There was no shortage of ways to usher in 2017 on New Year’s Eve in Victoria, from events at local bars and restaurants to watching live coverage of New York’s Times Square revelry from the comfort of your home.
Considering it was so cold and windy, Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps’s description of the Spirit of 150 Victoria: First Night celebration around the Inner Harbour as “an overwhelming success” wasn’t mere hyberbole.
An enthusiastic crowd of about 24,000 attended the event, one of many New Year’s Eve celebrations of Canada’s 150th birthday across the country.
Highlights included a fireworks spectacle, First Nations ceremony, Victoria Harbour Ferry Ballet, music by Dear Rouge and Alex Cuba, and an artistic digital light show projected onto the Fairmont Empress Hotel.
“As a national historic site, we [were] honoured to participate in this celebration of Canada’s 150th which will also be a prominent year for the re-launch of Fairmont Empress,” said general manager Indu Brar.
