Montreal’s Old Port will not ring in the new year with midnight fireworks. Montréal en Fêtes, the organization that has hosted a free holiday festival near the city’s waterfront since 2013, announced the cancellation of the event and its New Year’s Eve party. The Old Port of Montreal Corporation confirmed that there will be no other New Year’s Eve fireworks to replace the cancelled festival, but the local skating rink will remain open until 1 a.m.
Rising production costs, difficulty finding labor, and financing challenges were cited as reasons for the cancellation of the festival by Montréal en Fêtes. The organization claimed that its New Year’s event was the largest in Canada, attracting up to 180,000 people to the Old Port festival grounds. The decision to permanently end the event came one year after the organization canceled its 2022 edition while it reviewed its financial feasibility.