U.S.A Disney team ends Honda Celebration of Light with bang

U.S.A Disney team ends Honda Celebration of Light with bang

A team from the U.S. thrilled onlookers at the Honda Celebration of Light with the final show of the annual festival in English Bay.

CBC Vancouver also streamed the fireworks live on its Facebook page.

It was the 26th year of the popular event and on Saturday spectators saw nearly 2,500 fireworks, set to classic Disney musical tracks from the Little Mermaid, Pirates of the Caribbean and more.

Police said Saturday's crowd was one of the largest ever for the event, with up to 500,000 people in English Bay to watch.

The numbers forced officers to close the beach as it became too crowded. Still despite all the people, police said there were only a few arrests.

Police estimated the crowds at the two previous shows, on July 23 and July 27, numbered between 250,000 to 300,000 people.

They urged those at the fireworks to use transit and to allow extra time to reach the viewing areas.

TransLink said it had additional buses and trains to accommodate the event.

Davie Street, Denman Street and Beach Avenue were closed for the fireworks but reopoened once crowds dispersed at about 11:30 p.m. PT.

Vancouver city officials asked people to pack up their garbage before they left the area, saying previous fireworks shows have left too much waste on the ground.