Vancouver skies remain dark with no New Year’s Eve fireworks show

2025 will not be going out with a bang in Vancouver this New Year’s Eve, with no scheduled fireworks show.

There has not been a New Year’s Eve fireworks show in the downtown core since before the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Ian Tostenson, the president of the BC Restaurant and Food Services Association, says the city needs to hold major events to get people out celebrating and supporting local businesses.

“The absence of a big event that brought people downtown, it does tend to mute the business because fireworks were celebrations during the holidays,” said Tostenson.

“A good example was the Christmas Market. You saw all sorts of people that were going downtown…and then if you look at the corresponding restaurants around it, you’d see they’re absolutely packed.”

Tostenson says New Year’s Eve is the last jump-off point for restaurants before they go into “hibernation” and enter the slower months of January and February.

Since 2020, Tostenson has seen quite a shift in dining habits for New Year celebrations. The former pomp and pageantry of New Year’s Eve has become much more casual for restaurants.

“More snacky kind of stuff and interesting cocktails and just presenting it in a way that is respectful of the economics we’re into right now.”

After years with no fireworks show, Tostenson questions whether the restaurant industry should host an event instead.

“These events are so important to it that you know, it might be something within our financial model as an industry…to see if we…can put these things on because we benefit on the other side of it.”

For anyone worried about breaking the bank during their celebrations, Tostenson had this to say.

“Go out, have fun. Be really safe, use the facilities that we have around to accomplish that and at the same time, don’t forget that you can go out to a restaurant, and it doesn’t have to be expensive. You can go out and have an appetizer and a glass of wine, you can share some plates, and most importantly, still have a great time.”

In an email, the City of Vancouver says they have not received any permit application for New Year’s Eve fireworks events this year.