Exclusive Interview, Alvaro Prol: Baby, I’m FVDED

Baby, I’m FVDED. Alvaro Prol, FVDED’s founder and partner at Vancouver’s Blueprint Events, wants to take you to a new downtown… Surrey City Centre… and invite you to his outdoor urban music festival, FVDED in the Park this weekend, from July 2-3, 2016.

SR3Y caught up with Alvaro earlier this month and asked: “Why Surrey?” with no hesitation, he stated, “Surrey’s Holland Park is the perfect choice, and the City’s leadership saw the opportunity to create something big.”

We agree. Surrey allows experiments… think of health technology initiatives like Innovation Boulevard and the blended approach to Fusion Festival. Think of the teen-run Youth Fest and sustainability-centred Party for the Planet.

When Alvaro was looking to bring the culture of a Coachella-style outdoor music festival closer to home, and capture some of the feel of BC music festivals found up the coast in Pemberton and Squamish, Surrey City Centre seemed like an obvious choice. It’s urban, on SkyTrain and public transit, and Alvaro believes Surrey is beautiful and will become BC’s second ‘downtown’.

After four years of cultivating dance music culture, FVDED in the Park finally has its own face and place in Blueprint’s culture. But even FVDED in the Park had its humble beginnings. Originally conceived as a small pop-up event at Stanley Park’s Malkin Bowl, Alvaro dreamed that it could become bigger and better. Surrey’s music festival really only took off last year with the introduction of R&B and rap.

This year is even more awesome. Using feedback from last year’s festival, Alvaro is elevating, tweaking, bettering and tightening customer service, food and experience programming at FVDED 2016.

Plus, Alvaro and his FVDED team are introducing two new initiatives this year:

1. FVED Lab – To create a more intimate environment for festival-goers so there is a chance to check out different acts from the main stage.
2. Community Engagement – FVDED is working with the YMCA in Surrey to help troubled youth work in a volunteer program.

Without a doubt, FVDED in the Park has become a major signature event for Surrey. It speaks to the tremendous growth in culture and young people in the city, and celebrates the mash-up of music that is at Surrey’s heart. FVDED has found a home here, in this new urban centre, at Holland Park, and all I wanna do is take you downtown.

Join us at FVDED this weekend.

More information: http://fvdedinthepark.com/