Summer is truly underway when that seminal seasonal event—the annual Vancouver Celebration of Light International Fireworks Competition—is just around the corner: It starts July 21, 2010.

Photo © Celebration of Light

The Celebration of Light Fireworks Competition is more than just four nights of amazing pyrotechnics; it’s become one of the most prestigious fireworks competitions in the world and the summer event in the Lower Mainland. On consecutive Wednesdays and Saturdays, July 21 – 31, the night sky over English Bay will light up with phenomenal firework displays from this year’s competitors—the United States, Spain, and Mexico, with a tribute to China—and hundreds of thousands of people will stop whatever they’re doing to watch the show.

The best vantage points for watching the Celebration of Light Fireworks are the beaches facing English Bay: English Bay Beach, Vanier Park and Jericho Beach. These sites are always super crowded, so be sure to go early if you want a spot on the beach, and do not drive (especially to English Bay Beach: the entire West End will be closed to non-local traffic).

But you don’t have to fight crowds to get a good viewpoint. While I’ve loved going to English Bay Beach for the entire fireworks experience—the beach fills up with spectators and food vendors and party fiends—I’ve also loved watching the fireworks from Burrard Street Bridge with just my partner by my side.

Wherever you watch them, don’t miss this spectacle!

Vancouver’s Celebration of Light 2010 Fireworks Competition happens July 21, 24, 28, and 31.

Here’s a taste from venturevancouver and Team Canada in 2009: