Gather your public space, public transit loving friends, costume up in your wildest, sassiest, most-creative attire, and join us for a ghoulish ride on the crazy train!

In-flight entertainment courtesy will be provided by our resident DJ Rocky Fisher (bio below). Get set for epic EDM awesomeness as we travel south and across the border into deepest, darkest Richmond before returning to Waterfront Station.

And when the train rolls back back downtown to Terminus, we are offering members our very own version of Star-Alliance treatment with after-party magic. Follow us round the corner, across the street, and to the soon-to-be dismantled Seymour & Hastings Dome, where the DJ action will carry on.

The important stuff you need to know [UPDATED – PLEASE READ]:

• Meet on the Canada Line train platform at Waterfront Station. We will be leaving shortly after 8:00pm, so don’t be late.
  
• ProTrans (the company that runs the Canada Line) has told us that they will be getting people to queue up – like they did last year. They have also told us that they are unable to allow a long on-boading time (unlike previous years). What this means: Getting everyone on board at Waterfront is going to be a challenge, so don’t wait until 8pm to show up. If you want to get on the train, make sure you show up early, or better still…
• Pro-tip: If you are worried about the queue situation at Waterfront, consider joining us at City Centre, Yaletown, or one of the other stations on route. There will not be queues at these stations. If you use twitter, please follow us @vpsn – as we will be tweeting upcoming route stops
• Because we have very limited set-up time, we need your help: as you board the train, please make some space for our volunteer crew and DJ as they set-up. That way, we can get the party started without delay.
• Your price of admission? A $2.75 transit ticket, or your U-pass. ( Kids, high school students and 65+ = $1.75). This event is all about celebrating transit, so please remember to buy a transit ticket. | Fare details -www.translink.ca
• TransLink has asked us to pass this along: racing between trains at stops can be a real safety issue, so please try to respect that. (Actually, in general, be cool, ’cause we DO want to make sure we’re able to keep throwing these parties well into the future!)
• The train will stop at every station between Waterfront and Richmond Brighouse (and back), and picking up people along the way. These are your halloween party guests! Invite them in to join in the fun.
• If you see one of the Canada Line staff crew, or TransLink officer, please give ‘em a high five. These fine folks do a lot to make sure that this event runs smoothly. We’re grateful for that.

The After-Party

Once we return to Waterfront Station, we will doing a quick-shift of venues and moving the party one-block south to Seymour and Hastings. Join us! This public space is soon to be be demolished (sad!), and we want your help to liven it up one more time. Yay, weird dome space! We heart you (even if not many other people do).

Finally, please check this page leading up to the event in case there are updates to pass along!

About the DJ – Rocky Fi$her

For four years running, VPSN’s resident SkyTrain DJ Rocky Fi$her has been tearing up the transit party decks with the wildest mix old school flavour and new school groove. Rocky’s mixology is guaranteed to keep you jumping as she fuses together dnb, experimental trap, garage/jackin, bass, deep dubstep, glitch and more. Get ready for fresh sounds and danceable favourites on the 2015 SkyTrain event.

While not helping us with our transit party mayhem, Rocky Fi$her keeps the party going around town and at festivals across BC. She’s also resident DJ at the Ignite Bassment parties.

RainCheque: NeighbourMaker Design Jam – October 30 @ 7pm

The VPSN is proud to participate in the following event hosted by MOV and Vancouver Design Nerds (VDN). Join us as we hear from this summer’s NeighbourMaker team as they share stories about some exciting new placemaking projects that promote inclusion and connectivity in Vancouver.

The event features additional presentations on placemaking by Krisztina Kassay (VIVA), Caroline Ballhorn (Tin Can Studio), Ryan Betts (Bazinga!), and Andrew Pask (VPSN), as well as a special VDN Design Jam entitled RainCheque! The Jam will focus on a very timely question: How can we make new social connections in the rain?

Tickets – $11 for MOV members, $15 for non-members. Visit the RainCheque Eventbrite page.

Halloween SkyTrain Party – October 31 @ 8pm

Ladies and gentleman, get your make-up ready. The annual VPSN Halloween SkyTrain Party returns for its ninth installment on Friday, October 31, 2013.

Gather your friends, get your scariest and sassiest costumes together, and get ready to jump on the Canada Line for public transit experience like no other. Your job: help us to transform a regular ol’ train ride into a bit of ghoulish magic!

The night of transit terror includes:

• On-deck action and a spankingly awesome soundtrack courtesy of DJ Rocky Fi$her – Soundcloud)
• Snappy decorations, tasty treats
• An after-party at a nearby public space
• The best-dressed crew of public space loving ghouls and goblins on the continent

IMPORTANT: Please be sure to visit the VPSN website or Facebook Event Page for important information.

Last Candidate Standing – November 2 @ 2pm

Most definitely not your typical election event! Back by popular demand, Last Candidate Standing is a unique political debate that is open to each and every of the 10 candidates running for mayor and 49 candidates for council. This is truly an all candidates forum.

Last Candidate Standing is set up as a ‘mixer.’ It allows incumbents and new nominees, independents and party-affiliated candidates to share the same stage, answer questions from our Panel of Inquisition, and showcase their political chops. To make things even more lively, we add musical guests and other fun throughout.

The 2014 edition of Last Candidate Standing is produced by the Vancouver Public Space Network with the gracious support of SFU’s Vancity Office of Community Engagement, and the Urbanarium Society.

This event is FREE but space is very limited. Pre-register on our Eventbrite page.

For more information, you can also check the event listing on this website, or visit our Facebook event page.

Attention candidates! Nominees for Mayor and Council are asked to confirm their participation in Last Candidate Standing by contacting jessica [at] vancouverpublicspace [dot] ca.

Active Fiction at Riley Park – Coming Soon!

The Active Fiction Project (AFP) is back after a bit of a summer break! Do you like walking through neighbourhoods? Do you like reading things? Do you like choose-your-own-adventure books? The Active Fiction Project creates (very) short fictional stories that take place in a Vancouver neighbourhood. The stories are ‘hidden’ in public spaces for readers to discover as they walk through the story.

The next installation of Active Fiction will take place in Riley Park, starting in late October. Stay tuned for details on where to find the stories! You can follow project updates on the Active Fiction website, or follow us on twitter @activefic and Facebook.

Volunteers Needed

If celebrating transit, enriching local politics, or rolling up your sleeves with other public space projects tickles your fancy, why not lend a hand? Our next regular VPSN volunteer orientation takes place on Monday, October 20 @ 6pm. If you’d like more details, please zip us a note at volunteer@vancouverpublicspace.ca

Halloween means pumpkins, costumes… and here at the VPSN, a party in public space! Once again we will be having a party on Vancouver’s Canada Line. Here are the details for our frightful party on rails:

Date: Friday, October 26th, 2012

When: Meet at 7:45pm; train departs at 8pm

Where: Waterfront Station, Canada Line platform.

We’ll be taking a train to Richmond-Brighouse Station and back, which will take approximately an hour.

We’ll disembark at Vancouver City-Centre Station — but the party keeps going! Follow VPSN volunteers to our afterparty at a secret (!) downtown location.

RSVP on Facebook so we know you’re coming.

Tweets and pics? Tag: #skytrainparty. Check out pictures from SkyTrain parties.

Please party respectfully:
We love our Skytrains and they love us. Keep this in mind as we party it up in public space. This means:

• buy a ticket
• clean up any garbage
• don’t be a jerk
• no open alcohol.

Thanks! We look forward to seeing your costumes and celebrating in public space with you!

Luckily, the VPSN has not one but two opportunities for you this evening.

1. Billboards, outdoor advertising and public space corporatization… Help us map out a strategy to deal with the expansion of outdoor advertising in Vancouver.
   
   6:30pm @ Kafka’s Coffee (on Main st., near Broadway). More info – Stephanie [at] vancouverpublicspace.ca
   
2. Halloween transit party planning. Halloween is just over a month away. Time to hunker down and plan this year’s costumed craziness. Lend a hand, come with ideas!6:30pm @ Trees Coffee – on Granville and W. Hastings (450 Granville St.) More info – quinn [at] vancouverpublicspace.ca

… And while you’re at it, don’t forget to register for the City/SFU/VPSN Greenest City Idea Slam – taking place this Friday, Oct 1 @ 7pm. Hosted by Bill Richardson and taking place at SFU’s Woodwards and featuring an all star cast of experts and entertainers. Reservations required at http://websurvey.sfu.ca/survey/64166248