Bright Nights organizers forced to find new location for fundraiser

With the Stanley Park Train out of commission for the foreseeable future, the B.C. Professional Fire Fighters’ Burn Fund’s annual Bright Nights event is forced to move.

The Vancouver Park Board announced this week that Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest Experience would be taking the fundraiser’s place, sparking outrage on social media.

Many Vancouverites are sharing their disappointment and anger online after the charity’s event was replaced with an attraction costing $49.50 per entry.

“This is awful,” said one Reddit user.

“The Bright Nights display was free to walk through (with donation stations), so people who couldn’t afford it, or got tickets for the train, could still enjoy it. Charging $49 a ticket for a for-profit Harry Potter display is disgraceful.”

Jeff Sauvé, the executive director of the B.C. Professional Fire Fighters’ Burn Fund, says this is the first time in 27 years that Bright Nights won’t be held in Stanley Park. However, Sauvé maintains their portion of Bright Nights will still be happening this year.

“The Bright Nights and that amazing light display that the professional firefighters set up, that component of the event will happen,” said Sauvé. “Again, it won’t be in Stanley Park, it won’t be associated with the [Vancouver] Park Board, but we weren’t going to sit idly by when we knew this was going to be the case, so we pivoted to Plan B.”

With the fall season fast approaching, Sauvé is remaining tight-lipped on the event’s new location.

“In a couple of weeks, we are going to announce the new location for our portion of Bright Nights,” he said. “But undeniably, the event that we’ve all come to love in Stanley Park isn’t going to happen this year.”

Sauvé says many people in the community have reached out to offer their support, including individual donors and for-profit enterprises. The funds raised from Bright Nights play an important role for the charity, supporting initiatives like their Home Away Program.

The Stanley Park Train was shut down last December after a worker was sent to hospital for breathing in toxic fumes from an engine during the Bright Nights event.

In July, the Park Board said a preliminary analysis had found that a full renewal of the train and the ancillary buildings and amenities could require substantial capital investment. Staff said they would be exploring a range of potential new and creative operating and business models for the railway site.

Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest Experience opens on November 7, 2025, and will feature an illuminated trail with magical creatures from the Wizarding World franchise, including Hippogriffs and Nifflers.

Tickets will go on sale starting next Wednesday.