VANCOUVER, BC— The Vancouver New Year’s Eve Celebration Society (VNYECS) announced today that this year’s Concord’s New Year’s Eve fireworks—previously planned for December 31, 2021— have been officially postponed until next year.

“This difficult decision was primarily made as a result of the continuing uncertainty surrounding pandemic conditions,” says VNYECS Chair Dani Pretto. “The lack of certainty has made it difficult to begin the planning process in earnest, as with event of this size and scale, so much depends on vendors and producers beginning much of their work as soon as possible. Having secure funding and the confidence that we can do everything safely is paramount to our success, and unfortunately, we do not have that confidence at the point in time.”

In previous years, Concord’s New Year’s Eve fireworks were displayed in Coal Harbour, and saw upwards of 100,000 guests in attendance. David Ju, Vice-President of Concord Pacific, commented on the difficulties in planning large-scale events this year, saying, “the Concord Pacific Dragon Boat Festival was the first major vaccine passport community event. Vancouverites showed their resiliency and spirit without incident at this daytime activation contained on our property. Concord’s NYE is harder to safely plan, being three times the size with spectators spread out around False Creek. We will continue to support Roundhouse family activities and Burnaby’s Heritage Christmas this season.”

The Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association is optimistic about the return of the New Year’s Eve celebration. “The Downtown Vancouver BIA looks forward to a time when everyone can gather together to enjoy the fireworks once again,” says DVBIA President & CEO, Nolan Marshall III. “Concord’s New Year’s Eve is such an important celebration for Vancouver; having these free, publicly accessible outdoor events elevates the city and creates a sense of excitement and anticipation, which is something that I know we all need after the many challenges brought on by the pandemic these past two years. We are slowly but surely—and safely— seeing a return to normalcy in our city, and I can’t wait to come together to enjoy shared experiences with our downtown community once again.”

The Society is once again hopeful that next year will bring more clarity around the future of large-scale festivals and events. They have already started envisioning new and innovative activations that can complement 2022’s fireworks display, such as drone shows, live music, and roving performers.

The VNYECS looks forward to officially starting the planning process for next year’s celebration, which is scheduled to take place on December 31, 2022. For continued updates, visit www.ConcordsNYEVAN.com.

Remembering John Keserich

The VNYECS would like to pay homage to John Keserich, a partner at BDO Canada, who passed away peacefully on November 6, 2021, after a long battle with cancer.

As one of the founding board members of VNYECS, pouring countless hours into the organization on a volunteer basis over the years, John was instrumental in the success of the event.

"John had a big heart, a fun-loving spirit, and a zeal for life. He lit up our boardroom; we all have fond memories of John," recollected Pretto. "We all knew he had a passion for this community, and New Year’s Eve was just one of the many ways he gave back over his professional career. He endeavoured to rekindle a strong NYE celebration tradition for Vancouver, and believed in the profoundly positive impacts that such a gathering would bring to our region. On behalf of the entire VNYECS board, we are all thinking of John's family and loved ones during this most difficult time."

About Vancouver New Year's Eve Celebration Society (VNYECS)
VNYECS was established in 2013 and is a registered not-for-profit community initiative with a mandate to plan, organize, and stage an annual, accessible public New Year’s Eve celebration in Vancouver. Members include the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association, Daily Hive, Boughton Law, Vanterre Projects Corporation, TELUS, BDO, and Eos Lightmedia.

For media contact:
Heather McKenzie-Beck
Senior Manager, Marketing & Communications
Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association
heather@dtvan.ca
604-616-0933

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