The traditional fireworks display in the Old Port of Montreal to welcome the new year had been canceled…but several people did not seem to know.
Montréal en fêtes, responsible for organizing the festivities in the Old Port, has decided to cancel the 10th edition of the event, since the free activities were at risk.
Screenshot | TikTok
However, not everyone was aware of the information.
On the social network TikTok, Internet users did not hesitate to film people who were patiently waiting for the start of the fireworks.
“All these people are waiting for the fireworks in Montreal, but they don’t know it’s been canceled,” user @thequeermoose mentioned in her post.
At the Place des Festivals, in the city center, hundreds of people had gathered to celebrate the arrival of the New Year. In chorus, they made the traditional countdown to December 31.
In the comments under a TikTok post from @jacobvisuals, a few netizens said they were surprised to see the lack of fireworks there.
“We are really poor…”, underlined a user.
“Phew! Compared to several countries, we are doing hard, but at least people are together. Happy New Year, ”said a user.
Each year, more than 200,000 festival-goers celebrate the arrival of the New Year in Old Montreal.
In a press release, the chairman of the board of directors of Montréal en fêtes, Dimitri Soudas, explained the reasons behind the cancellation of the festivities.
“Galloping inflation, labor shortages and public underfunding make organizing the 10th edition impossible,” he said.