105,000 people attended Concord's New Year's Eve Vancouver to ring in 2017

Jan 2 2017, 3:05 am

The second annual Concord’s New Year’s Eve Vancouver fireworks celebration in downtown Vancouver attracted at least 105,000 revellers, according to an official estimate by Vancouver Police.

Overall attendance figures for the Coal Harbour area were slightly less than last year largely due to snowfall throughout the day, leading right up to the 9 pm Family Fireworks. Crowds were initially slightly slow to pour into the festival site in Coal Harbour, but it picked up quickly soon after the early fireworks show when road conditions in the city of Vancouver quickly began to improve.

Snowfall in downtown Vancouver ended at approximately 8 pm, and visibility and road conditions improved significantly thereafter.

There have been reports that many eager revellers in the suburban municipalities were turned away when transit bus services became inoperable in heavy snow conditions. While many bus routes were affected, all three SkyTrain lines and SeaBus ran smoothly despite the weather.

“With over 80,000 individuals in attendance last year, we were well-prepared for this year’s turnout. More ticketed indoor and outdoor zones ensured everyone had an opportunity to enjoy live performances and firework shows,” said Dani Pretto, chair of the Vancouver New Year’s Eve Celebration Society, in a statement.

This year’s expanded New Year’s Eve festival included more food trucks and secondary free outdoor concert stage and three new premium viewing zones, including the TRUE NORTH Indoor Party inside the Vancouver Convention Centre – the biggest indoor NYE party in the city.

There were also more and larger fireworks shells for both the 9 pm and midnight finale fireworks shows.

“The world-class musical lineup, combined with more than 25 food vendors and a brand new countdown clock, made this year’s celebration the most memorable to date.”

The Vancouver New Year’s Eve Celebration Society, the not-for-profit organization that organizes the event each year, received funding support this year from the federal government to help kickoff Canada’s 150th anniversary celebrations. It also secured a number of new sponsors and partners, including title sponsor Concord Pacific.

Oh hey Vancouver! Happy New Year lovelies ❤️

A photo posted by Loel Campbell (@loelcampbell) on

Other sponsors and partners include Daily Hive, City of Vancouver, The Peak 102.7 modern rock, 93.7 JRfm Today’s Hot Country, Remax, Dine Alone Records, charitable partner United Way, Philips Brewing & Malting Co., WestPark, Tymac, Terrapure, Meimento, Haven, Brix Media Co., Port of Vancouver, Vanterre, Boughton Law, Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association, Tourism Vancouver, Starbucks, BDO, Metro and Global BC.

Daily Hive is proud to be the founding organization of New Year’s Eve Vancouver, which will return on December 31, 2017.

Last year’s attendance of 80,000 revellers made New Year’s Eve Vancouver the biggest NYE party in Canada, larger than the celebrations at Montreal’s Old Port, Toronto’s Nathan Phillip Square, and Calgary’s Olympic Plaza.

Note: The article originally stated that the attendance was 70,000, but an official updated attendance figure by the Vancouver Police Department and the City of Vancouver pegs the actual attendance at 105,000.

Kenneth ChanKenneth Chan

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