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Double the fleet: 400 drones set for nightly shows at Honda Celebration of Light 2025

Kenneth Chan
Kenneth Chan
|
Jul 15 2025, 4:05 pm
Double the fleet: 400 drones set for nightly shows at Honda Celebration of Light 2025
BC Honda Dealers Drone Show at the 2024 Honda Celebration of Light. (Kenneth Chan)

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Expect a significant expansion of the pre-fireworks entertainment at the 33rd annual Honda Celebration of Light, with a much larger and longer drone show lighting up the sky on all three nights of the 2025 event, which kicks off with the first night this Saturday, July 19.

Organizers told Daily Hive that this year’s BC Honda Dealers Drone Show will boast an even more spectacular fleet of 400 drones — double the number used in the Honda Celebration of Light’s inaugural drone show in 2024, which featured 200 drones.

It will also be up to triple the length, extending to 15 minutes compared to last year’s drone show duration of about five minutes.

While last year’s pre-fireworks drone shows were produced by Ontario-based North Star Drone Shows, this year’s displays will be staged by Vancouver-based Pixel Sky Animations.

Over the past year, Pixel Sky Animations has created several major drone shows in Vancouver, including for the Concord Pacific Dragon Boat Festival, the Grey Cup Festival, and most recently, the Juno Awards.

Just like the fireworks launched from a barge in the middle of English Bay, the drones will also take flight over the water.

The 2025 drone shows will carry a theme of BC Honda Dealers celebrating Canada, aligning with this year’s all-Canadian fireworks competition lineup. Instead of the usual three-country showdown over English Bay, this year’s event will feature pyrotechnics companies from the Yukon, Quebec, and Nova Scotia.

Around the world, drones are increasingly being added to fireworks events as a complement. By combining the irreplaceable, explosive spectacle of fireworks with the precise choreography of drones, organizers create a more dynamic and memorable experience for audiences — including as a unique pre-show warmup.

The BC Honda Dealers Drone Show for 2025 will begin at 10 p.m. sharp, followed by the fireworks at 10:15 p.m. This year, the fireworks start time has been pushed 15 minutes later to allow both the drone show and the fireworks to enjoy a darker night sky backdrop during the latter stages of twilight. Although the fireworks will move away from their traditional 10 p.m. start time, each show will still run for 25 minutes.

In addition to the nightly drone shows, there will be a Canadian Forces Snowbirds Air Show for the first two nights only — Saturday, July 19 and Wednesday, July 23. This grandiose air show will take place approximately mid-evening, well before sunset. The Red Bull Air Show will not return this year.

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.

Up to 500,000 people are expected to descend onto the beaches and parks surrounding English Bay for each of the three fireworks nights.

Honda Celebration of Light fireworks 2025

  • Schedule and provinces:
    • Saturday, July 19: Yukon – Team Midnight Sun
      • With pre-fireworks Snowbirds Air Show and BC Honda Dealers Drone Show
    • Wednesday, July 23: Quebec – Team Royal Pyrotechnie
      • With pre-fireworks Snowbirds Air Show and BC Honda Dealers Drone Show
    • Saturday, July 26: Nova Scotia – Team 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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