Organizers of the Honda Celebration of Light have announced that the 2020 event is officially cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
As British Columbia's largest event, the celebration welcomes a whopping 1.3 million people annually. The free, family-friendly event is also the longest-running offshore fireworks competition in the world.
Organizers state that they were, "following guidance from the relevant government authorities and cautiously preparing for our summer event." However, they remark that comments made by health officials over the weekend made them realize that it wouldn't be possible for the event to move forward as planned.
With this in mind, organizers state that The Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»Fireworks Festival Society, in partnership with the event producer, BRANDLIVE Management Group, is looking at alternative ways to celebrate in 2020.
"We hope to be able to make an announcement very soon, and in the meantime wish to thank our many partners, sponsors, participating countries and our millions of fans across the province and around the world for their ongoing support," states a release.
Last year, Team Canada, represented by Firemaster Productions Inc., won the 2019 Honda Celebration of Light.
According to organizers, all three teams had high scores - but Team Canada's highly synchronized show truly stood out. Further, they note that a fantastic finale swayed the judges to Canada’s victory.
