Welcome to the Vancouver Lexicon. Its purpose is to pin down the patois of the City of Vancouver by recording its toponyms, nicknames, slang terms, personalities, places, and other Van-centric things. Full A-Z here.

Barge Chilling Park | place | After yet another “unprecedented” climate event on November 15th, 2021, a barge became unmoored and washed up on Sunset Beach, temporarily closing the Burrard Street Bridge. Since then it has become a local cause célèbre, with a (rather suspect) parody Twitter account, as well as glowing reviews on Trip Advisor and Google. Although a classic example of gallows humour, there have been calls to leave it as a permanent testament to unchecked climate change.

Alternatively called “Large Barge” in homage to Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, and “Barge on the Beach”, referencing our local Shakespearian festival, Barge Chilling Beach is a riff on Dude Chilling Park, the cheeky art project by Viktor Briestensky (the Vancouver Parks Board made it somewhat official with a sign, calling it a “little holiday gift” to Vancouverites).

Usage: “Is Barge Chilling Beach a good first date or nah?”