The Honda Celebration of Light has been cancelled "indefinitely" due to a lack of funding.For over three decades, Vancouverites have gathered around — and in — English Bay every summer to watch the dazzling fireworks show, but organizers said they simply can't keep begging for money.."After many months of outreach to governments and the business community, the Vancouver Fireworks Festival Society has made the difficult decision to cancel the Honda Celebration of Light indefinitely," the VFFS wrote in a statement. "The event has faced significant challenges over the past three years due to rising production costs, the elimination of federal funding, a dramatic reduction in provincial support, and declining private-sector investment."While the event has always been free to watch, producers BrandLIVE recently introduced "ticketed seating and viewing lounges, corporate hosting opportunities and other ways to generate additional revenues.".Without government and private funding, VFSS lamented, "the free community event is no longer financially sustainable."According to Daily Hive, organizers received a total of $700,000 in grants from the provincial and federal governments in 2023. Only $100,000 was promised for 2026. Meanwhile, the operating budget has grown."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," VFFS Co-Chair Michael McKnight said. "Ending that tradition is incredibly painful, but we simply can't continue."On a typical evening, the fireworks draw approximately 300,000 people on both sides of English Bay, with countless others finding vantage points elsewhere in Kitsilano or high above the action on the North Shore.
