Latest news with #EnglishBay
CTV News
a day ago
- Sport
- CTV News
No major incidents during Vancouver fireworks festival, police say
While hundreds of thousands of people descended on Vancouver's English Bay for the annual Celebration off Light, the event came and went without any major hitches, according to police. The fireworks festival concluded with an explosive performance from Team Nova Scotia on Saturday. The usually international competition was an all-Canadian affair this year, with Team Quebec lighting up the sky last Wednesday and Team Yukon the previous weekend. 'Logistically, this is very challenging series of events of us, due to the volume of people on land, the number of vessels in the water, the expansive road closures, and the number of extra officers we need to deploy,' Sgt. Steve Addison of the Vancouver Police Department told CTV News in a statement. 'This has all taken on extra significance following the Lapu Lapu attack.' Security was front of mind for festival organizers in the wake of the deadly SUV ramming that shocked the city in April. Steel barriers went up to block cars from entering the most crowded areas, and an additional 400 police officers were on the streets on fireworks nights. 'We've been doing heavy vehicle barriers and other mitigation measures for many years,' Paul Runnals, the event's executive producer, told CTV News earlier this month. 'It's not new to us. We're enhancing it this year based on the learnings from April, but really it's an extension of what we've been doing for a long time.' Police did have to deal with the usual fare of children getting separated from their parents, drunk people and 'physical confrontations' during the event, Addison said. 'By and large, it was a safe and successful three nights with no major public safety incidents at the waterfront.' The winner of the competition will be revealed on Tuesday.
CBC
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- CBC
How to put on a spectacular pyrotechnic show, according to a fireworks veteran
Saturday night is the final of three Celebration of Light fireworks displays at English Bay, with team Nova Scotia set to light up the skies just after 10 p.m. Fireworks FX president Fred Wade shares what he's learned about putting on a great show after 40 years in the business, and why making people happy is the best part of it.
CBC
22-07-2025
- Business
- CBC
Vancouver's Celebration of Light fireworks show faces funding challenges
Paul Reynolds, the executive producer of the three-decade-old annual fireworks display over Vancouver's English Bay, says that there has been a major clawback of government funds for the Celebration of Light, and it may not be back in 2026 without more support.
CTV News
19-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Team Yukon seeks second Celebration of Light win in Vancouver
On a barge floating in English Bay, Vancouver, Team Yukon is preparing to open the Celebration of Light on Saturday. Led by married couple Warren Zakus and Kiara Adams – who met as firefighters in Yukon – the team is seeking its second Celebration of Lights win after having won the competition in 2022 while representing Canada. 'Our theme is 20,000 leagues under English Bay,' Adams told reporters on Friday aboard the barge where the fireworks are being set up. 'It's a show that's inspired by the old movie. We wanted to do something that was nautical themed.' While the team claimed victory in 2022 – they insist they learned from the experience and are focused on putting on an even better show during this all-Canada edition of the fireworks competition. 'This is our second time here competing and I think we really paid attention to the audience reaction, we paid attention to the different things we could do with the barge, and we kept that all in mind when we were designing this year's show – to make it even better yet,' said Zakus. An operation this complicated needs a team – that includes technicians like Collin van Uchelen – who is legally blind. 'We're putting in an electronic match into each one,' van Uchelen told CTV News as he worked aboard the barge on Friday. 'And so what I need to do is prepare it by opening up the port here at the end, inserting the match, we tape it closed, and then Brian next to me, is wrapping it with plastic to keep it dry and foil to keep the sparks off it.' Saturday's event begins with a 10 p.m. drone show, before the fireworks begin at 10:15 p.m. Significant road closures will be in effect starting at 6 p.m. each day the fireworks are on, and police will be setting up barriers on key access points. An additional 400 officers will be on the streets to help manage the crowds, with many in the community still on edge following April's SUV ramming attack at the Lapu Lapu festival.
CTV News
19-07-2025
- Climate
- CTV News
E. coli halts swimming at Metro Vancouver beaches
Vancouver Watch The beaches around English Bay will no doubt be packed for fireworks Saturday night, but they are not suitable for swimming right now.
