Picture this: you’ve just watched some incredible fireworks light up the London sky, you’re feeling all patriotic and happy, and then boom – you’re stuck in what can only be described as automotive purgatory for the next two hours. Welcome to Canada Day 2025 in London, Ontario, where the post-fireworks traffic situation became almost as entertaining as the actual show.

A Reddit user captured the absolute chaos that unfolded after the Harris Park fireworks display ended Tuesday night, sharing a photo that perfectly encapsulates what thousands of Londoners experienced. The image shows a sea of vehicles completely gridlocked on city streets, with cars stretching as far as the eye can see.

According to multiple Reddit users who lived through this vehicular nightmare, the traffic situation was so bad it took some people over two hours just to exit downtown parking lots. One user mentioned that at Grand Bend, police actually shut down entire roads and wouldn’t let anyone leave for about two hours – imagine being one of the first people to reach the exit only to sit there watching Netflix on your phone while hundreds of cars pile up behind you.

But here’s where things get really interesting – it wasn’t just the sheer volume of cars causing the mayhem. Reddit users pointed out some serious city planning issues that made the situation exponentially worse. Apparently, the city installed roadblocks on Ridout Street that reduced traffic flow to just one lane, and these barriers were only set up for incoming traffic, not outgoing. When the fireworks ended at 11 PM, nobody was apparently around to remove these barriers, leaving everyone to navigate around them like some kind of urban obstacle course.

The Queen Street Bridge situation was even more frustrating. The bridge was closed to vehicle traffic without proper notice more than an hour before the fireworks even ended, which meant anyone coming from the London Majors game had to take a scenic detour all the way around to Blackfriars Bridge just to get downtown. Talk about poor timing.

Several Reddit users witnessed police cruisers and other vehicles having to awkwardly maneuver around the abandoned roadblocks until one hero finally took matters into their own hands and removed a barrier himself. Because apparently that’s what it takes to get traffic moving in this city.

The poorly placed blockades created even more chaos when confused drivers started going the wrong direction on Queen Street, creating potential safety hazards for both vehicles and the thousands of pedestrians trying to leave the event area.

Transit wasn’t exactly a perfect solution either. Multiple people reported that buses were completely packed, with many stopping service at 11 PM – right when everyone needed to get home. Some folks got left behind entirely when the last buses of the night filled up before they could board.

One Reddit user perfectly summed up the whole situation by saying the “terrible city planning and driving are almost as entertaining as the show.” They weren’t wrong – watching the post-fireworks traffic unfold became its own form of entertainment for many.

Despite all the chaos, some smart cookies managed to avoid the worst of it. Several Reddit users mentioned they took buses downtown and back, walked, or rode bikes to the event. A few people parked several blocks away and walked to Harris Park, which turned out to be genius-level planning.

The Canada Day celebrations at Harris Park featured live music starting at 7 PM, with performances by Bella Rosa, Amanda Movio, and headliner King Cruff, plus food trucks from local favourites like Ciao Modern Italian Cuisine and Donut Diva. The fireworks display began at 10 PM, drawing thousands of spectators to the downtown core.

Road closures were in effect throughout the downtown area to accommodate the festivities, including Dundas Street between Ridout and Richmond Streets, Talbot Street between King and Carling Streets, and various streets around Harris Park. Queens Bridge and Kensington Bridge were closed to vehicle traffic starting at 8 PM.

The City of London had designated several municipal parking lots near Harris Park for the event, including lots 12, 21, 6, and 20, with on-street parking meters free of charge for the holiday