The

Honda commonly known as just Honda, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate automotive manufacturer headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Founded in October 1946 by Soichiro Honda, Honda has bee ...

Celebration of Light (formerly known as the ''

Benson & Hedges Benson & Hedges is a British brand of cigarettes owned by American conglomerate Altria. Cigarettes under the ''Benson & Hedges'' name are manufactured worldwide by different companies such as Rothmans, Benson & Hedges, Philip Morris USA, British ...

Symphony of Fire The Symphony of Fire was an annual multi-day fireworks exhibition and friendly international competition held around the world. The fireworks were choreographed to music. It was presented at English Bay in Vancouver, British Columbia, and at the ...

'' and the ''

HSBC HSBC Holdings plc ( zh, t_hk=滙豐; initialism from its founding member The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation) is a British universal bank and financial services group headquartered in London, England, with historical and business li ...

Celebration of Light'') is an annual musical

fireworks Fireworks are Explosive, low explosive Pyrotechnics, pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a large numbe ...

competition in

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, 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.

2025 program

The 2025 competition will take place on July 19, 23, and 26. This year’s all-Canadian lineup features teams from Yukon, Quebec, and Nova Scotia. Saturday, July 19 Province:  Yukon Team:  Midnight Sun Fireworks Wednesday, July 23 Province:  Quebec Team:  Royal Pyrotechnie Saturday, July 26 Province:  Nova Scotia Team:  Fireworks FX

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 The COVID-19 pandemic in British Columbia formed part of an ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a novel infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2 ...

2020 program (cancelled)

In 2020, the competition was cancelled due to the

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 (25 minutes) for an additional 3 minutes (for a total of 28 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 The Tragically Hip, often referred to simply as the Hip, was a Canadian rock band formed in Kingston, Ontario in 1984, consisting of vocalist Gord Downie, guitarist Paul Langlois, guitarist Rob Baker (known as Bobby Baker until 1994), bassis ...

, "Hallelujah" by

Leonard Cohen Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian songwriter, singer, poet, and novelist. Themes commonly explored throughout his work include faith and mortality, isolation and depression, betrayal and redemption, soc ...

, and "Summer of '69" by

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. The winner of the competition was Japan.

2016 program

The 2016 Honda Celebration of Light took place on July 23, July 27, and July 30. The event featured the Netherlands, Australia, and the United States in competition. Notably, 2016 was the first time that the Netherlands has competed in the event. The Walt Disney Company, the world's largest consumer of fireworks, was the competitor for the United States, while Australia was represented by Howard & Sons, whose displays have included the opening and closing ceremonies for

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

and opening and closing ceremonies for the

2010 Commonwealth Games The 2010 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Delhi 2010, were an international multi-sport event for the members of the Commonwealth that was held in Delhi, India, from 3 to 14 October 201 ...

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

and

2006 Commonwealth Games The 2006 Commonwealth Games, officially the XVIII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Melbourne 2006, were an International sport, international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth held in Melbourne ...

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

. Team USA won the competition. Vancouver Police had to shut down English Bay Beach for the Team USA show, due to capacity concerns.

2015 program

The 2015 Honda Celebration of Light was scheduled for July 25, July 29, and August 1. For the 25th anniversary of the event, three returning competitors from China, Brazil, and Canada participated. The 2015 competition winner was Canada.

2014 program

The 2014 Honda Celebration of Light was scheduled for July 26, July 30, and August 2, featuring performances by the United States, France, and Japan respectively. The competitors were newcomers to Vancouver, though their respective countries have previously participated before. The 2014 competition winner was Japan.

2013 program

The 2013 Honda Celebration of Light was scheduled for July 27, July 31, and August 3, with performances by the United Kingdom, Canada, and Thailand respectively. 2013 was the first year that Thailand participated in the event as part of the organizers' ongoing efforts to introduce a new nation to the program each year. The 2013 competition winner was Canada.

2012 program

The 2012 Honda Celebration of Light saw teams from Vietnam and Brazil as newcomers, while the Italian team of Pirotecnica Soldi was more established. Canada did not participate for the first time in six years as producers of the event had been looking for new countries to compete from each continent for the next three years. The 2012 competition winner was Italy.

2011 program

The 2011

Celebration of Light presented a "Battle of Champions" by featuring three previous competition winners: China (represented by 2009 winner Red Eagle Industrial and Trade Co. Ltd), Spain (represented by 2010 winner Pirotecnia Igual), and Canada (represented by 2007 and 2008 winner Archangel Fireworks Inc). The winner for the 2011 competition was China.

2010 program

The 2010 HSBC Celebration of Light winner was Spain (Pirotecnia Igual).

2009 program

The 2009 HSBC Celebration of Light winner was China (Red Eagle Industrial and Trade Co. Ltd.).

2008 program

The 2008 HSBC Celebration of Light winner was Canada, making back-to-back wins for Archangel Fireworks Inc.

2007 program

The 2007 HSBC Celebration of Light winner was Canada.

2006 program

The 2006 winner was Mexico, who joined the competition for the first time.

Previous years

Because of the change in sponsor, records are difficult to find before the year 2001.

2006

2005

2004

2003

2002

2001

2000

1999

1998

1997

1996

1995

1994

1993

1992

1991

1990

References

City of Vancouver administrative report

External links

{{commons category
Official Celebration of Light websiteFull video clip of Canada July 23, 2008 fireworks displayFull video clip of USA July 26, 2008 fireworks displayFull video clip of the Finale August 2 2008 fireworks displayFull video clip of Canada July 23, 2009 fireworks displayCelebration of Light - Photo shot from North Vancouver
Festivals in Vancouver Pyrotechnics Fireworks in Canada Annual events in Canada Fireworks competitions Summer in Canada Light festivals