Vancouver's historic Kitsilano Showboat amphitheatre heavily damaged after fire

A historic outdoor amphitheatre in Vancouver's Kitsilano neighbourhood was heavily damaged by a fire just after midnight Saturday, according to officials.

The Kitsilano Showboat was built in the early 1950s and has hosted concerts every summer, with the upcoming season set to be its 88th. 

Fire crews say they responded to the fire just after midnight Saturday, at 12:08 a.m. As of 12 p.m. Saturday, a cause for the blaze has not yet been determined.

Keith Stewart, assistant fire chief with Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services, told CBC News that 26 firefighters responded to the fire early Saturday morning.

"There's a lot of water damage and there's heavy fire damage to this unit, to the Showboat," he said.

Showboat more recently survived COVID, king tides

The Kitsilano Showboat Society, which has hosted thousands of musicians and amateur performers since 1935, organizes events at the Showboat, an outdoor amphitheatre with Mediterranean design elements that pay homage to the neighbourhood's historic Greek community.

Barry Leinbach, president of the society, told CBC News that the performing arts community in Vancouver was "saddened" by the fire.

"Showboat still ran during the war years because they felt that it was important. More recently we survived during COVID," he said.

"We're going to survive through this too. It'll take a lot of work and we need the community to support us on it. But you know, we do plan on being back and better than ever."

Leinbach adds that the original façade of the building, styled after a riverboat, has stood strong through multiple renovations.

Pete Fry, a Vancouver city councillor, says the news is "devastating" for the society's volunteers as well for Vancouverites like himself.

"This is a non-profit society that has a $1-a-year lease kind of thing with the Vancouver Park Board," he said. "I know they struggled through COVID and they did a good job of doing some outdoor social distanced performances during [then]. 

"But they had a catastrophic flooding damage after that. That big king tide destroyed part of the Kits Pool, so I know they're just rebuilding from that."

An 'iconic' and 'special place'

Fry said he has memories of the Showboat from when he was a child, a teenager, and even an adult, watching performances set against the backdrop of Kitsilano Beach.

"Just recently with the passing of the the late great Red Robinson, I saw some images of him doing a dance party in the 1950s to rock 'n' roll music [at the Showboat]," he said.

"It is really iconic and it's a really special place."

Tom Digby, a Vancouver park commissioner, told CBC News that the society will have to rely on donations to fund repairs for the Showboat.

"Unfortunately, the park board does not have a lot of emergency funding to repair this kind of facility," he said.

Digby said he's optimistic that a team from the park board, which is set to make an assessment of the site Monday, can come up with the best solution to get the upcoming performance season back on track.

Richard K. Lowy, a Kitsilano resident and hobby artist who helps fundraise for the society every year, called the fire "heartwrenching" and "tragic."

"There's a lot of performers that would never get the chance to perform on stages," he said.

"For so many people, there are so many youth groups that look forward to this particular time for them to be up on stage and playing."

Kitsilano resident Michelle Brezinski, who says she walks by the Showboat everyday, said when the stage is not in use for performances or dance classes, many in the neighbourhood use it for sun tanning. 

"It looks sad ... it is definitely something that a lot of people are going to be disappointed about." 

Leinbach said the society was in the middle of "hectic" planning for the upcoming season at the Showboat, which was scheduled for June 19.

He said 60 acts had already been booked for the season, and more than 100 artists were still waiting to hear if they would be able to perform.

"We sure hope we can pull something off at this time," he said, when asked if the season would continue.

The society is set to meet Monday with the city's park board to determine if the summer schedule can continue.