Kits Fest and Kitsilano Beach

If you are in Vancouver on a fine summer’s day and want a busy beach with lots of sightseeing (people or geography) you can’t go wrong on Vancouver’s Kits Beach.  This past weekend there was Kits Fest [Aug 20, 21, 22 2010] which had beach volleyball and basketball tournaments plus a variety of tents ranging from local agencies (Kits Chamber of Commerce, Kits Community Centre, Kits House) and it was reasonably child-friendly.

 

But honestly, who cares?  It’s the stunning visuals that matter.  If you are people watching the variety of people ranging from the artificially beautiful to the naturally beautiful to the strange and bizarre is all there.

 

Stay for sunset at Kits Beach.  About mid-August, the sun sets right in the spot where the mountains lead down to the water.  If there’s no low cloud line, it’s an interesting thing to see the sun dip below the rocky and watery horizon.  Once that happens, the beach evacuates as the temperature usually drops.  If you are up for after beach drinks, Yew Street is nearby and as you walk up the steep hill, you have a variety of restaurants and watering holes.

 

A picnic at Kits Beach is always good.  The best place is near the existing playground, which is also near the basketball courts.  (It looks like they are building a new playground closer to the main washrooms so I don’t know how long the old one will be standing.)  Anyway, there’re some nice shady trees and a couple of picnic tables.  It’s best to bring your own table and chairs and BBQ.  Watch out if they’re having a dry summer in Vancouver as they’ll ban fires and smoking.

 

If you want some exercise, try Kits Beach Pool.  I didn’t do this myself, but wow, that’s one long pool and some serious swimmers take on those swim lanes.