EVENT RECAP: Summer BBQ 2025

On June 16th, we had the pleasure of hosting over 300 of Vancouver’s finest at another sold-out edition of our annual Summer Solstice Barbecue!

It was all smooth sailing at Craft Beer Market in English Bay, where we revelled in stunning views and fantastic company. Sunset drenched our gaggle of technicians, artists, storytellers and leaders in a warm glow as we celebrated with people we couldn’t be getting through the year without, talked one another’s ears off about new tricks that have been saving our butts, and made friends with folks we’d shared credits with a thousand times but had never had the opportunity to meet in person.

The Craft team were a well-oiled machine, keeping the troupes energized with refreshing drinks (by consistently quick bartenders, shout out!), delectable desserts, and an INCREDIBLE burger buffet that never seemed to run dry. To say we were spoiled would be an understatement.

While the guests dished (pun intended), our board combed through the crowds, listening for just the right moment to intervene in conversation with an offer: Raffle tickets.

Our Raffle Prize pool was stocked with:

• 2TB SSD Sandisk External Harddrive– Courtesy of Western Imperial Magnetics
• $100 Gift Card to Cactus Club Cafe– Courtesy of Line 21
• $100 Gift Card to Nook or Oddfish– Courtesy of Line 21

And that wasn’t all… Upon entry, everyone was given a chance to become the one lucky winner of our Door Prize, which included:

• Longlegs poster, signed by Osgood Perkins – Courtesy of Oddfellows Entertainment Inc. and Neon
• $50 Amazon Gift Card – Courtesy of the VPA
• $50 Gift Card to CRAFT – Courtesy of Craft Beer Market

Between our door volunteers’ impressive first push, benevolent guests, and new Vice-Chair Julia Niendorf’s charismatic crowdwork, this year’s BBQ raised a total of $1,100 in support for BC Cancer!

That’s double last year’s $575 to BC Children’s Hospital.

Despite our volunteers’ rigorous shuffling, who was the owner of the first winning ticket? None other than new Board Chair Kelsy Wittmann. 

She insisted on redrawing both, we may need to consider auctioning off a night at the casino with Kelsy the Golden Ticket in next year’s raffle…

After the prizes were pulled, it was not long before the call of an early morning whisked us away one by one in a fleet of Ubers– Eyes heavy, minds calm, hearts warm with the comfort of community.

It takes a village to pull off an event of this scale, and our 2025 Summer Solstice BBQ wouldn’t have been possible without:

• Our benevolent Event Sponsors (Parlante Sound & Final Version 2), who donated unique and exciting prizes to allow winners to decompress at hallmark restaurants, expand their nerd kits, and keep a piece of history from some of our community’s contributions to the year’s most noteworthy films
• Our inexhaustible Year-Round Sponsors (Growth: Company 3, Picture Shop, Alter Ego, Infinity Post, and IATSE 891; Networking: Line 21, Sharpe Sound, Copilot Films, RAW Camera, Flow, Sohonet, and Annex Pro), who keep the VPA’s lights on, systems running, and sanity in tact 
• Our energetic Volunteers (Julia Hostetler, Sean Tran, Ashley Walford, Jeremy Powell, and Joselyn Hernandez), who set up the event, greeted and oriented each of our guests, and mastered the magic touch needed to operate our antiquated Square hardware
• The hardworking team at Craft Beer Market in English Bay, who welcomed us into their space, provided top-notch nourishment and service with speed and ease, and expertly wove through our eccentric crowd without batting an eye or breaking a glass
• Our legendary photographer Carlos M Bonmati, who captured precious moments to look back on despite perhaps the biggest challenge of them all, helping those who have built their careers around being behind the camera to feel comfortable in front of it
• Our diligent VPA Team (especially the Events Committee), who tirelessly devote their spare time month in and month out to support our contingent; never short of enthusiasm, positivity, or that particular zippy amusement that comes with long days in editing bays

And most of all, you– the Vancouver Post-Production community, without whom the VPA would have no reason to exist.

Thank you for celebrating with us, and thank you for being a part of the Vancouver Post Alliance.

We can’t wait to do this with you again soon.