VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) - We're revisiting some Olympic road closures with the opening of the Paralympics. The Georgia Viaduct will be shutdown later today until Saturday morning. There are hopes the Games re-spark festive spirit that gripped our region last month.
The Opening Ceremony for the Paralympics is expected to include a cast of 5,000 in an event designed to chronicle the history of the games themselves.
Many of the things you liked about the Olympics are being brought back for the Paralympics, from the Zip Line at Robson Square to popular destinations like the Canada Pavilion, Northern House, and the B.C. Pavilion at the Art Gallery.
Some big names are in town to help ring in the games, Mr. Rock 'em Sock 'em himself Don Cherry is hosting a luncheon in their honour at the Fairmont Waterfront, while Canada's golden goalie Roberto Luongo has been tapped to light the celebration cauldron at Robson Square tomorrow.
Today the Paralympic flame makes its Vancouver debut with an 11:00a.m. celebration at Riley Park.
Besides the Georgia Viaduct, other ceremony-related road closures include the Dunsmuir Viaduct, which will be closed to traffic from noon to midnight on Friday, while the Cambie Street Bridge will shut down both days beginning Friday at 10:00a.m.
If you can't catch the ceremony live, CTV will be broadcasting them Saturday at 2:00p.m. In fact the network plans to make these these Paralympic games the most televised ever with a total of 27 hours of coverage.