The Celebration of Light fireworks kick off tonight presented by Team USA. While hundreds of thousands will make their way through the West End and down to the shores of English Bay here are some tips for a fun and safe evening that can be enjoyed by all.
Celebration of Light Fireworks: Best Viewing, Road Closures, Transit
Celebration of Light Fireworks Road Closures
On all fireworks days the West End will be closed to traffic except residents (who can provide proof on the spot). Residential traffic access to the West End will be at Nelson and Thurlow, Davie and Thurlow, Burnaby and Thurlow, and at Nicola and Robson streets. For residents west of Denman, access is available on Alberni west of Denman.
These restrictions will be in place from 7:30pm until 11:30pm in the West End and from 6:00pm to 11:30pm in Kits Point. Residential and commercial traffic at Kits Point should use Maple and Cypress Street northbound to cross Cornwall to access Kits Point on event nights. No access will be permitted from Cornwall. See the City of Vancouver’s website for more details.
My crude rendering of the road closures and viewing spots
Bikes
The Celebration of Light is providing a FREE bike valet service at three locations: Under Burrard Street bridge (near Vancouver Aquatic Centre), at the Second Beach parking lot, and at King George Secondary School (Bidwell and Denman).
False Creek Ferry
All False Creek Ferry routes will be open normal hours and will close at 9:30pm. They will reopen after the fireworks and run until midnight.
Transit
Bus routes that go through the West End will be re-routed from 7:00pm on fireworks nights. As of 9:00pm buses that usually go over the Burrard Bridge (such as the #22 McDonald) will be using the Granville Bridge. West Vancouver Transit will stage approximately 15 additional buses along Georgia near Denman, to be used as required. SkyTrain (Expo, Canada, and Millennium Line) will operate at rush-hour level until 1:16am. However, Translink has stated that they will continue to run trains as long as there are still passengers around that need to get home.
- Transit supervisors will monitor service and deploy additional buses as needed.
- The 250, 250A and 257 will have additional service before and after the events.
- Some buses will be detoured, including, but not limited to, the C21, C23, 5, 6 and 22 routes.
There will be no access to Waterfront Station through the main entrance on Cordova Street except for persons with wheelchairs or strollers and the only access to Granville Station after 10:00pm will be *through the Dunsmuir Street entrance*. Tranlink will also try to prevent “seat-camping” (where you go a station ahead and ride the train back in the opposite direction) by not allowing inbound passengers to board at Stadium-Skytrain. Basically, Burrard SkyTrain outbound is your best bet.
- The last train on the Expo/Millennium Line will leave Waterfront for King George at 1:16am
- The last Canada Line train will leave Waterfront for Richmond–Brighouse at 1:15am
SkyTrain customers can pre-purchase return tickets at King George, Scott Road, Granville, Burrard, Bridgeport, Yaletown–Roundhouse and Vancouver City Centre stations.
SeaBus service will also be extended July 26: Service every 10 minutes from 11:00am to 8:45pm; every 15 minutes until 11:30pm; and every 30 minutes after 11:30pm, until the last sailing at 1:22am from the South Terminal. July 30 and August 2: Service every 15 minutes until 11:30pm and then every 30 minutes until the last departure from the South Terminal at 1:22am.
You can read all updates for the Celebration of Light on the Translink website.
Celebration of Light Fireworks Viewing Spots
If you can get to English Bay early enough to claim a square of beach or grass with a blanket that’s always your best viewing area. You can stretch down the shore a bit to Sunset Beach or toward Stanley Park and Second Beach. Across the water there’s Vanier Park, Kits Beach or Jericho.
The Kitsilano Showboat also offers free early evening entertainment and prime fireworks viewing from that side of the city.
There are harbour cruises and you can enjoy the fireworks from the water (canoe or kayak) however you will be kept at a safe distance. The side of the Burrard Bridge is a great spot as well, but get there early again to make sure you grab your piece of the railing. If you’re up for the trek, you can also view the fireworks from the lookout point on Cypress.
Remember to leave the booze, knives, and urge to get into trouble at home tonight. Come on down, have some fun, cart out whatever garbage you brought with you (or created).
This morning I had the chance to tour the Celebration of Light fireworks barge that is anchored out in English Bay. For over a decade this has been the base of each explosive evening of pyrotechnics under the stars.
Team USA will be up first tomorrow, followed by Spain July 24th, Mexico July 28th, and a tribute to China on July 31st since they have won the Celebration of Light competition for so many years. Rozzi Fireworks company will be representing the USA for the first time at the Celebration of Light. They hail from Cincinnati where they setup displays for everything from the 4th of July to Reds baseball games. They’re used to putting on a show for large crowds and Vancouver will be no exception.
Here are some tidbits I learned about fireworks production:
Teams usually select their music first and then work with a designer who will set the launching time to coordinate high points in the music with the apex of the fireworks
It can take weeks to months to match up the right explosives with the team’s music and timing
Shows like we see during one night of the Celebration of Light could cost between $150,000 to $200,000 to host
All of the shells are hand-made
There are about 3,000 shots of fireworks or shells fired per show
There are four people on the fireworks barge during the show – they sit up in a little shed surrounded by sandbags to oversee everything
Covered in sand, wires, and fire extinguishers, it’s amazing to see what that flat floating hunk of metal barge can produce in the night’s sky. It’s a culmination of careful design, precision, timing, and having a whole lot of fun when you see the joy the spectacles bring to young and old.
Reminder: You still have until July 27th to enter to win two prime viewing area seats for the fireworks finale. This includes two seats on top of the English Bay Bathhouse and a BBQ meal.
The Easter Seals Drop Zone challenge is returning to downtown Vancouver for its 5th year this September. Participants are challenged to raise at least $1,500 for Easter Seals which will then give them the opportunity to rappel down the face of a 20-storey office building. Despite my small fear of heights I have signed up for this charitable stunt so it’s time I start my fundraising.
If you would like to see me rappel down an office building in support of Easter Seals (helping British Columbia’s children with disabilities through Easter Seals Camps and Easter Seals House) please consider donating to my campaign. When I hit the $1,500 mark I’ll be sent over the edge of the building, but not before taking a few Twitpics to share the experience with everyone else.
The theme in previous years has been to dress up in a superhero costume while doing your decent however as I’m fresh out of masks, tights, or a lasso of truth I’ll be calling upon sponsors and donors to help make my outfit. I will put the logo of any local business on my t-shirt that day should they donate a minimum of $200 toward my campaign.
Donations are done exclusively online through the Easter Seals Drop Zone system and tax receipts are given. Any other support (encouraging words, reasons why I should not be scared, etc.) are greatly appreciated.
Enter to win a 2 night stay at Tinhorn Creek Winery when you pledge my campaign.
The Seawall is not only an icon of our city, stretching its arms around Stanley Park and the downtown core, but it’s a regular hang-out for locals and visitors alike. Starting today, there will be a detour at Sunset Beach while they do some reconstruction on some older portions of the retainer. Making sure that this barrier is safe and sturdy is paramount as it is constantly pummelled by the salty splashes of the Pacific Ocean.
Repairs will be on a stretch about 340 meters long between Sunset Beach and the Inukshuk and should be completed by the fall. Repaving will then take place between Brockton Point and Lumberman’s Arch for about two weeks after that.
It’s has its fair share of unexpected closures of the years but I’m glad they’re taking the time to do some repairs right now. I had my eye on the Seawall a few years ago when it took about 14 months to fix a piece that had been washed away by a severe wind storm.
As the portion currently under reconstruction is about 75 years old I thought it would be worth taking a look back at the Seawall and how it has literally shaped our city.
Timeline (via VancouverHistory.ca)
1917, Jimmy (James) Cunnningham began building the Stanley Park Seawall
1931, Cunningham named Vancouver Parks Board master stonemason
1968, The Stanley Park Seawall had had 1,200 lineal feet added
1980, The remaining 1.5 miles in the Siwash Rock area were completed
1980, A plaque at Siwash Rock was erected in memory of Cunningham
1948, Photographer: Walter Edwin Frost, Archives Item #CVA 447-129
2010, Photo credit:
Junnn on Flickr
The Seawall route has continued to expand over the years, connecting far corners of the city through a network of paths and pedestrian thoroughfares. In total there are about 22 kilometers of Seawall that run from Coal Harbour, around Stanley Park, through to Sunset Beach, False Creek, over to Granville Island, under the Burrard Bridge, to Vanier Park and terminating at Kitsilano Beach.
Sushi, Sake & Summer is an upcoming fundraiser hosted by Edible British Columbia that will benefit the Vancouver YWCA’s Crabtree Corner facility.
Where Public Market Courtyard behind the Granville Island Public Market
When Saturday July 25, 2010, 8:15pm until 10:15pm
Emceed by Global TV’s Sophie Lui, the event will feature legendary celebrity Chef Tojo who will be preparing sushi and assorted samples. You may also get a taste of local chocolate, sake, beer, wine and spirits.
All tastings are included in your ticket price but you can also purchase some of the herbs used throughout the evening’s menu via GardenWorks. A number of local products will be available for purchase from Edible BC along Evaleen Jaager Roy’s book, Four Chefs, One Garden featuring Tojo, Vikram Vij, Michel Jacob and Umberto Menghi.
If you plan on heading over for the event, Aquabus is offering all Sushi, Sake & Summer guests 50% a roundtrip fare so leave your car at home.
There are only 100 tickets available (for $100 a piece) through Edible BC’s website and they’re going fast.
