Fireworks judge family chosen by Concord Pacific to mark full-circle Celebration of Light experience | Daily Hive

Family selected by Concord Pacific to judge Honda Celebration of Light fireworks reflects on full-circle experience

Lisa Michaud and her family enjoying the Honda Celebration of Light fireworks over the many years. (Lisa Michaud)

Lisa Michaud and her family have always had a special connection to the Honda Celebration of Light fireworks festival.

This month, more specifically starting tomorrow, that connection is taking on new meaning after her family was selected by local developer Concord Pacific’s random draw to serve on the Concord Pacific Generational Jury — an opportunity Michaud describes as “a real joy” and “an honour” in an interview with Daily Hive this week.

Concord Pacific, a sponsor of the Honda Celebration of Light for 25 years to date, gave up its usual judging seat to create a unique initiative that offered one lucky family the exceptionally rare chance to join the exclusive panel selecting the winning pyrotechnics team. To qualify for the draw, the makeup of the participating family members has to be multigenerational — consisting of at least one young child and a parent or grandparent.

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But taking their fireworks viewing experience to a new level — with optimal close sightlines, creature comforts, and other perks — is not just an exciting summer opportunity; it is a deeply personal, full-circle moment for Michaud and her family.

This year marks their 10th anniversary of moving from Vancouver Island to Vancouver. On the first day they moved here, it was one of the fireworks nights for the Honda Celebration of Light.

“We literally unpacked all of our stuff, grabbed sushi, and went down to the beach and watched the fireworks. And so, the Celebration of Light has a really special place in our heart because we always felt like, ‘look at the city welcoming us with fireworks!'” recalled Michaud.

Lisa Michaud Celebration of Light fireworks judge family

Lisa Michaud and her family enjoying the Honda Celebration of Light fireworks over the years. (Lisa Michaud)

Sonoma — her daughter, born later in Vancouver — and their extended family will take part in all three nights of the festival. Michaud and Sonoma will attend every night to fulfill their family’s judging responsibilities; her husband will attend for the last two nights, and different relatives will join them each evening — including cousins, parents, and grandparents.

They live in downtown Vancouver, and her daughter’s first experience at the Honda Celebration of Light occurred when she was just five months old. Now seven years old, she understands she will be a judge.

“Sonoma’s really excited that she gets to stay up late three times. I know she’s really excited to have her family come, too. Our family is all coming from out of town at different times, so our home is turning into a bit of a revolving hotel next week,” said Michaud during an interview with Daily Hive. “This really is an anchor point in our entire summer to celebrate with our family and to celebrate in the city.”

“This is really special, not just for my daughter and I and my husband to share this together, but also to be able to include everyone else and be more comfortable… Some of our parents are getting older, and it’s not easy for them to do these things, so it really makes it accessible for everybody, and they’re all making it a special effort to be here this time. You don’t always get that in life,” she continued.

Lisa Michaud and her family enjoying the Honda Celebration of Light fireworks over the years. (Lisa Michaud)

While expressing deep gratitude and thanking Concord Pacific for the opportunity, Michaud also told Daily Hive that the experience holds more value to her than a cash prize.

“Like I said to my husband, who, I don’t know if he agrees or not, but I was like, ‘I would rather have this prize than win a million dollars.’ I just think, truly, this is the kind of thing that money can’t buy,” she continued.

“It’s such an amazing experience. It’s been something that we’ve been looking forward to ever since we got the call, and it feels very once-in-a-lifetime.”

Ahead of this year’s first fireworks night, Concord Pacific CEO Terry Hui told Daily Hive, “It’s inspiring to see children weigh in — their instincts are often the sharpest. As builders of community for generations, we can clearly see that the future belongs to them!”

When asked why she believes the Honda Celebration of Light is so special to Vancouver, Michaud says no other event creates the same electric energy throughout the city. It becomes a rare connection point — an opportunity for strangers to socialize and share a collective experience.

Combine that collective experience with a quintessential Vancouver summer evening — spectacular views, a stunning sunset, and the shared energy of the crowd on the beach — and it becomes truly unforgettable, she says.

“It gives us a reason to talk to strangers and get off of our phones, even though we’re taking videos. It’s just like a shared experience, which is hard to find, especially those that are free… The Santa Claus Parade doesn’t happen anymore, so a lot of things like that that used to happen don’t happen as much,” said Michaud.

Lisa Michaud and her daughter Sonoma at the 2025 Concord Pacific Dragon Boat Festival. (Lisa Michaud)

For the 2025 Honda Celebration of Light, Michaud and her family will join six other judges: Vancouver city councillor Sarah Kirby-Yung, Vancouver Park Board commissioner Laura Christensen, Honda title sponsor representative Zachary Lai, West End Business Improvement Association board member Lisa Arthurs, Vancouver Sun and The Province city editor Douglas Quan, and Daily Hive Urbanized editor Kenneth Chan.

While it may be tempting to judge a fireworks competition purely by the loudest “oohs” and “ahhs” resulting from the show with the biggest bangs in the sky, there is actually a structured methodology behind it.

Each year, the judges evaluate each fireworks show based on several criteria — scoring every performance out of a total of up to 100 possible points. The winning team is declared based on having the most points added up among all seven judges — a combined total of up to 700 points.

This includes taking note of the overall scale and balance of the display (up to 10 points), such as effective use of highs, lows, and a strong finale.

Judges also pay attention to the design, artistry, thoughtfulness, visual structure, and rhythm (up to 30 points), as well as synchronization and timing (up to 20 points) and the originality of effects and the inclusion of new and novel effects (up to 15 points). The soundtrack itself is judged on its quality, integration, and emotional resonance (up to 15 points), while technical precision and the quality of the fireworks used (up to 10 points) round out the scoring criteria.

Departing from the typical competition format involving three different countries, the 2025 Honda Celebration of Light will be an all-Canadian battle for all three nights.

The 2022 winning team of Midnight Sun Fireworks will return and kick off this year’s event on Saturday, July 19, representing Team Yukon. This will be followed by Royal Pyrotechnie, representing Team Quebec, on Wednesday, July 23, and Fireworks FX, representing Team Nova Scotia, on the final night of Saturday, July 26. The winning team will be announced the following week after the last show.

All three fireworks shows will have a running duration of 25 minutes as usual, but the start time for 2025 has been pushed to 10:15 p.m., as opposed to the earlier 10 p.m. ignition in previous years.

This 15-minute later start time allows for an enhanced viewing experience against a darker twilight backdrop — not only for the fireworks, but also for the BC Honda Dealers Drone Show. Featuring 400 drones, this pre-show for all three nights will begin at 10 p.m. and run for 15 minutes each night, leading right into the start of the fireworks. For the two nights of July 19 and 23 only, there will also be the pre-fireworks entertainment of the Canadian Forces Snowbirds Air Show, which will take to the skies mid-evening, long before sunset.

honda celebration of light vancouver fireworks lounge f

Fireworks views from an English Bay lounge for the Honda Celebration of Light. (Celebration of Light)

For a more optimal and comfortable experience, the 2025 Honda Celebration of Light will bring back two premium viewing areas at English Bay Beach — Inukshuk Point, and the expanded Concord Pacific Grandstand. Tickets for these viewing areas can be purchased online at the event’s website.

The popular 50/50 raffle will also return this summer to help raise funds for the event’s continuation.

The Honda Celebration of Light is Vancouver’s largest annual public event and one of its longest-running traditions, drawing up to 500,000 people to the beaches and parks around English Bay for each night of fireworks.

Honda Celebration of Light fireworks 2025

Schedule and provinces:
- Saturday, July 19: Team Yukon – Midnight Sun Fireworks
  - With pre-fireworks Snowbirds Air Show and BC Honda Dealers Drone Show
- Wednesday, July 23: Team Quebec – Royal Pyrotechnie
  - With pre-fireworks Snowbirds Air Show and BC Honda Dealers Drone Show
- Saturday, July 26: Team Nova Scotia – Fireworks FX
  - With BC Honda Dealers Drone Show
Nightly schedule:
- CF Snowbirds Air Show: Mid-evening on July 19 and 23
- BC Honda Dealers Drone Show: 10 p.m. on July 19, 23, and 26
- Fireworks: 10:15 p.m., rain or shine. Music simulcasts can be heard on radio station CFMI Rock 101.
Location: English Bay, Vancouver

Daily Hive is a proud media partner of the
2025 Honda Celebration of Light

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