HSBC Celebration of Light - CANCELLED - Page 2

Metro-One · #21 Posted **Feb 4, 2009, 8:47 PM**

If Burnaby did i would be so happy, but there is no good place in Burnaby to do it. The only other place i can think of is White Rock where there are a lot of beaches and open area to watch such an event.

Whalleyboy · #22 Posted **Feb 4, 2009, 8:54 PM**

thats funny cause i was thinking how white rock is the only other place to do this
it would be cool at white rock though cause we totally show it to the americans too

Kwik-E-Mart · #23 Posted **Feb 4, 2009, 9:04 PM**

I'm sure this will become an election topic in no time. Hopefully someone will come out and save the event because it is THE highlight of the year.

s211 · #24 Posted **Feb 4, 2009, 9:31 PM**

Well, with all of the rending of garments and heaping of ashes going on in this thread, it just goes to show how little people on this forum have any real comprehension of how the global financial meltdown has caused firms of all stripes and colours to severely cut back (read: put the brakes) on virtually all discretionary spending. What you see here is just a drop in the bucket.

wrenegade · #25 Posted **Feb 4, 2009, 9:31 PM**

Sad news. Though really not surprising with a bank as the event's biggest sponsor. How about some of that stimulus money huh?

Volksboi · #26 Posted **Feb 4, 2009, 10:00 PM**

They say this every year and we all get upset about it......But at the end of the day an event the size of this will not just get droped like this. It will get picked up by another sponser just like it does every year. The show is not cancelled, this is just a desperate call for more sponsorship....So we all just need to calm down and wait and see who comes in and picks it up this year...

Distill3d · #27 Posted **Feb 4, 2009, 10:15 PM**

ugh...i may as well move back to Warburg, Alberta now...at least they have a summer fireworks show

SpongeG · #28 Posted **Feb 4, 2009, 10:35 PM**

i don't think it will get picked up - the economy has tanked no business can part with that kind of money

you can read the comments at CBC for a giggle

http://www.cbc.ca/arts/story/2009/02...cancelled.html

Volksboi · #29 Posted **Feb 4, 2009, 10:46 PM**

I guess we will have to wait and see....Im pretty sure it will get picked up by someone.....We must all remember they have been making these big press releases every year for the last few years. When Benson and Hedges was no longer able to sponser it they claimed this event was dead back then, but someone came in and picked it up...So again we will wait and see what happens, and I would think being optimistic about it would be our best bet knowing the history of this event and the previous bogus "The show is cancelled" statements from the past...

SpongeG · #30 Posted **Feb 4, 2009, 11:04 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Volksboi

I guess we will have to wait and see....Im pretty sure it will get picked up by someone.....We must all remember they have been making these big press releases every year for the last few years. When Benson and Hedges was no longer able to sponser it they claimed this event was dead back then, but someone came in and picked it up...So again we will wait and see what happens, and I would think being optimistic about it would be our best bet knowing the history of this event and the previous bogus "The show is cancelled" statements from the past...

yes but we have never been in a recession like this before

companies are cutting back and making layoffs etc

If you were layed off from a company that chose to sponsor an event like this i am sure you would be choked

its not a responsible business move in todays economy

osirisboy · #31 Posted **Feb 4, 2009, 11:04 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by s211

Well, with all of the rending of garments and heaping of ashes going on in this thread, it just goes to show how little people on this forum have any real comprehension of how the global financial meltdown has caused firms of all stripes and colours to severely cut back (read: put the brakes) on virtually all discretionary spending. What you see here is just a drop in the bucket.

I think most people understand the effects of this recession and that companies dont have extra money now. This is when Governments need to step in, especially when this event brings in a lot of money to the region.

SpongeG · #32 Posted **Feb 4, 2009, 11:09 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by osirisboy

I think most people understand the effects of this recession and that companies dont have extra money now. This is when Governments need to step in, especially when this event brings in a lot of money to the region.

well what level of government?

Federal - taxpayers in halifax will not be pleased
Provincial - taxpayers in Dawson Creek will not be pleased
City of Vancouver - most of the viewers are from surrey - lol and locals will be pissed especially after the olympic village fiasco

mr.x · #33 Posted **Feb 4, 2009, 11:16 PM**

Join this facebook group to help support the summer fireworks festival:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=79326510328

Vancity · #34 Posted **Feb 4, 2009, 11:34 PM**

wow. what a huge blow to Vancouver

We don't have much in the way of entertainment, and now we're losing one of the biggest events of the year (at least, for us anyway). Can you imagine what we've lost so far, and what we're going to lose? PNE is downsizing (really, they should instead be expanding), the Molson Indy Vancouver was lost, the Grizzlies moved, the Ravens folded - we really do not have a strong history of keeping our events here in this "world class" city.

What else are we going to lose? The Canucks? sigh...

SpongeG · #35 Posted **Feb 4, 2009, 11:47 PM**

the canucks would be no loss at this point

there is no love for them right now

SpongeG · #36 Posted **Feb 4, 2009, 11:50 PM**

we made the Seattle news

Lack of funding cancels Vancouver fireworks show

By KING5.com Staff

Associated Press

VANCOUVER, B.C. - It would be like Seattle canceling Seafair.

Vancouver, British Columbia will no longer hold its week-long HSBC Celebration of Light fireworks festival because of a lack of funding.

The Vancouver Fireworks Festival Society held the event for 18 years. Organizers say it drew roughly 400,000 spectators per night for the four nights of the show. Visitors came from all over the world.

But over the past eight years, organizers say fundraising has been a challenge.

"The current financial situation makes it impossible for us to continue," said Brent MacGregor, chair of the Vancouver Fireworks Festival Society, in a statement released to the press. "To our sponsors and operational partners, to the City of Vancouver, and most important to the residents and visitors who came each summer to watch the spectacular shows – thank you!"

http://www.king5.com/localnews/stori....1c056f6e.html

Stingray2004 · #37 Posted **Feb 4, 2009, 11:59 PM**

Quote:

By KING5.com Staff

Associated Press

VANCOUVER, B.C. - It would be like Seattle canceling Seafair.

Yeah, many Seattlites come to Vancouver for the show and stay overnight.

In fact, I heard on the radio today that the host fireworks society had derived a figure from a study ascertaining that ~35% of fireworks attendees come from outside of the Lower Mainland.

osirisboy · #38 Posted **Feb 5, 2009, 12:04 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpongeG

well what level of government?

Federal - taxpayers in halifax will not be pleased
Provincial - taxpayers in Dawson Creek will not be pleased
City of Vancouver - most of the viewers are from surrey - lol and locals will be pissed especially after the olympic village fiasco

surely you're kidding

zivan56 · #39 Posted **Feb 5, 2009, 12:19 AM**

The words I have to utter about this would just be all *'s, so I wont bother. Welcome to Borecouver.

SpongeG · #40 Posted **Feb 5, 2009, 12:22 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by osirisboy

surely you're kidding

no

canadians whine

do uyou honestly expect the federals to say heres $4 million in tax payers money? to vancouver maybe if we were quebec

what level of Government should step in? as someone said they should do?

its gotta be from the private sector or nothing