Fireworks Bursting Over Coal Harbour

Vancouver hosts several fireworks events including at New Year’s, Canada Day, Halloween and the English Bay fireworks competitions in July.

Fireworks in the Lower Mainland

Attracting hundreds of thousands of people, Vancouver’s various fireworks events are all first-rate and highly recommended.

See below for information on Vancouver’s New Year’s Eve, Cloverdale Rodeo, Canada Day, Honda Celebration of Light, BC Day, Farewell to Summer Fireworks Festival and Halloween fireworks events.

New Year’s Eve Fireworks in Vancouver

Up until 2018, some of the Lower Mainland’s finest fireworks displays each year have been set off from a barge in Burrard Inlet just off Canada Place on New Year’s Eve at 12 am.

The fireworks at Canada Place didn’t happen in 2019. The event took a one-year break and planned to return on December 31st, 2020, but at a new location – at False Creek near Science World. Because of COVID-19, however, that event got cancelled, as did the festivities in 2021. The plan was going to be for the fireworks to take place at the new venue on December 31st in 2022. That event also got cancelled, and for 2023 too. Hopefully it returns in 2024.

In past years, on New Year’s Eve, tens of thousands of people turned out for the show and accompanying entertainment around Canada Place, the Vancouver Convention Centre and along the waterfront in Coal Harbour. Smaller numbers of people also watched from the southeast shore of Stanley Park and from across the water in North Vancouver.

Vancouver’s New Year’s Eve fireworks used to be short but impressive, lasting for around a dozen minutes. Live music and other entertainment also took place in the plaza outside Canada Place in the evening.

For more information, see New Year’s Eve Fireworks at False Creek.

Cloverdale Rodeo Fireworks

The Cloverdale Rodeo is a large rodeo and country fair that takes place in Surrey on the Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday of the May Long Weekend each year.

At the rodeo there are amusement rides, rodeo competitions, evening concerts, a parade and various other family-friendly cowboy-themed activities. On the first night of the rodeo, on the Friday, there are also normally fireworks at around 9:30 pm.

In 2020 the Cloverdale Rodeo was cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic. The rodeo was cancelled in 2021 and 2022 as well. Fortunately, the event returned in 2023 from May 19th until the 22nd. However, it doesn’t appear that there were any fireworks. Hopefully they happen in 2024.

Click Cloverdale Rodeo for more information about the event.

Canada Day Fireworks

One of Vancouver’s largest rounds of fireworks each year takes place on Canada Day at various venues around the Lower Mainland.

The main pyrotechnics on July 1st used to launch from a barge in the water just off Canada Place. Like on New Year’s Eve in past years, the entire region around Canada Place has been a zoo of people, free concerts and other entertainment during the day.

Because of the COVID-19 virus, the fireworks event at Canada Place was cancelled for 2020 and 2021. The July 1st fireworks display at Canada Place didn’t happen in 2022 either due to rising costs. In 2023 the organizers of the event announced that the fireworks were permanently cancelled. Fireworks do, however, still take place in other communities in the Lower Mainland.

For more information about the Canada Day celebrations in downtown Vancouver, click Canada Day at Canada Place.

In 2023 Canada Day fireworks occurred at events in Surrey, White Rock, Burnaby, Port Coquitlam, Coquitlam and Steveston Village. For more information on Canada Day fireworks and other festivities throughout the Lower Mainland on July 1st, click Canada Day Fireworks.

Celebration of Light Fireworks

Vancouver’s biggest and most famous fireworks event is the Celebration of Light international fireworks competition that takes place in English Bay.

The Celebration of Light is a three-day event that happens on the last two Saturdays and last Wednesday in July or beginning of August in the lead-up to the BC Day Long Weekend.

Countries competing on each of the three days in 2019 were India, Canada and Croatia. Unfortunately, both the 2020 and 2021 events were cancelled due to COVID-19. The festival returned in 2022 and featured Japan, Canada and Spain on July 23rd, 27th and 30th. In 2023 the fireworks competition took place on July 22nd, 26th and 29th. Competing countries this year were Australia, Mexico and The Philippines.

The fireworks usually start at 10 pm each night. There is also live music and family-friendly activities all afternoon and evening. Each of the three nights’ sets of pyrotechnic displays lasts for close to 25 minutes most years. During the shows people can listen to accompanying music on their radios as well.

For more information on this world-famous three-day pyrotechnics event, click Honda Celebration of Light.

For the Honda Celebration of Light’s official website visit hondacelebrationoflight.com.

English Bay Fireworks — Fireworks at English Bay

BC Day Fireworks

The Celebration of Light takes place in the lead up to the BC Day Long Weekend, but it’s not the only fireworks that take place close to BC’s first-Monday-of-August statutory holiday.

White Rock usually has its own fireworks that weekend during its White Rock Sea Festival. In 2023 the festival ran from August 4th to 6th. The fireworks display happened at 10:15 pm on Saturday, August 5th. Admission was free.

Farewell to Summer Fireworks Festival

The Farewell to Summer Fireworks Festival is a new annual event that started in 2022. The inaugural event was held at New Westminster Quay. In 2023 the event returned to the same location on Saturday, August 26th, from 11:00 am until 9:30 pm.

The end-of-summer celebration features a market and family-friendly beverage garden. There’s also live entertainment from 1:00 to 9:00 pm. The event concludes with a fireworks display at around 9:00 pm. Admission to the festival is free.

Halloween Fireworks

Municipal government-hosted events with Halloween fireworks usually take place in Maple Ridge and Richmond each year. There’s also a new event happening in Burnaby in 2023. Smaller less formal events happen of course in other places too.

Celebrate the Night is a Halloween-themed community festival and fireworks night in Maple Ridge. In 2023 the event happens on Friday, October 20th, with the fireworks blasting off at 8:00 pm. Other activities include a costume contest and a carousel ride.

New for 2023 is Central Spark in Burnaby. The event features an outdoor maze, carnival games and more, plus a fireworks finale at 8:15 pm. It’s held at Central Park along Patterson Avenue and is free to attend.

Halloween fireworks also take place in Richmond at Minoru Park at 7191 Granville Avenue. The 2023 event happens on October 31st and includes free family-friendly activities from 6:30 until 8:45 pm. Click Richmond Halloween Fireworks for more information.

Halloween fireworks usually happen in the tiny community of Anmore on Halloween night at Spirit Park as well. However, the community hasn’t had them since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Hopefully they return in a future year.