The iconic Vancouver waterfront fireworks festival that has been held for more than three decades has been cancelled indefinitely due to financial difficulties – news that Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim called “devastating.”
The event, described by organizers as Canada’s largest free event and a major tourism driver for British Columbia for the past 33 years, was originally known as the Symphony of Fire before changing its name to the Honda Celebration of Light more than a decade ago.
In a statement, the Vancouver Fireworks Festival Society says it had been reaching out to government and business communities for months but could no longer “keep the event afloat.”
It says production costs have risen over the last three years, while federal funding has been eliminated, provincial funding has been drastically reduced and private-sector investment has declined.
The decision comes as the society was in the process of making financial commitments to host next year’s event (held annually in July) and determined it was no longer feasible to move forward.
Sims says he is “incredibly disappointed” that senior levels of government cut funding for the event, for which the city was allocating $1.6 million in services each year.
He added, “We’ll be pushing hard for the federal and provincial governments to restore this funding and explore other options so our city doesn’t lose one of our most loved, free summer events,” says the statement posted on social media.
The festival society had introduced ticketed seating and viewing lounges in recent years in an attempt to bump up revenue. But a free community event on such a large scale is “no longer financially sustainable” without government grants or private sponsorship, its statement says.
Event executive producer Paul Runnals said, “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.”
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