The annual Celebration of Light fireworks display will be held in downtown Vancouver on July 21, 24, 28, and 31!

As usual, we’ll be boosting service to carry thousands of people to the event, and there will be some bus reroutes to accommodate the related West End road closures.

Have a look below for the full transit service details, including some special service notes and cycling info!

Buses

Roads in the West End and Kits Point will restrict vehicle access as of 7:30 p.m., which means some downtown buses will be rerouted. Here’s the full road closure map.

As of 7:30 p.m., buses that normally travel into the West End will go no further than Burrard and Davie.

• The 5 Robson will go as far as Robson and Denman and then return via Denman and Georgia. There will be no eastbound service on Robson Street.
• The 6 Davie will go as far as Davie and Thurlow, then turn at Thurlow to Pacific, and back north via Seymour.
• The C21 Beach will go as far as Beach and Hornby, then turn at Hornby and Davie to resume its regular route (C23 Main).
• The C23 Davie will go as far as Davie and Thurlow, then turn at Thurlow and Pacific to its regular route (C21 Yaletown).

Edit: The above buses will return to their regular routes after the streets are opened again by the Vancouver Police Department. Generally this is around 11:15-11:30 p.m., but this can vary depending on the circumstances (weather, size of crowds, other events unrelated to fireworks).

As of 9 p.m., the 22 Macdonald/Knight will avoid Burrard Bridge and Cornwall Avenue altogether, using 4th Avenue between Granville Bridge and Macdonald in both directions.

Additional buses will be put in place at Bridgeport SkyTrain Station to handle crowds coming off the Canada Line: these will supplement service as deemed necessary by transit supervisors on the scene.

West Vancouver Transit will have about 15 extra buses on hand along Georgia near Denman, to be used as required.

SkyTrain

Canada Line will operate at rush-hour levels from late afternoon throughout the evening on each date of the fireworks.

Expo and Millennium Lines service will operate at rush hour levels from late afternoon throughout the evening on each date until crowds are cleared after the event.

Some very very crucial notes for SkyTrain riders

• The last Expo Line train will leave Waterfront at 1:16 a.m., but we will run additional trains if necessary to make sure that all customers already in the station at that time are able to get home.
• To prevent “seat-camping,” there will be no pickups on inbound trains between Stadium-Chinatown and Waterfront Stations (Expo/Millennium Lines) and between Yaletown-Roundhouse and Waterfront Stations (Canada Line). Inbound Canada Line passengers will be required to get off at Yaletown-Roundhouse.
• After 10 p.m., there will be no access to Waterfront Station through the main entrance on Cordova Street, except for those with wheelchairs or strollers. Those arriving by SeaBus must also leave Waterfront, and can then access SkyTrain from Howe Street.
• After 10 p.m., the only access to Granville Station will be through its Dunsmuir Street entrance.
• Cyclists riding the train should arrive early, and owing to the large crowds, bikes won’t be allowed on any SkyTrain line leaving downtown Vancouver from 10pm until the lineups have cleared. That may be as late as 1am. Transit staff and police may restrict bikes at any time in any direction, depending on crowd conditions on the trains. This is for the safety and comfort of all our passengers.
• If you don’t already have a FareCard or FareSaver, you are highly encouraged to pre-purchase their return fare prior to the event. This will avoid long lineups at ticket vending machines afterwards and facilitate boarding. Portable fareboxes will be set up at Granville, Burrard, Bridgeport (before the event only), Yaletown-Roundhouse, Vancouver City Centre, and Waterfront – Canada Line and Howe Street Entrance (after the event).

SeaBus

SeaBus will put all three vessels into operation for the evening, providing 10-minute service from 6:30pm until 12:45am; then every 15 minutes until the final departure from Waterfront station at 1:31am.

West Coast Express

West Coast Express will run a special train for the finale, Saturday, July 31, leaving Mission City at 7pm and returning from Waterfront at 11:30pm.

Cycling

Cycling is also a good option, with bike valets in three locations this year:

• Under Burrard Street bridge (near Vancouver Aquatic Centre)
• Second Beach Parking Lot
• King George Secondary School (Bidwell and Denman Sts)

(I got this cycling info from the official website: make sure to check there for any updates!)

A note: zero tolerance for drugs and alcohol on transit

Be aware that transit police will be out to assist in keeping order, paying particular attention to transit services. They will enforce a zero-tolerance policy for alcohol and drugs on transit vehicles.

Other than that: have fun, enjoy the fireworks, and take care out there!