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Thousands gather on downtown Vancouver waterfront expecting New Year's Eve fireworks

DH Vancouver Staff
DH Vancouver Staff
|
Jan 2 2024, 1:43 am
Thousands gather on downtown Vancouver waterfront expecting New Year's Eve fireworks
Crowds descending on the Coal Harbour waterfront in downtown Vancouver for New Year's Eve fireworks on December 31, 2023, even though the fireworks are cancelled. (Submitted)

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Another year, yet another disappointment.

Late last night, the Coal Harbour waterfront in downtown Vancouver was teeming with thousands of hopeful revellers who had flocked to the area, anticipating the return of the annual New Year’s Eve fireworks show.

But there is a major caveat: to the disappointment of many, as they would later learn, no fireworks were scheduled for the night.

The crowds waiting around Canada Place, the Vancouver Convention Centre seawall, and Jack Poole Plaza even had their phones and cameras pointed toward the harbour as midnight approached. And as the final seconds towards 2024 elapsed, they engaged in a spontaneous countdown. Some even brought their own fireworks.

Similarly sized crowds expecting New Year’s Eve fireworks were also seen in previous years despite the consecutive cancellations.

 

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Prior to the pandemic, this area was the site for Vancouver’s annual New Year’s Eve major public celebration with high-aerial fireworks launched from a barge in the middle of Coal Harbour. The event attracted over 100,000 revellers each year and was one of the largest free public events in Vancouver outside of the summer months.

The cancellation announcement was made in early November 2023 by the non-profit organization behind the event, which blamed a shortage of the significant funding needed to cover growing costs.

“This decision has not been made lightly, and we understand the disappointment this may bring to the community. The unfortunate cancellation is due to escalating costs and the highly challenging sponsorship market amidst the current economic conditions,” reads the previous statement.

“We understand that the absence of this cherished tradition can be frustrating, but we want to assure our community that we are actively working to secure the necessary funding and resources to reinstate the beloved New Year’s Eve celebration in the future. We appreciate the ongoing support and enthusiasm of Vancouver’s residents and visitors and look forward to the possibility of resuming the celebration in the coming years.”

Vancouver was not the only major Canadian city without a major public New Year’s Eve celebration last night, as the events in Ottawa and Montreal were also cancelled. The fireworks at Parliament Hill were cancelled for another year, while Montreal’s long-running fireworks held at the Old Port were permanently cancelled due to similar funding challenges.

But the New Year’s Eve fireworks tradition continued in Calgary, Edmonton, and Toronto, which even expanded its display seen from the Lake Ontario waterfront.

Besides gathering on the Coal Harbour waterfront, large crowds of revellers were also seen in the Granville Entertainment District in downtown Vancouver for an impromptu New Year’s Eve street party. An anti-Israel protest was seen flowing through the crowds at least at one point.

Downtown Vancouver’s atmosphere as a whole was undoubtedly tinged with a sense of longing for a tradition that had been taken away.

Separately, the Canada Day at Canada Place fireworks have not happened since the pandemic, with the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority clarifying last year that it had made a decision to permanently cancel the fireworks component of its annual Canada Day event.

Were you disappointed by the continued cancellation of New Year’s Eve fireworks in Vancouver? Do you want to see the New Year’s Eve fireworks return? Let us know in the comments!

 

DH Vancouver StaffDH Vancouver Staff
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