THE 2024 Honda Celebration of Light is returning July 20, July 24 and July 27.

Now in its 32nd year, the fireworks festival will once again delight audiences along the beaches of English Bay, with more than 400,000 nightly attendees from across Metro Vancouver and around the province.

The three-night fireworks extravaganza and the family-friendly festival is one of the most highly anticipated events of the summer.

The official announcement of the three competing teams and the countries that they will represent which was to be on Tuesday morning has been put off “out of respect for the people of Fort Nelson who are facing an extreme wildfire situation that threatens their community,” according to a statement by BrandLIVE President Catherine Runnals.

She said: “During this challenging time, we believe the public’s focus should be on providing whatever level of support they can to assist those who have been forced from their homes. The community of Fort Nelson and Vancouver may be separated by more than 1,500 kilometres, but we are all British Columbians. Our thoughts are with those who are being impacted and fire crews that are working tirelessly to protect the community.”

A formal announcement on the participating countries “will be made shortly,” according to a press release.