Lapu-Lapu Day festival planning followed rules, but ‘steps weren’t enough,’ mayor says

A preliminary report by the City of Vancouver and police into last month’s Lapu-Lapu Day festival attack says authorities are considering safety enhancements for outdoor events in light of the attack.

But the report says planning for the festival appears to have followed prescribed processes, and Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim says all the right steps were taken.

Sim, flanked by city councillors and officials from the Vancouver Police Department, Vancouver Fire Rescue Services, and the Vancouver Police Board, at a media availability Friday said the tragedy is the darkest day in Vancouver’s history.

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“Families and friends came together to celebrate culture and community, and instead, they were met with devastation,” Sim explained.

“In the wake of this tragedy, we knew we had to act, and that’s why I immediately called for a joint review by the City of Vancouver and the Vancouver Police Department, not just to understand what happened, but to ask the hard questions, to look at our systems and to make them stronger,” he continued.

The preliminary report released Friday is just a first step, Sim said. He explained that despite the findings that all processes were followed, “that doesn’t mean that those steps were enough.”

“And that’s what this moment demands, a rethinking of how we assess risk, how we respond to emerging threats, and how we ensure people, no matter where they are in this city, feel safe gathering in public spaces,” Sim said.

Heavy barriers were not in place at the festival where 11 people were killed when the driver of an SUV sped through a crowded street on April 26, and police have previously said only nine out of 3,200 events in the city involved such protection.

“One of the most urgent challenges we now face is how to protect people from the growing threat of vehicles being used to cause harm. It’s a very deeply unsettling reality, and it’s forcing cities around the world to rethink what safety looks like in our streets, at our events, and in the public spaces that we all share,” Sim explained.

He added that following the Lapu-Lapu Day tragedy, the city and police department “quickly reassessed” security for the Vancouver BMO Marathon, and two extra heavy vehicle barriers and 40 mobile vehicle barriers were set up for that event.

“Similar safety measures were implemented at the BC Buddhist festival, with more police officers on site and additional bollards installed to install to protect attendees. These were the first of several immediate changes since the incident,” Sim said.

The report explains that 16 new 320-kilogram mobile barriers to prevent vehicles from entering public events arrived in the city on Thursday, after being ordered in February.

Officials will be looking at how they are used before making proposals to buy more, but the city says it is unlikely they would have been used at the Lapu-Lapu festival on April 26.

“The City and the Vancouver Police Department have been working to develop new tools to enhance event assessment, to consider gathering, size, layout, location, road access and other emerging risk factors,” Sim explained.

“We’re also updating a centralized database to track and monitor risks across all upcoming events, improving coordination between city departments, the Vancouver Police Department, first responders, and event organizers, and to enhance on the ground safety.”

Sim shared that the city will also review and consider whatever recommendations come from the provincial inquiry into community event safety.

“Let me be very clear today, Vancouver is a city built on connection, a city of vibrant neighborhoods, rich cultures, and moments that bring us together, that spirit runs deep in who we are, and while this tragedy has shaken us to our core, we will not let fear define us. We will not let it divide us. We will stand together. We will keep moving forward together, united and unafraid,” Sim said.

“But we do owe it to everyone. We owe it to those who we’ve lost. We owe it to every single person who calls Vancouver home to take every step possible to prevent a tragedy like this from ever happening again. And while this is an incredibly painful moment, an incredibly painful point in time for all of us at the City of Vancouver, it’s also a moment of learning and for change, and that’s the work we have ahead of us, and that’s the work we’re committed to doing.”

The city and fire department will issue the final report no later than Aug. 27, 2025.

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