Thousands packed beaches around English Bay on Saturday night for the much-anticipated return of Vancouver’s Honda Celebration of Light.
The Japanese pyrotechnics team kicked off the first of three nights of the fireworks competition.
Vancouver police said officers had to deal with a few cases of having to reunite children with parents or caregivers as well as a few “conflicts here and there.”
The rest of the night, police said officers were largely dealing with the mass exodus of people leaving Vancouver’s downtown core.
VPD has advice for those planning to catch the remaining two shows later in the week.
“We know that when you’re trying to get out of the downtown core and traffic is closed, waiting at the SkyTrain station can get a little bit aggravating,” said Sgt. Steve Addison, a VPD officer.
“If you’re starting to get frustrated, cheer up, chill out and slow down. This is part of the experience that people have waited three years for.”
City of Vancouver clean-up crews were busy Sunday morning in English Bay, another reminder for attendees to pack up what is brought in, officials said.
Up next is Canada’s show on Wednesday, which starts at 10 p.m., followed by Spain on Saturday.