Last weekend, Vancouver was treated to a skate-themed party put on by Color Mag and the Jamcouver Cultural Society of EPIC proportions. "The Hotel Takeover" has already been called as the best party of the year, if not ever, Vancouver has seen. And with a (not so) mini-ramp setup, free tattoos, music, art and a ton of amazing looking stuff going on, it sure seems like it just might have been.
I missed the event myself, and am bummed as hell!, but got in touch with Dan Post, managing editor of Color Mag and one of the organizers, to get the scoop on the party and the Jamcouver Society. Plus he sent along a ton of photos of the party so we can all revel in the glory of this epic party.
I'll tell you one thing, I'm not gonna miss this next year!
33MAG: What is "Jamcouver"?
Dan: Jamcouver Cultural Society is a non-profit organization with the long-term goal of building a permanent, sustainable indoor skatepark in The City of Vancouver. With the support of local skateboard publication Color Magazine, JCS will achieve this goal, as well as their overall mission to bring the skateboarding and arts community together for the world to see, by producing a wide range of cultural programming that includes everything from art shows and concerts to skateboarding contests and more.
Their flagship event “Jamcouver 2013” is being presented by Color Magazine and will see 60 professional skateboarders descend on Sunset Beach Aug.3 for a skateboard contest where creativity is king. It’s been years since world-class professional skateboarding was on display in Vancouver, but Jamcouver is bringing it all back in front of 300,000 spectators during the final day of the Celebration of Light.
Where did the whole idea for this event come from?
The Hotel Takeover began as a partnership with The Burrard Hotel when we went looking for a new space to host events following the closing of The Waldorf Hotel. In 2011, Color Magazine kicked off their Ramp Party series at The Waldorf. A mini-ramp contest in the back and a trash metal show inside for the after party. It was a huge success. This year, needing a new venue to hold the Ramp party and with even more ideas to execute, Color approached The Burrard with an idea. Several weeks of planning and brainstaorming later and oyu’ve got yourself the Hotel Takeover.
Color Magazine always tries to incorporate all elements of skateboard culture into everything they do. That is how you ended up with a mish-mash of art, music and skateboarding as well as a diverse crowd of partygoers all coming together as one for this event.
JAMCOUVER (the big contest) first took place in 2011, also in The Waldorf parking lot. The idea was to bring creativity back to skateboard contests and de-“sportify” the culture. Again, hundreds turned out to witness the event and it was a huge success.
Not Since Slam City Jam was a fixture in Vancouver has there been a world-class professional skateboard contest in Canada to capture the world’s attention. “Jamcouver 2013” aims to bring that spirit back to the City of Vancouver and put a spotlight on all the creative and talented skateboarders in Canada with a fun contest that stays true to its grassroots beginnings.
It sounds like the party went off! Was it a surprise how well everything worked out? Were there any surprises thrown your way at the last minute?
We knew that we’d be able to pull this off, because skateboarders are some of he most dedicated and respectful individuals, despite the negative label we often receive. Did we expect some shenanigans? Sure, I mean what kind of a hotel party would it be without something getting broken. As far as surprises, I don’t think anyone saw that wild African Serval cat coming at all. It was like something from a movie.
Do you think the party accomplished it's goals?
Absolutely. Jamcouver Cultural Society is officially on the map and now that people know what we are capable of, you can expect a lot fun coming back to “No Fun City”
What's next?
JAMCOUVER 2013!!!
About “Jamcouver 2013”
This year, Color Magazine teams up with Skullcandy to present Canada’s biggest skateboard contest, where the nation’s top talents will compete for cash prizes and get creative on a one-of-a-kind street course you’ll have to see to believe. On location at Sunset Beach in front of hundreds of thousands of spectators, Jamcouver 2013 aims to bring world-class skateboarding back to the City of Vancouver for the whole world to see.
About JCS
"Jamcouver" is an annual flagship event that began as an idea to bring creativity back to skateboarding and spotlight arts and culture. Today, the Jamcouver Cultural Society non-profit group has grown to include a wide variety of cultural programming through out the year, while maintaining its original mandate with a focused goal on achieving a sustainable indoor skateboard facility for the City of Vancouver.
About Color Magazine:
Color Magazine is a skateboard culture quarterly published in Vancouver by fourcorner publishing inc. Founded by Sandro Grison in 2003 as a means for sustaining a steady diet of skating and creating, today the company presents multimedia entertainment via its quarterly magazine, special film/video projects, contests, clothing collaborations, curated art exhibitions, live musical performances and more.
