Free and pricey sites to woo Vancouver Olympic crowds

People who want to experience the roar of the crowds during the 2010 Winter Olympics, but don't have tickets, will still have several options for watching the events depending on how much they want to spend.

The City of Vancouver unveiled more details about its plans to host two so-called LiveCity sites on downtown streets during the Games in February, on Wednesday.

The idea behind the free public sites is to give families a place to gather for free and watch Olympic events on giant outdoor televisions, along with live cultural events and concerts.

"It is about the chance to stand shoulder to shoulder with neighbours from around the block or across the country as well as new friends and visitors to our city to experience the excitement and celebrate the true spirit of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games together," Mayor Gregor Robertson said in a statement released Wednesday morning.

Concerts and competition

The LiveCity Downtown site will be located adjacent to the CBC building at the intersection of West Georgia and Cambie Street in what is now a parking lot, and close to the Olympic events at the GM Place and BC Place stadiums. The focus will be a giant screen TV for watching the Olympic events live.

The city will share the downtown site with the federal government, which recently announced plans to build its own 2010 Canada pavilion at a cost of $10 million, and with Manitoba, which also plans to build a pavilion.

The second LiveCity Yaletown site will be located in David Lam Park in nearby Yaletown, on the north shore of False Creek overlooking the water toward the Olympic Village on the south shore. The focus at that site will be live concerts and cultural performances on the main stage during the afternoon and evenings.

The city will also build its own venue at the Yaletown site called Vancouver House, intendedto promote its new green business campaign.

The two sites will be joined by a walkway down Hamilton Street and both LiveCity sites will be open from late morning to late evening, throughout the Olympic Games, but only the West Georgia site will be remain open for the Paralympic Games in March.

But those free events will be in sharp contrast to some of the corporate pavilions that will be set up elsewhere in the city.

5-star option for hockey fans

On Tuesday, the Molson beer company unveiled its plans for the Molson Canadian Hockey House, an 81,000-square-foot pavilion that will be built near GM Place. Anyone willing to fork over $500 a day will be able to watch the Olympic hockey games in luxury seating on the big-screen televisions, while rubbing elbows with former Team Canada players and NHL stars.

The price of admission will get ticket-holdersa lineup of 17 private concerts, complementary Molson beer and a menu prepared by celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck.

"This will be the largest free-standing pavilion ever constructed in Canada and we're going to pack it with the best in sport entertainment and hospitality, ensuring it's nothing less that a world-class hockey house," said Jordan Bitove, president of Vision/Co, which is managing the project.

The B.C. government has also announced plans to host its own pavilion at the Vancouver Art Gallery on West Georgia Street, near the intersection with Howe Street.

The total budget for LiveCity Vancouver and its two celebration sites is $18 million, according to the city website. The city is providing $5 million in funding from the Olympic Legacy Fund, while the federal government contributed $10 million to the project, with the remaining being raised through sponsorships and licensing agreements.