As done before in Cannes when I was a kid, and in Montreal, and probably many other cities,  Vancouver holds an annual fireworks competition. It’s called the HSBC Celebration of Light and last Wednesday was the opening night, with Italy trying to redeem itself for Materazzi’s treachery. ;-)

Attempting to avoid the crowds, I opted for a Granville Island observation post, a bad choice as it turns out because the tallest fireworks barely made it up above the Burrard bridge. But it added a nice foreground to my pictures.

Along with an estimated 350,000 people, I watched and listened as the Italians dared combine the musical genius of Ennio Morricone with the tasteless rambling of Celine Dion. Ouch. Next is China, then the Czech Republic and finally Mexico.