AIDS Candlelight Memorial and Vigil email us

This community grass roots event has its origin in San Francisco in 1983. Since 1984 Vancouver has held an AIDS Candlelight Memorial in conjunction with the International event .

For the past many years the organizing committee posted the names of those members of our community, who lived with HIV and have died, on panels around the Bandstand at Alexandra Park. Recently, privacy legislation has resulted in a change in format for the vigil. Those attending are invited to speak the name or names of those they wish remembered during the event.

In 2005 we decided to hold the Vigil at the newly constructed Vancouver AIDS Memorial, bringing some of the long history of the International AIDS Candlelight Memorial to this new place of remembering.

In December, 2005, the organizing committee decided to merge the Vigil into the Memorial Society. The bringing together of these two organizations will ensure the continued tradition of honouring both those who are living with HIV/AIDS today, and those who have died, and all who are affected.

Since its inception in Vancouver in 1984, the Vigil has been made possible through the continuing efforts of its volunteer organizing committee. Our community extends its thanks to:

• Don Seaton
• Jeff Seaton
• John Cameron
• Cara Moody
• Wallace Robinson
• James Johnstone

The committee extends its thanks to the generous volunteer efforts of the many individuals involved in preparing and hosting the Vigil over the years.