HUBBUB ★ WINNER

Our project began with the question of how we might use the night as a catalyst to showcase art in a way that disrupts the existing nighttime culture. We felt there was a lack of affordable activities that were alternatives to the club scene and restaurant hopping in Vancouver.

We initially thought we may need to plan a night-time event for young Vancouverites, but through our research found that there are actually some great events happening in Vancouver. Thus, we turned our attention to what kind of intervention would ensure these accessible and affordable events continue to exist. We finally settled upon the idea of creating a toolkit (download here), aimed at event producers, that would provide them both a guide and list of resources on how to plan an event at night-time for young Vancouverites. This toolkit, accompanied by a “stamp of approval”, would signal to young people and students that they have been part of the planning process for the events, thus ensuring they feel welcome and drawn to these events. We hope The Night Is Young stamp could become a recognizable brand, much like the Oceanwise or Organic stamps, that would represent youth-friendly events.

We believe our toolkit acts as a much-needed resource for event producers. Those already following the guidelines may automatically apply the stamp to their event, while other organizations can strive to meet the “must haves” within the toolkit in order to obtain the stamp themselves. By producing The Night Is Young, we believe we are helping to sustain affordable and accessible alternatives to the existing nightlife culture in Vancouver, ultimately addressing our initial leading thought.