Vancouver’s annual Celebration of Light festival kicks off on Saturday (July 28). TransLink is increasing transit service and extending hours on the three Celebration of Light evenings to ensure dependable rides to and from the fireworks, as well as a safe commute. 

According to a news release issued by TransLink, after 6:30 p.m. on the nights of July 28, August 1, and August 4, many bus routes will make extra trips to downtown Vancouver, and will provide additional service after the fireworks. Some of the West End and downtown buses will be detoured during the events.

On festival nights, Expo and Millennium SkyTrain lines will run more frequently than usual throughout the evening. The last scheduled train will leave Waterfront Station at 1:16 a.m. The Canada Line will issue rush-hour level service all evening, and every train will be in service immediately following the fireworks. The last train will leave Waterfront for Richmond-Brighouse Station at 1:15 a.m.

Due to expected heavy crowds, bikes will not be permitted on the SkyTrain after 10 p.m. on festival nights. Passengers may board with bikes only after the crowds have cleared for the evening.

The SeaBus is set to sail every 10 minutes between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m., every 15 minutes from 8 p.m. to midnight, and every half hour from midnight until the last sailing from Waterfront at 1:22 a.m.

On the night of the Celebration of Light finale, the West Coast Express will provide special train service. The train will leave Mission at 7 p.m. and arrive at Waterfront at 8:15 p.m. The return train will leave Waterfront at exactly midnight.

To avoid lineups at Compass Vending Machines, festival-goers are strongly encouraged to plan ahead by filling up their Compass Cards. Transit customers can also opt to use the Tap to Pay feature by tapping their contactless Visa or Mastercard credit card, or any device with an Apple Pay, Google Pay, or Samsung Pay wallet feature.

To ensure safety and convenience during festival commutes, extra transit police and security will be on duty.