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Fireworks could return to future Kamloops Canada Day celebrations

Brett Mineer
Jul 3, 2024 | 11:06 AM


Fireworks could return to future Kamloops Canada Day celebrations

The drone show held during 2024 Canada Day celebrations in Kamloops. (Photo via Brett Mineer)

It’s too soon to say whether a professional fireworks show will return to Kamloops for next years Canada Day celebrations, but it’s not being ruled out either.

The city opted for a drone light show this year, citing concerns about dry conditions.

Some 200 drones were launched from the beach at Overlanders Park as opposed to a spot on Tk’emlúps land across from Riverside Park.

Kamloops Community Events Coordinator Janvi Desai says planning for the show began a month-and-a-half before Canada Day.

“Last year, three or four days before the fireworks we still had the ban on. We were not sure whether we would do it, or not do it, and then it rained, and then the fireworks ban was lifted,” Desai said on NL Mornings. “So we didn’t want to be in that kind of a situation to the last minute this year.”

Reviews have been mixed – and it seemed to depend a lot where you were trying to view the show from – with some of the best views being in Riverside Park and Overlanders Park on the North Shore.

“We were going to have the show at 10:15 and then suddenly the weather radar changed because we have to continuously follow it and then it showed that it’s going to rain exactly at 10:15 so we sort of preponed it suddenly,” Desai added.

The drones took flight a couple minutes after 10 p.m., with the rain holding off just long enough that the first drops started falling as the last of the drones were landing back on Overlanders Beach.

Last year’s fireworks show that lasted about 12 minutes cost the City about $20,000. Desai says the drone show cost a bit more, but an exact figure hasn’t yet been released.