Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim looks forward to tonight's English Bay fireworks show | Daily Hive

Team Yukon at the 2025 Honda Celebration of Light fireworks. (Gabriel Lam/Meimento)

Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim says he believes the city’s summertime fireworks tonight, Friday, July 31, are “absolutely worth it,” as hundreds of thousands of people are expected to gather on the beaches and parks around and near English Bay for Vancouver’s one and only free public fireworks extravaganza of Summer 2026.

Speaking during an unrelated press conference Friday, Sim was asked about tonight’s one-night “Summer Lights in English Bay” event and whether the City of Vancouver could be willing to support the fireworks again next year.

“Yeah, we’re actually very excited about the fireworks tonight, and what a glorious day to have them,” said Sim.

You might also like:

Summer Lights in English Bay was organized by the City as a stopgap event for 2026 after the cancellation of the traditional three-night Honda Celebration of Light, with the aim of maintaining momentum toward potentially restoring the full international fireworks competition in 2027.

“Look, it’s a pretty significant event in the City of Vancouver, and we’re about to lose them,” said Sim. “In a time like this, where people are looking for a free, family-friendly, safe fun, this is something that I think builds off of everything we’ve been doing to make Vancouver a better place. So, yes, I think it’s absolutely worth it.”

Sim also pointed to the economic boost generated by the massive crowds that traditionally gather around English Bay.

“Then, when you look at the economic benefits that will happen for all the shops, the restaurants, the vendors, the cafes in that neighbourhood, once again, it helps local businesses as well. So, I think it’s well worth it,” he said.

However, Sim stopped short of suggesting the City should provide further financial support for the event in 2027.

“You know, let’s just get through tonight, and I do believe that the organizers will be reassessing everything, and we’ll see if there’s a need to help out or not,” he said. “But that’s at a future date.”

Earlier this year, Vancouver City Council directed City staff to organize a one-night summertime fireworks show, with up to $1.4 million that was already budgeted for the Honda Celebration of Light’s three-night show to cover the City costs of policing, road closures, and sanitation redirected to support the costs of the one-night display. In addition, City Council also provided additional funding of up to $600,000 to support any additional costs for the event, which brings the potential total cost to up to $2 million.

For decades, the City has already been spending between $1.2 million and $1.6 million each year to cover the Honda Celebration of Light’s policing, road closures, and sanitation costs across its three fireworks nights each summer.

Tonight’s fireworks will begin at the usual time of 10 p.m., with the 25-minute pyrotechnic display launched from a barge in the middle of English Bay. This evening, prior to the start time, the barge will be towed by tug boats into the bay and the final firing position. In previous years, for the three-night show, temporary pilings were used for the barge’s brief seasonal residency in the bay.

Optimal weather conditions are in the forecast for this evening.

The event is being produced by Vancouver-based BrandLive, which has organized the Honda Celebration of Light for the past decade and a half. Winnipeg-based Archangel Fireworks is responsible for the design and staging of the actual fireworks display.

Food trucks open along Beach Avenue next to English Bay Beach at 3 p.m., while West End road closures begin at 6 p.m. DJ Remsta will perform beginning at 6:30 p.m., followed by Carlotta Gurl, Eva Lasting, and Celestial Seasonings on the English Bay Bathhouse rooftop from 7:30 p.m.

Unlike the full Honda Celebration of Light programming, there will be no air show and no drone show before the fireworks.

Major crowds are expected, and spectators are encouraged to arrive early to secure a viewing spot. The fireworks can be optimally viewed from English Bay Beach, Sunset Beach Park and the Stanley Park seawall, as well as Vanier Park and Kitsilano Beach across the water.

Those planning to watch from the beach should also note that a high tide of 4.5 metres is expected at 8:46 p.m., just over an hour before the fireworks begin.

The West End road closures are scheduled to end at approximately 11:30 p.m.

You might also like: