GlobalFest fireworks set to dazzle crowds after pandemic-related absence
The 2021 edition of GlobalFest will kick off Thursday, bringing world-class fireworks displays back to Calgary's Elliston Park after a cancelled 2020 festival.
The international fireworks competition is scheduled to take place on five select days including the Aug. 28 finale.
- Aug. 19 — China
- Aug. 21 — India
- Aug. 24 —Japan
- Aug. 26 — Philippines
- Aug. 28 — GlobalFest finale
The international teams will not be participating in-person due to border restrictions but the designers will oversee the fruits of their labour, brought to life by local pyrotechnicians, via video call.
Tickets for this year's events are available online and there will not be a box office at the gates. Those with outstanding tickets from 2020 can exchange last year's tickets for 2021 at the GlobalFest offices (285 2323 32nd Ave. N.E.) or may defer their tickets to 2022 by contacting the office.
Children aged five or under will be admitted for free when accompanied by an adult.
The pyrotechnic musical displays are weather dependent and ticketholders are encouraged to check beforehand to ensure the night has not been rescheduled due to the conditions.
GlobalFest was cancelled in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, organizers have altered the layout of the festival grounds in an effort to increase physical distancing. The Southview area, situated in a section near the South Bowl that had been fenced off in previous years, will be open to attendees. The new vantage point will be the closest seating to the fireworks in GlobalFest history and increases the available space on the grounds by more than 40 per cent.
The Children's Village, cultural pavilions and night market will not return this year. Organizers say the exclusion was a difficult decision, but the venues had proven popular places for meeting and mingling amongst attendees.
This year's festival is scheduled to include 20 international food vendors, four stages offering dance and musical performances, and the entire park has been licensed to allow alcohol in all seating areas.
Mask use will be encouraged throughout Elliston Park but will only be mandatory in two designated areas including the designated accessible seating section.
For additional information on this year's festival visit GlobalFest.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Shameful': Monument honouring fallen soldiers included names of living veterans
Veterans are asking for answers after discovering that two sculptures in Ontario honouring fallen soldiers include the names of many people who are very much alive.
Canada's air force took video of object shot down over Yukon, updated image released
The Canadian military has released more details and an updated image of the unidentified object shot down over Canada's Yukon territory in February 2023.
Days after gunman killed UnitedHealthcare's CEO, police push to ID him and FBI offers reward
The gunman who killed the CEO of the largest U.S. health insurer likely left New York City on a bus soon after the brazen ambush that has shaken corporate America, police officials said. But he left something behind: a backpack that was discovered in Central Park.
Invasive species could be hiding in your Christmas decor. Here's how to stop the spread
Make sure to look through your holiday decorations, as Christmas trees, wreaths, and other natural decor can have invasive insects, eggs, and plants that pose a threat to local ecosystems and the economy.
'If it ain't broke don't fix it': U.S. ambassador warns Canada against cutting Mexico out of trilateral trade deal
Cutting Mexico out of the current North American free trade deal 'may not be the best path to take,' says U.S. Ambassador to Canada David Cohen.
LGBTQ2S+ refugees languish as Kenyan government blocks Canadians from resettling them
In a low-income neighbourhood on the outskirts of Nairobi, seven people gather in an air-conditioned home around a dinner table for a Ugandan stew of matoke bananas with peanut sauce.
Cookie inflation: How much more is your holiday baking costing you this year?
Estimate how much more your Christmas cookies will cost to bake this year compared to the past five years using Statistics Canada's monthly average retail price data.
South Korean President Yoon's impeachment vote fails after ruling party boycotts it
A South Korean legislative push to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol over his short-lived imposition of martial law fell through on Saturday after most lawmakers from his conservative governing party boycotted the vote.
At dueling Mideast forums, officials ask what will happen when Donald Trump takes office
At glittering ballrooms in the Mideast this weekend, discussions of the wars and chaos gripping the region gave way to one central question: What's going to happen when U.S. president-elect Donald Trump takes office next month?