Barrhaven Canada Day fireworks in doubt after organizers walk away, cancel 2026 display

Fireworks on Canada Day in Ottawa. (CTV News Ottawa/File)

The future of a decades-long tradition of lighting up fireworks on Canada Day in Barrhaven could be in jeopardy after organizers say a loss of funding and efforts to recruit volunteers willing to lead the event have fallen short.

In a news release posted on its website Saturday, Canada Day Barrhaven Inc. says it has decided to cancel, rather than postpone, this year’s fireworks display after Wednesday’s historic rainstorm, which saw Ottawa receive 118 mm of rain and led to the cancellation of Canada Day events across the national capital.

In addition, the corporation says it will not be organizing a Barrhaven Canada Day celebration or fireworks display in 2027 or in the future after months of “thoughtful discussion and careful consideration.”

“Many members of the current executive team have devoted as many as 16 years to the event during its 44-year history. Organizing a celebration of this size requires thousands of volunteer hours, significant physical labour, and a year-round commitment. As our team has grown older, many now over the age of 70, those demands have simply become too great,” the corporation said.

“Despite repeated efforts over many years to recruit new volunteers and future leaders, no group has stepped forward with the capacity to assume responsibility for organizing and operating the event.”

None of its executive directors or committee members will be returning to lead the event, the release said.

Canada Day Barrhaven Inc. is a non-profit and exclusively funded through sponsorships, grants, fundraisers, and community donations while being run entirely by volunteers, according to its website. It calls the event one of the “largest community-run Canada Day celebrations in the National Capital Region.”

Organizers say the 2025 Barrhaven Canda Day celebration had over 30,000 people attend. The event takes place over two days, and includes a Midway fair and other events before being capped off by the fireworks show.

Organizers pointed to its Midway provider and other attractions pulling out of the event two and a half months ago as part of the reason for the financial shortfall, as well as lower-than-expected attendance at fundraising events and low sales of its 50/50 lottery.

“This difficult decision was necessary to allow us to recover a portion of our costs from our fireworks provider and to ensure we can meet our financial obligations to the many infrastructure suppliers, contractors, entertainers, and service providers who helped make this year’s event possible,” the corporation said.

The corporation says it encourages those who may want to take the lead on the annual celebration and utilize funds from the Canadian Heritage grant program to form a not-for-profit organization before September to make it eligible for grant funding applications opening in October.

“Without a new generation of volunteers willing to step forward and take on the leadership and workload required, this year’s celebration may mark the end of a remarkable 44-year tradition,” the corporation said.

The cancellation of Wednesday’s event also led to the postponement of the 50/50 draw. The corporation says it will be pulling the winning ticket on Monday and the winner will be announced on its website.

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