The African Descent Festival at English Bay will not be going ahead this weekend after the Vancouver Park Board denied the event a permit, a move organizers call \u201cvery unjust\u201d and say they will fight in court.<\/p>\n
\nStatement on African Descent Festival at English Bay Beach<\/p>\n
\ud83d\udd17 https:\/\/t.co\/HNNLbMVZ8W<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/mC2PCev9NB<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation (@ParkBoard) August 9, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
In a statement posted Saturday, the Park Board said organizers \u201cdid not resolve outstanding issues from previous events in time to meet the necessary planning, safety and operational requirements for the 2025 festival.\u201d<\/p>\n
It said staff \u201cmade considerable efforts to support the event\u201d by proposing alternative solutions, including relocating to the festival\u2019s previous site at Thornton Park or postponing to a later date.<\/p>\n
All of those options were declined, according to the board.<\/p>\n
\u201cEnglish Bay Beach Park and facilities will remain open to the public this weekend,\u201d the statement read.<\/p>\n
\u201cAny organized event in the park will be unpermitted and unsanctioned.\u201d<\/p>\n
Organizers push back<\/p>\n
Event coordinator King Solomon told Daily Hive the Park Board\u2019s claims are \u201cnot true,\u201d saying the non-profit behind the festival finalized a payment plan with the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) in mid-July and made its first deposit before the permit decision was made.<\/p>\n
He said the application for this year\u2019s festival was submitted nearly a year ago, and alternative location or date options were only presented on Aug. 1, just over a week before the planned event.<\/p>\n
\n<\/blockquote>\n\u201cYou can\u2019t change the course of an event of this magnitude on such short notice,\u201d Solomon said, adding that moving back to Thornton Park would have cut capacity from more than 40,000 people to about 5,000.<\/p>\n
The festival, which moved to English Bay in 2023, also commemorates the legacy of Joe Fortes, a Black pioneer lifeguard who helped shape the beach as a public space.<\/p>\n
Solomon said that history is part of why organizers have fought to keep the celebration there.<\/p>\n
Solomon alleged that while the Park Board said they could hold an unsanctioned event, when crews arrived to set up on Thursday, police blocked trucks carrying tents, staging, and other equipment from entering the site.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you have enough resources to stop the festival, why can\u2019t you use them to support it happening?\u201d he said, claiming more than 100 police officers and park rangers were on site.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s next<\/p>\n
The cancellation has left the non-profit \u201chundreds of thousands of dollars\u201d out of pocket, Solomon said, and the group now plans to sue the Park Board.<\/p>\n
Instead of the two-day festival, organizers say they will hold a protest at English Bay on Sunday, Aug. 10, at 5 p.m.<\/p>\n
The rally will feature the event\u2019s scheduled headliner, whom Solomon described as \u201cthe Michael Jackson of Africa.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe really want the public to know that we have been mistreated,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are trying to celebrate the pride and diversity of people of African descent and the contributions our community has made to Vancouver, B.C., and Canada.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daily Hive has reached out to the Vancouver Park Board and Vancouver Police Department for further comment.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Want to stay on top of all things Vancouver? <\/b>Follow us on X<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n