VANCOUVER Mayor Ken Sim on Wednesday, reacting to news of the cancellation of the Honda Celebration of Light indefinitely, said the City will be “pushing hard for the Federal and Provincial governments to restore this funding and explore other options so our city doesn’t lose one of our most loved, free summer events.”
Sim called the cancellation “devastating news.” He added: “I’m incredibly disappointed that senior levels of government have chosen to cut their funding by 80%. The City of Vancouver provides $1.6 million in services every year to make this event possible, and we remain fully committed to upholding our financial contributions.”
In a press statement, the Honda Celebration of Light said that the Vancouver Fireworks Festival Society mad the difficult decision to cancel the event “after many months of outreach to governments and the business community.”
It said: “For over three decades, the Symphony of Fire, and for the past 13 years, the Honda Celebration of Light, has been Canada’s largest free public event and none of BC’s strongest tourism drivers. However, the event has faced significant challenges over the past three years due to rising production costs, the elimination of federal funding, a dramatic reduction in provincial support, and declining private-sector investment.”
The statement said: “With major supplier contracts and pyrotechnic bookings now requiring immediate financial commitments to stage a 2026 festival, the Society determined it cannot move forward.”
