Media Releases

Sunday, March 15, 2015

Whistler goes green for St. Patrick's Day

Tourism Whistler media release
For immediate release - March 15, 2015

Whistler goes green for St. Patrick's Day

Suggested tweet: #Whistler joins Tourism Ireland’s Global Greening initiative; lights up in honour of St. Patrick’s Day #GoGreen4PatricksDay

The Fitzsimmons Creek Bridge, in Whistler, will be "green" for St. Patrick's Day. Photo by Mike Crane, Tourism Whistler.

Whistler, B.C. – Whistler will be green in honour of St. Patrick’s Day, partnering for the second year with the Resort Municipality of Whistler in Tourism Ireland’s Global Greening project.

Last year marked Whistler’s inaugural participation in the program which brings together iconic destinations from across the globe each going green in recognition of St. Patrick’s Day.

Global Greening is an annual initiative coordinated by Tourism Ireland. The campaign welcomes a number of landmarks and iconic sites around the world as they turn green for St. Patrick’s Day, in honour of Ireland, its culture, its history and the more than 70 million Irish living around the world.

Whistler is no stranger to St. Patrick’s Day celebrations – each year, many a local and visitor alike don their best green attire and costumes in honour of the day. The Global Greening initiative simply takes that celebration to a whole new level. Last year, the RMOW partnered with Tourism Whistler by turning the existing lights at the Village Gate Boulevard Inuksuk, the Sightlines Bridge and the Town Plaza Gazebo green on March 17. This year, the RMOW will cast its green light on the covered bridge over Fitzsimmons Creek.

Toronto City Hall, Vancouver’s Fairmont Pacific Rim, the Fairmont Le Chateau Montebello in Quebec, the Fairmont Empress in Victoria and the Cabot Tower in Newfoundland will all be joining this year’s greening from Canada. Around the world, the Coliseum in Rome and the Sacré-Coeur Basilica will go green for the first time in 2015, joining sites like the Grand Ole Opry, the London Eye, the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Christ the Redeemer statue.

Anyone can go green on St. Patrick’s Day and in Whistler, the day is always welcomed with fanfare. More than a few shamrocks and green felt hats are sure to be seen in the Village while local establishments like the Dubh Linn Gate Irish Pub and Garibaldi Lift Co. will host St. Patrick’s Day celebrations with special entertainment. At the Dubh Linn Gate, bands such as The Splinters and Ruckus Deluxe will perform while the GLC welcomes the Hairfarmers and special guest fiddler Shannon Saunders.

For a complete list of upcoming Whistler events, visit www.whistler.com/events

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Whistler is Canada's premier year-round leisure and meeting destination located in the Coast Mountains 120 kilometres (75 miles) north of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Consistently rated the top ski resort in North America, Whistler was the Host Mountain Resort of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. The resort offers an extensive range of accommodations totaling 10,000 bedrooms among 24 hotels as well as townhomes, condos, B&Bs and chalets. Whistler also boasts more than 100 restaurants and bars, 200 retail shops, 25 spas and countless activity options from world-renowned skiing and snowboarding, mountain biking and golf, to hiking, rock climbing, and watersports. The Resort Municipality of Whistler is home to a diverse community of more than 10,000 permanent residents.

Tourism Whistler is the member-based marketing and sales organization representing Whistler, operating the Whistler Conference Centre, Whistler Golf Club, Whistler Visitor Centre, as well as 1.800.944.7853 and whistler.com - Whistler's official source for visitor bookings and information. As the convention and visitors bureau for the Resort Municipality of Whistler, Tourism Whistler represents more than 7,000 members who own, manage and operate properties or businesses on resort lands including hotels, restaurants, activity operators and retail shops.

Media can visit whistler.com/media for Whistler facts, media releases, story starters, local personality profiles and access to images and B-roll.

Broadcasters: Whistler now has the capability to take you live with our enhanced fibre network. The significantly expanded network of more than 200 kilometres of fibre optic cabling throughout the resort allows instant transmission of HD signals to any location at any time. Details on how to access, and book the fibre are available on our media site.

Media Contact

Patricia Westerholm
Manager, Communications
T: 604.938.2748
E: pwesterholm@tourismwhistler.com

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