Spectacular Opening Planned for Richmond Olympic Oval December 12 & 13 2008

December 12, 2008

Be among the first to skate on the ice at the Richmond Olympic Oval and enjoy spectacular live entertainment when the facility officially opens today, (December 12, 2008), the first day of a two-day celebration of community, sport, culture and spirit.

The Richmond Olympic Oval, located at 6111 River Road, opens its door to public at 4:30 p.m., today, Friday (Dec. 12). The evening activities run from 4:30 to 10 p.m. and will feature official opening ceremonies at 5 p.m., special entertainment before, during and after the ceremonies, building tours, displays, the first public skate on the Oval's 400-metre track, and food & beverage booths.

Guests of honour include Premier Gordon Campbell, Mayor Malcolm Brodie and Richmond City Council, Chief Ernie Campbell, Olympians Cindy Klassen and Kyle Hamilton, with a very special appearance by the VANOC mascots.

Entertainment includes an aerial dance by Aeriosa, ice show by Le Patin Libre, singing sensation Alexandria Beck, and more. Opening night events are free and tickets are not required. Highlights of the opening night ceremonies will also be broadcast in a special , one-hour live special on CTV from 5 to 6 p.m.

Seating is limited for tonight's official opening and available on first-come, first-serve basis. However, over the two-day celebration, public can enjoy more than 12 hours of opening activities and live entertainment, free public skating and building tours.

The Richmond community is celebrated at Saturday's event, with an open house, free public skating, entertainment, building tours and more. A limited supply of rental skates will be available, but public are urged to bring their own.

Avoid traffic and parking line-ups by taking transit, cycling or walking to the Oval.

Spectator Parking
For those driving, parking is limited at the Oval, especially on Friday. Public parking for the event will be in designated offsite lots minutes away from the Oval and on neighbourhood streets. Look for signs or volunteers to direct you to event parking lots. Parking permit restrictions on River Road and Elmbridge Way will be temporarily removed during the event to allow for additional parking. Increased bus service will be provided on the 401 and 407 routes, which stop at Gilbert and Westminster, a few minutes walk from the Oval.

Visitors are asked to park as the public - signs and volunteers will direct you to park on the streets or at designated parking lots in the neighbourhood including:

Across Hollybridge way at ASPAC
Worksafe BC’s lot after 4 p.m. on Friday
The parking lot on Sea Island at the new Canada Line station at Templeton Road and North Service Rd – A FREE SHUTTLE WILL TRANSPORT PEOPLE back and forth between 4:45 – 11:30 p.m.

A full schedule of events and more details on the opening are available here, see Schedule of Events, or at www.richmondoval.ca.