British Columbia

Team India kicks off Vancouver's Celebration of Light

Hundreds of thousands of people watched Team India kick of annual fireworks festival Saturday night.

Team Canada will perform next on July 31

Team India lights up the sky at the Celebration of Light on July 27, 2019 in this view from Vanier Park. (Cory Correia/CBC)

Team India kicked off the 29th annual Honda Celebration of Light on Saturday evening.

The fireworks started at 10 p.m. PT., drawing large crowds at popular viewing sites like English Bay and Kitsilano Beach.

A video of the fireworks is available on the CBC Vancouver Facebook page.

Thousands filled English Bay in Vancouver to watch the Celebration of Light on Saturday, July 27. (Vancouver Police @VancouverPD/Twitter)

Robert Fraser, who watched from Vanier Park, said it was a great event to attend with friends and family. 

"I like it the most when it's synchronized very well with the music, and of course the grand finale is always the best," Fraser said.

Const. Steve Addison with the Vancouver Police Department said the crowd was well behaved and officers did not run into any significant issues.

TransLink increased train and bus service to accommodate the event. Road closures were in effect for part of the evening in the West End and at Kits Point.

Team Canada will perform July 31 and Team Croatia will wrap up the festival on Aug. 3.

With files from Cory Correia