There will be no fireworks after the Light Up in Ladysmith this year.
The festival’s application for a fireworks permit was denied by the Town of Ladysmith toward the end of October for the first time in 35 years, according to a joint press release issued today by the Festival of Lights Society and the Ladysmith & District Credit Union, longtime sponsors of the fireworks.
Denial of the permit is not due to a change in regulations, but rather a tightening of enforcement around existing rules. According to Natural Resources Canada's Display Fireworks Manual, there must be a minimum distance of 95 meters from the firing site to the public, structures and vehicles.
The planned site for the fireworks, Aggie Fields, does not meet this distance. Additionally, the minimum distance to gas stations is twice the required spectator distance. There is a gas station just 115 meters from the firing site, not meeting the required safe distance of 190 meters.
Festival of Lights Society president April Marrington said they knew fireworks would be off the table for the event in future years due to increasing restrictions, public support for fireworks dwindling and negative impacts on wildlife and pets, so their organization was already looking into other options.
However, they expected they would have more warning.
Marrington applied for all their various required permits early this year in May 2024. They don’t normally apply until September and often don’t receive approval for fireworks permits until November. So she wasn’t too concerned when their fireworks permit request was the sole outstanding application still in process in September. But when she received the permit denial two weeks ago, it sent the organization scrambling.
The fire department began a search for a new site that would meet the fireworks regulations but anything they came up with brought further safety challenges along with it. Marrington and her team explored having the fireworks at the amphitheatre parking lot at Transfer Beach where they could safely meet the 95-metre radius requirements but ran into logistical and safety concerns there too.
“In order to have it over there, we would have to physically close off the highway, that’s the only way in. There’s no time to do that now. We would not get permission for that,” Marrington said. She went ahead and applied for a permit at Transfer Beach but received a denial within just a couple of hours.
Crossing the Trans Canada Highway from the parade route to the fireworks site would require significant traffic control and increased costs. In the unlikely event that the FOL could get approval to close down the highway for several hours on Light Up night, with crosswalks on the highway on either side of the parade route and attendance numbers ranging from between 15,000 to 20,000 people, getting safely across the highway would be very complicated. Concerns about pedestrian safety, people crossing the highway outside of the designated crosswalks, and limited visibility in the dark all added up to a problem that was simply too large for the entirely volunteer-run organization to solve this year.
Marrington told the Chronicle that she understands many people will be as disappointed as festival organizers are to have this element of the festival cancelled this year.
“The fireworks is such an integral part of the event – it’s the climax” said Marrington. But she hopes the public will agree that community safety is the priority.
“I’d rather have disappointment than devastation if there’s one person hit trying to cross that road.”
With time running out and so much still to do before the Light Up, the organizers explored other options instead of fireworks, including a drone light show.
A drone light show is an aerial display that utilizes a fleet of drones, each fitted with LED lights, to create patterns, shapes and animations in the sky. These shows can be a customizable, more eco-friendly alternative to traditional fireworks displays.
However, drone light shows require a minimum of several weeks to months for planning, designing, programming and rehearsal of the show and would be at least double or triple the current fireworks budget of approximately $15,000.
“We may be able to look at it again next year but it’s going to cost a lot more,” Marrington said.
Instead, the organizers have pivoted, adding a fun new element for attendees to enjoy before the parade in an attempt to, as Marrington said, make the event “as spectacular as we can”. From 4-6 p.m. on Light Up Night, attendees are invited to Ladysmith’s 1st Avenue for live street entertainment for all ages. In addition to live music from the Doctors of Rock and Roll, the press release issued today promised some exciting new elements.
Ladysmith & District Credit Union Chief Executive Officer John de Leeuw said in Friday's release, "This year, we are sponsoring a renowned production company known for specialty acts and stage shows to provide live street entertainment along first avenue.”
With backgrounds in Cirque Du Soleil, theatre and opera, these performers will bring an entertaining, unique and sophisticated style to the Light Up festivities.
“We’re thrilled to have so many acts to choose from—jugglers, stilt walkers, and more—which allows us to create a truly custom, dynamic experience for Ladysmith,” said Laura Goodwin, Festival of Lights board member. "A standout act includes an LED robot circus, bringing the magic of fireworks down to street level. As one young attendee excitedly put it, 'The robots are like real-life superheroes!'"
There will be continuous activities for the entire two-hour period.
There will also be two photo booths this year, at no cost to attendees. You can get your picture taken professionally and printed on a card or sent digitally to your phone or email address. While the photo booths are available only on Light Up night, a new selfie photo arch at the Royal Bank will remain, along with the rest of the festival lights and decorations, until January.
“It will be a changeover year this year,” Marrington said. As with all transitions, she knows there will be hiccups and not everyone will be happy with the changes, but she hopes people will do as the FOL Society is doing and adapt.
The FOL Society looks forward to welcoming everyone to the 37th edition of Ladysmith’s most popular public event and invites attendees to enjoy the new entertainment and help make this year’s Light Up as memorable as ever.
The Chronicle reached out to de Leeuw and the town for further comment.
