The Victoria Day long weekend was capped off with a vibrant fireworks display over Ashbridges Bay Park on Monday night of May 20.
The annual event, hosted by the City of Toronto, began promptly at 10 p.m. and continued for approximately 14 minutes, painting the night sky with a kaleidoscope of colours and dazzling pyrotechnics.
The show featured a variety of aerial effects, from shimmering bursts to cascading waterfalls of light and the grand finale was a synchronized explosion of red, blue and gold bursts.
This elicited cheers and applause from the crowd lining the boardwalk from Lower Coxwell Avenue to Victoria Park Avenue.
“I am glad that I did travel to show up here for this event despite the large crowd and the rush on the TTC and the beach itself,” said Jessica Arrakal, a project management student at George Brown College who attended the event with her friends.
“The fireworks were mesmerizing and it was worth coming here as I got to spend time with my friends. It’s not every day that you get the chance to watch the fireworks on a beach.”
In anticipation of the large crowds, the Toronto Police Service (TPS) had advised residents to utilize public transit as parking in the area was limited.
In addition, a policing plan designed by the TPS was in place to support the city which included having the TTC involve additional buses to routes and having select roads closed, all to maintain public safety.
TPS superintendent Kim O'Toole said that a variety of resources had been put in place including the mounted unit, and officers patrolling on foot, ATVs, and bikes to keep the crowds in check.
Residents were reminded that fireworks are permitted on private property until 11 p.m. on Victoria Day, according to municipal bylaws. The large crowd was promptly cleared off the beach at that time.
The Ashbridges Bay fireworks display, which is a longstanding tradition and made its return back in 2022 after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, marked the end of the Victoria Day long weekend.
Kramica Khurana, who works as a technical support technician at Rogers said that this event was better than the one she attended at Niagara a couple of years ago.
“It was amazing to see some new fireworks that I had not witnessed before and although it was very crowded, the event made it worth the hassle,” she said.
She also said that even though the parking was tough to find despite reaching almost two hours before the scheduled time, it was great to see that the place was properly regulated by police and paramedics were on site.
