Celebration of Light
The Celebration of Light was an annual musical fireworks competition in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The first "Symphony of Fire" was held from July 25 to August 5, 1990. The celebration is one of Vancouver's largest and most well-known festivals, and is recognized as the longest-running offshore fireworks competition in the world. The multiple-day event has an estimated annual attendance of 1.4 million people.
On November 25, 2025, it was announced that the event had been suspended indefinitely due to funding issues, including increased production costs and a loss of support from governments and sponsors. People around Vancouver expressed their sadness in a public outcry, and the Vancouver Fireworks Festival Society expressed their wishes for the event to return with new sponsors, but stated that in a statement this was unlikely.
2025 program
The 2025 competition took place on July 19, 23, and 26. For the first time, the event included an all-Canadian lineup, featuring teams from Yukon, Quebec, and Nova Scotia. The winner of the competition was Team Nova Scotia.2024 program
The 2024 competition took place on July 20, 24, and 27. The participating countries were Portugal, Malaysia, and the United Kingdom. The winner of the 2024 competition was United Kingdom.2023 program
The 2023 competition took place on July 22, 26, and 29. The participating countries were Australia, Mexico, and the Philippines. The winner of the 2023 competition was Philippines.2022 program
The 2022 competition took place on July 23, 27, and 30. The participating countries are Japan, Canada, and Spain. The winner of the 2022 competition was Canada.2021 program (cancelled)
The event was postponed until July 23, 27, and 30 in 2022 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in British Columbia.2020 program (cancelled)
In 2020, the competition was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in British Columbia.2019 program
The 2019 Honda Celebration of Light took place on July 27, July 31, and August 3, 2019. The participating countries were India, Canada, and Croatia. It was the first year where India and Croatia have participated in the competition. The winner of the 2019 competition was Canada.2018 program
The 2018 Honda Celebration of Light took place on July 28, August 1, and August 4. The participating countries were South Africa, represented by Fireworks for Africa; Sweden, represented by Unique Pyrotechnic; and South Korea, by Daehan Fireworks Co. For the first time, all three competitors were required to incorporate the same theme into their fireworks display and musical accompaniment. The theme, which was voted by the public, was love. The winner was South Korea.2017 program
The 2017 Honda Celebration of Light took place on July 29, August 2, and August 5, featuring competitors from Japan, the United Kingdom, and Canada. The competitor for Japan, Akariya, previously won the 2014 Honda Celebration of Light. Widely regarded as the premiere pyrotechnic company in the UK, the multi-award-winning Jubilee Fireworks Ltd became the holders of the first "Champions of Champions" title after winning both national competitions: The British Fireworks Championships and The British Musical Fireworks Championships. Royal Pyrotechnie, recognized as the most decorated fireworks firm in Canada, is the only group to win three Gold Jupiter awards during the annual L'International des Feux Loto-Québec competition.To celebrate Canada's 150th anniversary, each of the competitors were required to include one iconic Canadian song into their display, extending the traditional length of the shows for an additional 3 minutes. The songs were voted by the public on Honda's Celebration of Light Facebook page; the three chosen were "Ahead by a Century" by The Tragically Hip, "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen, and "Summer of '69" by Bryan Adams. The winner of the competition was Japan.