The world’s largest offshore fireworks competition may never be held again in Vancouver. Today (November 26), the Vanouver Fireworks Festival Society announced that it was cancelling the Honda Celebration of Light “indefinitely”.
It comes after organizers said that the federal and provincial governments had sharply reduced funding in recent years.
Last summer, the Honda Celebration of Light featured teams from Yukon, Quebec, and Nova Scotia. This stood in contrast to previous years, where different countries were represented. The first “Symphony of Fire”, as it was originally called, took place in 1990.
Every year, the fireworks are set off from a barge in English Bay, bringing huge crowds to the West End and Kitsilano.
However, there has been growing concern about the harmful impact of fireworks on dogs and birds. In 2019, that prompted a majority of Vancouver city councillors voted to ban the retail sale of consumer fireworks, starting in 2021. However, there was an exemption on banning pyrotechnics at large public displays set off by certified technicians.
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