VANCOUVER, BC— The Vancouver New Year’s Eve Celebration Society (VNYECS) announced today that the 2020 Concord’s New Year’s Eve fireworks—previously planned for December 31, 2020— have been officially postponed until next year due to COVID-19.

In previous years, Concord’s New Year’s Eve fireworks were displayed in Coal Harbour, and saw upwards of 100,000 guests in attendance. With current restrictions on public gatherings, this year’s typical programming is not possible.

“With the safety of our volunteers, vendors, and guests in mind, we knew that we could not go ahead with this year’s pre-planned fireworks spectacular,” said VNYECS Board Chair Dani Pretto. “The annual fireworks are an exciting and well-loved tradition, and as such, they would undoubtedly have drawn very large crowds to all optimal viewing sites. Understanding that 2020 is a very different and challenging year, especially where festivals and events are concerned, we made the difficult decision to postpone this year’s fireworks show.”

“While this year’s event is not possible, we look forward to working with the Vancouver New Year’s Eve Celebration Society to plan something even bigger and better for next year,” said Matt Meehan, Senior Vice-President of Planning for Concord Pacific. “This has been an extraordinary year on many fronts, and although it’s disappointing that we aren’t able to ring in the New Year as a community, there have been so many other inspiring ways our community has come together throughout this pandemic. Concord Pacific would like to thank our front line workers and essential workers, as well as the City of Vancouver, for the many ways that they have shown up for us these past few months and kept our health and safety the top priority. We also hope that Vancouverites can continue to support our local small businesses in the coming months, many of whom are struggling to keep their doors open right now. We look forward to celebrating our strong, resilient community next year with a newly-reimagined New Year’s celebration like no other.”

The Society is hopeful that next year’s celebration will not be impacted by COVID-19 restrictions and will be able to go ahead as scheduled. They have already started envisioning new and innovative activations that can complement 2021’s fireworks display.

“More than ever, in these uncertain times, our communities look forward to celebrations that mark a sense of new beginnings. Concord’s New Year’s Eve Celebration is a treasured event in our city, but the health and safety of our communities are of the utmost importance," said Royce Chwin, President and CEO of Tourism Vancouver. "As an important part of Vancouver's fulsome events calendar, we look forward to safely welcoming the celebration back in 2021. We know it will be well worth the wait.”

The VNYECS looks forward to officially starting the planning process for next year’s celebration, which is scheduled to take place December 31, 2021. For continued updates, visit www.ConcordsNYEVAN.com.

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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