I was lucky enough to be in Vancouver during the 27th Celebration of Light, a three-days fireworks display where three countries put a ~30min display each, simply because someone asked them nicely.
The pre-event is as interesting as the event itself. The Celebration begins at 22:00 shortly after sundown (because, you know, fireworks), and it takes place in a small platform in the middle of the harbor. I saw it the way it should be: I sat on a rock on the beach, ate a sandwich, set up my camera, and watched the sun go down on the harbor while boats of all kinds and sizes slowly took up their places around the platform. From expensive yachts to drunk teenagers on inflatable boats, it seems everyone with something that kinda floats took it out for a spin. Are you not a fan of sitting on the sand like a pleb? You can also book a table at one of the fenced restaurants nearby.
Each show lasts about 30 min, with each country presenting their own lights and music show. The 2017 show featured Canada, Japan, and the UK, with every country including at least one Canadian song in their show in honor of Canada’s 150th birthday. And I have to say, the show was breath-taking: one moment you have “slow” fireworks sailing lazily across the sky, while the next one the entire sky lights up to an all-out instrumental rock tune. It’s like a full New Year’s Eve display but warmer, not so late, and significantly more chill. On a 1-10 scale*, it definitely earns a 10 and a place on our list.
* In this scale, 1 means “I went to Paris for New Year and all I got was a circus parade”, 8 means “our fireworks factory is on fire and it is now a beautiful mess”, and 10 means “I don’t how someone gets a job listening to music and testing fireworks, but whoever did it here deserves a bonus”. My point is: Paris, I’m disappointed.