Well, that sucks.
The CBC reports:
Vancouver’s annual fireworks festival has been cancelled, organizers said Wednesday, blaming the economic downturn.
“It has been an exceptional 18-year event — the largest of its kind in the world — and it is a credit to our many exceptional sponsors that we kept the event going year after year,” said Brent MacGregor, chair of the Vancouver Fireworks Festival Society. […]
However, the event also had a reputation for drawing some unruly crowds, making the policing costs high, and it continued to struggle financially from year to year to meet the event’s $4 million annual budget.
The HSBC Celebration of Light has always been one of my favourite events in the summer. Last year I didn’t make it out for any of the evenings, what with all the newborns in our house. I had promised myself that this year I would go down to Kits beach for at least a couple of the nights. What a bummer.
Last modified: February 4, 2009
Really sad to hear this news! What a loss for the City of Vancouver.
My husband and I fly up from the States each year to visit family specifically during the fireworks show. Strange to imagine not having the fireworks as part of our visit.
The event has become much better organised over the years and on the Kits side it’s mostly families.
But I’m sick to death of being bombarded, having my building shake every time a bomb goes off so I certainly won’t miss it.
This is definitely a loss of Vancouver (apologies to those whose house it shakes). I used to live right on Kits Beach and would camp out to get the best seats…
Anyway, for those who want to try and save the event, check out:
http://savethefireworks.ca/
OR
Facebook Group:
“Save The Celebration of Light. Spread The Word. Spread The Light.”
That is truly tragic.
Vancouver doesn’t have enough of these big out door events and needs more.
Very unfortunate
Oh well! Maybe there’ll be fireworks when we get our first of many tax increases to pay for the Olympics.
The first 79 nights of fireworks over the past decades may have been fun, but it’s been getting a bit worn lately. But I will miss the garbage left on the beach, the traffic, and the stabbings.