Alcohol-related offences proved to be the police's main problem on the first night of the 21st annual Celebration of Light, which featured China's "China Storm," although the great majority of the crowd was well behaved.
Officers from around Metro Vancouver assisted Vancouver police. Enforcement of liquor offences was a priority, keeping police, both downtown and on public transit, busy dealing with those trying to carry liquor to beaches and parks.
Preliminary police statistics reveal 605 liquor pour-outs, four arrests for public intoxication, 28 liquor seizures, 26 weapons seized, including three sets of brass knuckles, eights cans of pepper spray, four knives, and one ice pick, 26 violation tickets written for various offences, two arrests for breach of the peace, 10 drug seizures and one person arrested for an outstanding warrant.
"The number of pour-outs is higher than previous years. We have significantly more officers out, so there's more people looking-not to mention we have volunteers from our Citizens' Crimewatch out," explained police spokesperson Const. Lindsey Houghton Tuesday morning. "But there are still people bringing alcohol down to the beaches and parks."
After the fireworks, there was a minor stabbing in the 700 block of Thurlow Street, in which two people were injured with superficial cuts.
"Two people were stabbed there- not co-operating. We don't have any other information," Houghton said, adding police will concentrate on liquor enforcement again on Wednesday. "This is by and large a familyoriented event, however we know from past experience the Celebration of Light attracts many intoxicated youth and young people and that's our focus," he said.
Andrea Dowd-Dever, project manager for the Celebration of Light for Brand Live-the event production company that puts on the show, estimated Saturday night's crowd at be-tween 250,000 and 300,000.
"It's a bit difficult to tell with an area that is that large and spread out, but we do some metrics around pedestrian traffic flowing into the English Bay area, so it's obviously an estimate based on the available space and the crowd density at the time-that's how we base our calculations," she said.
Dowd-Dever said China put on a great show and the paid bleacher seating area, which was offered for the first time this year sold out on the first night. Seven hundred seats are being sold to the public each night at $35 a space. They're almost sold out for the second night of fireworks.
The fireworks take place from 10 p.m. to 10: 25 p.m. on each of the evenings.
Pete McLeod-the world's number five ranked stunt pilot-will perform again Wednesday in the Red Bull airshow-a 10-minute aerobatic performance that kicks off at 9 p.m. There will also be vendors and live music before the fireworks.
Spain is featured Wednesday (Aug. 3) with its display, Odyssey, followed by Canada's Then and Now on the final night of the fireworks, Aug. 6.
noconnor@vancourier.com
Twitter: @Naoibh
