 22nd – Colin James – 9:30 @ Livecity Yaletown
Tue Feb 23rd – Wintersleep – 9:30 @ Livecity Yaletown
Wed Feb 24th – Wintersleep – 10:30 @ Atlantic Canada House
Wed Feb 24th – Damian “Jr.Gong” Marley – 9:30 @ Livecity Yaletown
Thur Feb 25th – Illscarlett – 6:30 @ Livecity Yaletown
Thur Feb 25th – Wintersleep – 9:30 @ Ozone
Thur Feb 25th – Inward Eye – 11:30 @ Livecity Downtown
Fri Feb 26th – Tokyo Police Club – 9:45 @ Ozone
Fri Feb 26th – Inward Eye – 6:00 @ Holland Park
Fri Feb 26th – Illscarlett – 8:00 @ Holland Park
Fri Feb 26th – Marianas Trench – 9:00 @ Holland Park
Fri Feb 26th – TBC – 8/9:30 @ Livecity Yaletown
Sat Feb 27th – Matt Mays – 6:30 @ Livecity Yaletown
Sat Feb 27th – Matt Mays – 10:30 @ Atlantic Canada House
Sat Feb 27th – The Stills – 10:15 @ Ozone
Sat Feb 27th – Illscarlett – 10:00 @ Ontario Pavillion
Sat Feb 27th – Blue Rodeo – 9:30 @ Livecity Yaletown
Sat Feb 27th – Wide Mouth Mason – 9:30 @ Holland Park
Sat Feb 27th – Tokyo Police Club/Wintersleep – 9/10:00 @ Holland Park
Sun Feb 28th – Five Alarm Funk – 9:30 @ Ozone

ALL showtimes are PM

TBC is to be confirmed, the act hasnt been announced yet.

There are more shows in and around Vancouver, but these are the free ones!

Livecity Yaletown:
David Lam Park, Vancouver

Livecity Downtown:
Cambie St between Dunsmuir St and W Georgia St, Vancouver

Holland Park:
13428 Old Yale Rd., Surrey

Ozone:
Minoru Park, Richmond

Ontario Pavillion:
Concord Place, False Creek, Vancouver

Atlantic Canada House:
Granville Island

Plaza Of Nations:
750 Pacific Boulevard, Vancouver

The 2010 Winter Olympics are right around the corner, so I thought it would be a good time to reflect on what the games are really about. When I first heard that the games were going to be in Vancouver, it seemed like 2010 was really far away. Since then, the 2010 Games have catalyzed a lot of change in BC, but they’ve also created a lot of controversy. When I was a kid I remember growing up and being captivated by everything from curling and figure skating to the more exciting sports like hockey and….hockey. Me and my family would sit around and catch as much of the action as we could, and you couldn’t help but feel a sense of “connectedness” each time a Canadian athlete would claim victory. Back then it wasn’t about business or politics…it was all about sports and bringing people together.

I think winter sports are an important part of who we are as Canadians, because most of the country gets blanketed in snow every winter. Instead of basketball and running, our attention naturally goes towards more winter-oriented things like snowboarding and ice hockey. These things are essentially a part of Canadian identity and what make the Winter Games so special. Sports are the ultimate catalyst for breaking social and cultural barriers and I appreciate the role they play in our multicultural world. That’s why I’m so glad that we have an old tradition like the Winter Olympics right in our own backyard. Of course theirs a lot of business interests involved and politics going on behind the scenes but at the end of the day it’s the pursuit of excellence by each and every athlete that really matters…everything else is just noise.

These are some of the reasons that I think of the Olympics as a unique event and a tremendous source of inspiration. The fact that the 2010 Olympics are in Vancouver is even more exciting, because it gives everyone a chance to participate in the excitement first hand! So cheers to all the snowboarders, skiiers, ice hockey players, figure skaters, curlers and everyone else who is looking forward to February for the games to begin. Forget the noise, have fun and make sure you get the most out of the Olympic experience. Something like this only happens once in a lifetime, and will be a defining moment Vancouver’s history.

Watching the Games:
If you guys wanna watch the olympic action and don’t have access to the live events (like me) then I think the best bet is to get an Olympic Pass from Cineplex. For $30 you get full access for all 17 days that the games are on, and you get to watch them on a big huge movie theater screen in HD. It’s a pretty fun way to enjoy the games and it’s a good environment, so check out the links for more info:

“Coming this February, Canadians will experience the Olympic Winter Games like never before – on fifty foot screens, all in HD and in crystal clear 5.1 surround sound audio. From the spectacular Opening Ceremony to cheering on your local athlete to the excitement of the gold medal hockey game, imagine the thrill of watching every moment of Vancouver 2010 with family and friends at the CTV Olympic Games Broadcast at Cineplex!”

Resources:
More info: http://www.cineplex.com/Promos/CTVOl…ndTickets.aspx
Olympic Schedule: http://www.ctvolympics.ca/2010-schedule/index.html