Fireworks exploding into red and white colours over Vancouver's English Bay beach during the Celebration of Light festival

Eyes up, Vancouver! The skyline is set to sparkle during Celebration of Light’s three-show return

July 16 2025 –

One of Vancouver’s most dazzling summer traditions is back. This weekend, the Honda Celebration of Light kicks off, lighting up the sky and drawing crowds to the West End and Kits Point for the world’s biggest fireworks competition.  

The event historically brings competition from around the world – this year, the event celebrates local, home-grown talent from across Canada. The dates and competitors are: 

  • Saturday, July 19 – Yukon  
  • Wednesday, July 23 – Quebec  
  • Saturday, July 26 – Nova Scotia  

Public safety continues to be our top priority. To ensure this event remains an enjoyable and safe experience for everyone, the City is working closely with partners at the Park Board, Vancouver Police Department, Vancouver Fire Rescue Services and Vancouver Emergency Management Agency.

Traffic impacts  

Expect road closures and traffic disruptions downtown, in the West End, Stanley Park, and Kitsilano. If you're heading to the event or passing through these areas, walk, bike, roll, Mobi, scoot with Lime or take transit. View the road closure map for details (272 KB). 

Mobi by Rogers and Lime are making it even easier to bike or scoot to the event by adding extra docking capacity at busy stations. On event nights, their teams will be on-site to help riders get to and from the celebration smoothly.

Wednesday, July 16 to Friday, July 18 and Sunday, July 27

  • Full Road Closure 
    • Burnaby Street from Beach Avenue to Bidwell Street 

Saturday, July 19, Wednesday, July 23 & Saturday, July 26 

  • 9 am to 6 pm - Traffic controls in effect 
    • Periodic traffic controls for load-in on Beach Avenue 
    • Beach Avenue closed to traffic, bike lane will be detoured 
  • 6 pm to 12 midnight – Full road closures 
    • Beach Avenue/Pacific Street from Stanley Park to Thurlow Street 
    • Davie Street from Denman Street to Burrard Street 
    • Denman Street from Alberni Street to Beach Avenue 

Local traffic access points 

  • Burnaby Street at Thurlow Street 
  • Nelson Street at Thurlow Street 
  • Denman Street at Alberni Street 

Transit changes 

Plan ahead to attend 

To help ensure that the events run as smoothly as possible, the City asks residents and attendees to follow these tips: 

  • Stay safe in hot weather, find tips at vancouver.ca/hotweather.  
  • Avoid sitting in high-tide areas: look for fireworks viewing area signs on the beach.  
  • Respect the no smoking and open fire ban in Vancouver parks and refrain from using barbeques throughout English Bay Beach Park.   
  • Respect drinking regulations:  
  • Don’t let waste become litter: use the “Pack-In, Pack-Out” method.  
    • Group gatherings at large events often result in excess waste and can quickly overfill waste bins.   
    • Attendees are asked to take waste with them and dispose of it at home.  
  • Be considerate of the community and keep noise to a minimum when leaving.   

Watching from the water 

Leave pets at home 

Fireworks and large crowds can be very frightening for animals. 

  • Any dogs in attendance must be on leash and wearing proper identification as 97 per cent of dogs that are licensed and wearing tags are returned to their owner.  
  • To report a lost dog, call Animal Services by dialing 3-1-1.  

Getting to and from the event  

Those travelling in and around the event areas should plan ahead and expect delays.