Vancouver streets to close for Honda Celebration of Light

Nova Scotia’s Team Fireworks FX is set to wrap up the annual Honda Celebration of Light series Saturday evening.

The event is set to take over parts of Vancouver’s West End once again.

The three-night fireworks competition is one of the most popular events in Vancouver, attracting hundreds of thousands of people downtown each summer.

This year, it has taken place over the evenings of Saturday, July 19 and Wednesday, July 23, with the final event Saturday, July 26. Road closures and traffic restrictions are in place starting at 5 p.m. each night.

On event days, vehicle access is limited to residents in a section of the city spanning from Thurlow Street to Gilford Street and Beach Avenue to Alberni Street from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m.

Davie Street, Denman Street, and Beach Avenue close to vehicle traffic from 6 p.m. and reopen at police discretion around 11 p.m.

The west side of Stanley Park closes to vehicles from 6 p.m. until midnight.

TransLink announced the following changes to bus, SkyTrain, and SeaBus routes on event nights:

• The SkyTrain will operate every 2 to 3 minutes before and after fireworks nights (bicycles will not be permitted on the SkyTrain after 10:30 p.m. due to crowding)
• SeaBus sailings will be every 15 minutes and are extended from 9 p.m. until the last sailing from Waterfront Station at 1:22 a.m. (on July 23) and from 9 p.m. (on July 19 and 26) – Sailings will leave every 10 minutes from 1 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on July 19 and 26.
• The West Coast Express will operate a special train on July 26. A train will leave from Mission City Station at 7 p.m. and arrive at Waterfront Station at 8:15 p.m. The return train will begin boarding at Waterfront Station at 11:00 p.m. and leave at midnight.
• Bus routes 5 and 6 will be diverted from 5 p.m. until midnight.
• Bus route 23 will be diverted from 8 a.m. until midnight.

Additionally, TransLink has announced post-event shuttles from the intersection of Bidwell Street and West Georgia Street, dropping riders off at the intersection of Burrard Street and West Georgia Street (near Burrard Station), and Waterfront Station.

Another post-event shuttle will run from the intersection of West Georgia Street and Denman Street, taking riders to West Vancouver and North Vancouver stops.

This year’s event sees renewed focus on safety due to the Lapu-Lapu Day tragedy on April 26, which left 11 people dead and dozens injured from a vehicle-ramming attack.

At a media event before the series began, the Vancouver Police Department announced it would be deploying a visible increase in officers in the area for the three nights of the celebration.

Sgt. Steve Addison said the department is urging visitors to leave their vehicles at home.

“If you’re coming down to spend the day, if you’re coming down to enjoy the fireworks, if you’re coming down to meet up with people, please leave your car somewhere else. Consider walking, consider taking transit. Find a way to get in there without your vehicle.”

He said concrete barriers will be placed at all access points to Denman Street from Robson to Davie streets.

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