Why are We Still Talking About Public Fireworks in Vancouver in the 21st Century?

If you want to divide a room of people really fast, ask them whether they are for or against public fireworks.

It seems we forget that cigarette manufacturers used to sponsor the summer fireworks in Vancouver and that those fireworks are now sponsored by car companies. The  fellow behind setting up the international fireworks festival in Vancouver also sold fireworks commercially, and complained publicly when Vancouver instituted bans to halt some of the serious damage and injury that results from personal fireworks use.

Of course fireworks are great to attract locals and tourists to the west end of Vancouver, and yes they are magnificent to view. But they are fairly a nineteenth century phenomena-why have we not updated this for the 21st century?

In a so called “green” city, why do we still insist on big bang fireworks, that are acoustically challenging for wildlife, and detrimental for pets and for people with noise sensitivities? Why do we hold onto this remnant of the 19th century, and not go to no noise pyrotechnic displays, as featured in many rock concerts?

Daily Hive writer Kenneth Chan was disappointed at  the lack of fireworks at Canada Place for July 1st, which were cancelled  due to the cost of the event, as well as  safety and security. He does mention that the “Honda Celebration of Light will be returning this summer for its traditional three-night celebration leading into the BC Day long weekend in late July.”  

Sponsored by a car company.

In Point Roberts, Washington State, on the nether reaches of Tsawwassen in Delta, they are looking for designation as a Dark Sky community, and are proud of being a bird sanctuary. But businesses there are gathering funds for fireworks for July 4, despite the fact that there are pairs of nesting eagles close to the site used for the annual display.

Viewpoint Vancouver has previously written about communities in Colorado and Arizona cancelling fireworks due to wildfires, with one town developing a drone show. That’s also being done in California with  dazzling drone light shows that are choreographed.

The cost is in the $15,000 to $25,000 range, comparable to big bang fireworks, and loud music is played to establish the ambiance. The tradeoff, beside less disturbance to wildlife, is proactively preventing what could be the next grass or forest fire.”

Twenty-first century updates to traditional public fireworks are needed. As Reuters reports, drone shows have been overwhelmed in the demand for July 4th celebrations in the United States. As the president of a visitors bureau in Nevada states ” Is throwing lit objects up into the sky in the height of the fire season the best thing for us to do?’

Out of an estimated 16,000 fireworks shows for the American holiday  only a small percentage use drones.

Drone shows are becoming more popular-the major companies have over thirty bookings on the same day. A typical drone show “has no bombs bursting in air but dozens or hundreds of tiny lit flying machines executing maneuvers to music, forming improbable, multicolored and shifting designs suspended in the night sky.”