Gordon Lightfoot and massive fireworks planned for Canada 150

Pyrotechnics display will be 3 times larger than previous years, Heritage ministry says

CBC News
June 1, 2017

Canadian folk icon Gordon Lightfoot and the biggest fireworks display in Canada Day history are among the attractions for the country's 150th birthday celebrations in Ottawa.

Canada 150 weekend in Ottawa will be the biggest the country has ever seen, Heritage Minister Melanie Joly said in a news conference on Thursday in Ottawa.

The festivities will happen in three main locations during the weekend of June 30 to July 2: Parliament Hill, Major's Hill Park and the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Que.

Some of the headlining artists coming to Parliament Hill on Canada Day include:

• Walk Off The Earth.
• Serena Ryder.
• Dean Brody.
• Alessia Cara.
• Gordon Lightfoot.
• Cirque du Soleil.
  

20-minute fireworks show

In addition to the music that will fill the capital region, the fireworks display is growing larger as well.

"The fireworks show will last 20 minutes, so it will be a long show and a beautiful show," Joly said. "The [Canadian Museum of History] is really going to be the best spot to watch."

She added that the annual fireworks display will be triple the usual size.

More than 15,000 fireworks will be launched from five different locations surrounding the downtown core, providing a 360-degree view of the illuminated sky.

"This is a once in a lifetime, a really great opportunity," she said.