British ColumbiaOrganizers of a public fireworks festival, which has brought millions of people to Vancouver’s English Bay over the past three decades, says it can’t go ahead without long-term government and private-sector support.Organizers say lack of government, private-sector cash behind decisionChad Pawson · CBC News · Posted: Nov 26, 2025 10:56 AM EST | Last Updated: 2 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.Crowds gather at Vanier Park to watch the Celebration of Light fireworks display at English Bay in Vancouver on July 27, 2022. (Gian Paolo Mendoza/CBC)Organizers of the Celebration of Light fireworks festival, which has brought millions of people to Vancouver’s English Bay over the past three decades, says it can’t go ahead without long-term government and private-sector support.The Vancouver Fireworks Festival Society (VFFS) made the announcement Wednesday morning in a news release.“For 33 years, this event has been a cornerstone of Vancouver’s summer — a shared experience that brought families, friends, and visitors together from across the province and around the world,” said Michael McKnight, VFFS co-chair.“Ending that tradition is incredibly painful, but we simply can’t continue.”Originally known as the Symphony of Fire and for the past 13 years the Honda Celebration of Light, the July event featured multiple evenings of fireworks shows set to music from a barge in English Bay as people crowded into waterfront neighbourhoods to watch.WATCH | 2025’s final Honda Celebration of Light in Vancouver:VPD steps up safety measures for Celebration of Light fireworks The Honda Celebration of Light is returning with three nights of fireworks in Vancouver, beginning Saturday. Vancouver police Const. Tania Visintin spoke with CBC about the new safety measures VPD has put into place in the wake of the Lapu-Lapu Day festival tragedy.Organizers say multiple barriers are now preventing the free annual festival from continuing, including rising production costs, an end to federal funding, a dramatic reduction in provincial support and declining private-sector investment.The VFFS is a non-profit society. It says it would need stable long-term funding to bring the event back in the future, but that it’s not possible for 2026, as contracts and booking for next year need to be completed now.In recent years, the event introduced ticketed seating, viewing lounges and corporate partnerships to try and sustain the festival.“But without government grants and private sponsorship, the free community event is no longer financially sustainable,” said the society.People enjoy a fireworks display by team Portugal during the Honda Celebration of Light in Vancouver on July 20, 2024. (Ethan Cairns/The Canadian Press)The executive producer of the event, Paul Runnals, says organizers have exhausted every option to keep the festival going.“Our hope is that by being transparent about the financial realities, that governments and partners might step up to create a long-term solution that allows the Honda Celebration of Light to return stronger and more sustainable at some point in the future,” he said.Vancouver mayor calls out province, fedsIn response to the news, Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim posted on Instagram that he was “incredibly disappointed that senior levels of government have chosen to cut their funding by 80 [per cent].”Sim said the city provides $1.6 million in services every year to the festival, “and we remain fully committed to upholding our financial contributions.”He added that the city would be “pushing hard” to have the provincial and federal governments restore funding for the festival, “so our city doesn’t lose one of our most loved, free summer events.”Vancouver Fireworks Festival Society organizers Michael McKnight and Paul Runnals announce that the annual event is cancelled indefinitely on Nov. 26, 2025. (Ben Nelms/CBC)VFFS says the festival drew 1.3 million attendees annually over three nights, including 200,000 out-of-region visitors, generated more than $265 million in economic activity each year and created millions of dollars in provincial tax revenue.ABOUT THE AUTHORChad Pawson is a CBC News reporter in Vancouver. Please contact him at chad.pawson@cbc.ca.
Vancouver’s Celebration of Light fireworks festival cancelled indefinitely
