More Free Olympic Events

GE Plaza (Robson Square)

This is the official site for the International Media Centre during the Games and centrally located at Robson & Howe Streets. It is also home to the new GE outdoor skating rink. Thanks to the generous contribution of the Province of BC and General Electric, the skating is free, but skate rentals are $3 a pair. The rink is open daily from 12:00 pm to 9:00 pm. This will be an extremely popular attraction. Note that although this venue is technically outdoors, it is actually below Robson Street. Just look for the big glass bubbles from street level.

Heineken House

Located near the O-Zone in Richmond, the highlight of the Holland Heineken House experience is the main hall, which can host thousands of people every night, and features celebratory medal ceremonies for successful Dutch athletes as well as nightly performances by renowned Dutch artists and DJ’s. The uniquely close relationship that Dutch sport fans have with their heroes - coupled with their penchant for the national colour of orange - makes for a vibrant and unforgettable atmosphere during celebrations and performances. More than 100,000 people visited the Holland Heineken House during Winter Games in Turin and 95,000 at the Beijing Olympics. At the last Summer Games, supporters were able to celebrate a total of 16 medals for the Dutch Olympic Team. There are plans for HH to serve beer to 4,000 people nightly at its Medal Ceremony Hall and stay open from 9 a.m. to 2 a.m. The Heineken House will be located at Minoru Arenas 7551 Minoru Gate in Richmond.

LiveCity Downtown

This site located at Georgia and Beatty will open during both the Olympic and Paralympic Games and will be Vancouver’s version of a downtown “piazza” with a large outdoor screen, daytime interactive school programming, engaging street entertainment, and late-night entertainment. Additional partners and governmental agencies will bring programs and pavilions to complement the site. The site will be open and programmed throughout the Olympic period commencing the day after the Opening Ceremony and concluding right before the Closing Ceremony (February 13-February 28). During that period it is anticipated that LiveCity Downtown will be open daily from 11am through to midnight. The site will reopen during the Paralympic period (March 12 through March 21) with a mix of on-screen programming, demonstration sport events and entertainment. Both the Canada and Manitoba pavilions will be on-site.

Nightly Medal Awards Ceremony

This is the most inexpensive way to participate in an official Olympic event. Tickets costs as little as $22 dollars per person and this provides you access to some of North America’s best entertainers as well as the medal winning athletes. Some of the confirmed bands include Barenaked Ladies, INXS, Nelly Furtado, Headley, Theory of a Dead Man and many more. The warm confines of the newly renovated BC Place Stadium will play home to this nightly event which is sure to be a crowd-pleaser. If you are taking the Expo Line SkyTrain, get off at the "Stadium" station. You will have to walk about 5 minutes to get there. A note for out-of-town visitors, BC Place will undergo a massive renovation after the Games and will have a brand new retractable roof installed.