Heavens Over Hanover, Germany
The sky over the landmark Herrenhausen Gardens in Germany will be transformed into a canvas for the world's most accomplished firework artists at the 22nd International Fireworks Competition. On five evenings between May and September, premier pyrotechnians and their teams that hail from Mexico, China, Portugal, England and Croatia will demonstrate their sensational firework skills as they bring splashes of shimmering light to the night. Audiences will get to treat not just their eyes but also their ears; the firework display is perfectly choreographed to a variety of inspiring music.
Teams will compete against each other with a compulsory piece of fireworks along with a “free” performance where each country can show off their strengths in the artistry of pyrotechnics. Additionally, between teams, the event features live music, variety-show acts and “walking acts” that mingle through the spectators. The show opened on May 12th with a bang, a firework show by last year’s winners, 'Pirotécnia Reyes' from Mexico. In the past year, the International Fireworks Competition has drawn more than 49,000 spectators to the charming Baroque gardens of the German town, Hanover. For more information on the schedule, ticketing and so forth, check out the official web site a http://www.hannover.de/firework.
What is Your Favorite Firework?
A long winter, rising gas prices, political mud-slinging or whatever gets you in a funk, fireworks can brighten your mood. If you’re ready for things to start looking up (and who isn’t), no better way than to buy some fireworks and watch bursts of fiery color light up the night sky! Fireworks are popular all over the world over and have been for centuries. Fireworks are used for all types of special occasions, ranging from festivals and holidays to coronations, births, weddings and more. One of the most common uses for fireworks is just the good old-fashioned ‘backyard blowout,’ where you decide what types of fireworks you want to display for family and friends. There are many categories of fireworks that are available on the consumer market --- which type of firework is your all-time favorite?
Sky Lanterns So Amazing
Have you ever seen a sky lantern? If not, you have to check out these beautiful pillows of ambient light that float gently towards the heavens. Originating in China, these neat firework items are actually quite bigger than they look in the photos – they resemble scaled down hot-air balloons. The fuel source for the fire which heats the lanterns up and makes them float is a piece of cardboard soaked in wax. As soon as you light the lantern, the parachute balloon fills with hot air to create the lift. Slowly, and according to the wind direction, the lantern will fly away into the great beyond, and this gentle flight lasts for about four minutes (depending on lantern) and stops when the fire burns out. Where the sky lanterns end up is often a mystery, they just drop from the sky once the fuel source extinguishes. For the ecologically aware, you’ll be glad to know that these lanterns are completely biodegradable once the fall back to earth.
There are some factors to be mindful of when using sky lanterns. First, don’t set them off on a moderate to high wind day. Not only will the lanterns be hard to light but the wind will deflate the balloon lantern. With a deflated lantern, it will be difficult to maintain the amount of heat needed for proper lift. Also, don’t tie anything, as tempting as it may be, to the lantern. While it might seem like a cool idea to tie on an army man or ‘message in a bottle,’ the added weight will diminish the performance of this firework item. Also, check to make sure it is legal to use this type of firework in your area, laws and ordinances regarding fireworks vary at the local level.
Sky lanterns are really becoming popular for many events ranging from weddings and graduations to even funerals. They can be used in the day or night and really make a unique statement in the sky. Get creative; you can use sky lanterns to be the UFOs in your viral videos or to create an otherworldly background for a concert. Check out the video from the Sky Lantern Festival and then order some today at AllSpark Fireworks!
Firework ‘Explosion Event’ Art
Cai Guo-qiang working on another piece of firework gun powder art,
The creative artist behind the fireworks display at the 2008 Beijing Olympics has recently put together another masterpiece that has ignited attention. Cai Guo-Qiang, best known for his “Firework Footprints” displayed at the last Summer Olympics, a show that left a “footprint” for each of the Olympics in history has now created a piece of pyrotechnic performance art that captured with gunpowder a popular tourist spot in the Central Zhejang province of China called West Lake.
This artist used gunpowder to create a scenic rendition of the landscape onto a 21,528 square foot silk cloth. The process of creating the gunpowder on paper “painting” of West Lake took over four days, however, once lit; the explosion of gunpowder just took seconds to ignite, ripping across the long silk paper to leave behind a pencil like drawing. Assistants carefully folded up massive paper so that it could be displayed for the public. Now through June 3rd, you can see the final product at the Zhejiang Art Museum in Hangzhou, China. Try our novelty products at AllSpark Fireworks and create your own (albeit much smaller) exploding firework art!
Malta International Firework Festival a Blast
Firework displays illumined the skies over Malta in an extended firework event that ended May 2, 2012. The Malta International Fireworks Festival, a popular event organized by a consortium of culture and tourism organizations from this area in the heart of the Mediterranean, added an extra day to the festivities to meet demand. In addition, this year’s 11th annual firework festival was also host to the 13th International Symposium on Fireworks. More than 300 pyrotechnic professionals from around the world, including Italy, Hong Kong and Guatemala diverged in Malta to learn new techniques, share secrets of the trade and show off their new firework products.
Firework factories that competed in the event hailed from the United Kingdom, Canada, Poland, Croatia, Austria and one home team from Malta. In addition to the cutting-edge firework display, the festival also featured cultural foods, sweets and delicacies along with traditional decorations. Sixteen companies shot off a display in Mellieħa’s that was very memorable and a ground display along St. Paul’s Bay was designed by 8 companies to display with fireworks the evolving history of fireworks over time, from the traditional Catherine wheels to the more intricate effects created today. On the final day, in Valletta, two Italian companies presented their firework shows in Grand Harbour, followed by a grand finale by Lourdes Fireworks of Qrendi, winners of the MIFF last year.
This year, the big winner of the event was St. Michael's Fireworks Factory of Lija. As a result of their 14-minute pyromusical, this company won both the coveted Public Opinion Award and also the Malta International Fireworks Festival 2012 first place title. Now, we know that not everyone can get away to an international firework festival, but you can have your own firework fun with great products from AllSpark Fireworks.
Lavish Fireworks Light Up North Korea
How much cash could you drop on fireworks if given carte blanche? A hundred, a thousand or maybe even more but you’d have to hide the receipt from your spouse! Well sit down for this, North Korea recently 19 billion won on massive fireworks in celebration for the Kim Il-Sung centenary. If you’re thinking 19 billion won isn’t as much as it sounds, sources say the expenses in U.S. dollars totaled just $16.7 million dollars. Just.
This year’s celebration cost more than three times as much as the 2010 ritual, yet was described as ‘less ostentatious’ as in year’s past. The pyrotechnic display lasted for one full hour and was set off on the shores of the Taedong River in Pyongyang with its new leader Kim Jong-un present. Included in the pyro booty was two hundred tons of firecrackers were imported from China. Choreographed aerial shells brightly lit the sky near in Juche Tower in Pyongyang while nationalistic songs played in the background.
The firework expenses are just the tip of the iceberg for all the centenary events which are predicted to reach $1.16 billion or more including hotel renovations, downtown improvements, gigantic statues of leaders and other items catering to pomp and circumstance. Critics say that North Korea should be spending less lavishly when there are other important issues at hand that affect the well-being of citizenry, one notable problem being a chronic food shortage in the country. We say keep some of the fireworks to boost morale, scrap the rest of the expenses and redirect the money to buy corn and other commodities that would help the people.
Cherry Blossom Festival Features Pyro Petals
We almost missed reporting about a great firework show that took place earlier in the month (Saturday, April 7th), the Washington Southwest Waterfront Fireworks Festival. As a countdown for the famous National Cherry Blossom Festival, this sparkling event featured a day full of cultural food and festivities including a really cool dragon boat show lit in pink sailing down the Potomac River. At night, the firework show illuminated the skies above the shoreline and drew in huge crowds of spectators who may have been hard pressed to say which ‘show’ was more beautiful – the magnificent cherry blossoms blooming all around the waterfront promenade or the pyrotechnic petals that burst overhead.
The Cherry Blossom Festival and firework show were both expanded this year to mark the 100th anniversary of Japan's gift of 3,000 cherry trees to the United States back in 1912. This year, the fireworks were presented for the even by Nagaoka, a city in Japan well known for their own amazing firework festival. If you are in the Washington, D.C. area next spring, you don’t want to miss this annual firework event. Insiders say the best viewing takes place on the Southwest Waterfront promenade or on the East Potomac Park. If you can’t make this East Coast rite of spring, then whip together your own spring firework display from the huge array of goodies at AllSpark Fireworks.
Da Nang International Fireworks Competition This Weekend
The Da Nang International Fireworks Competition is set to light up the night sky on April 29 and April 30, 2012 – the theme is ‘Colorful Da Nang.’ One of the teams ‘in it to win it’ is the Vietnamese home team. Team captain, Bui Chi Duc, reports that well over 5,000 individual fireworks have been picked for the 23-minute show at the annual competition, which runs from April 29 to 30.
The Vietnamese team is working on a computer simulation of the team's planned fireworks show, which will light up the sky above the Han River. This helps the pyrotechnic artists match the right firework to the show’s musical score – using light and color in a creative way is the end goal. The music planned for this year’s team show is a compilation of Vietnamese ballads written by some of the country’s most famous composers.
Duc says, "This year will be a tough competition for us because all four rivals are former champions of previous competitions, including Canada, France, China and Italy.” Last year the team ranked third among the four competitors, but of course hopes to take home the title in 2012.
The event is a popular one; the city hosts approximately 400,000 tourists during the two-day competition. Spectators will watch the colorful show from a 16,000-seat stage set up along the shore of the Han River. If you can’t get to Vietnam this weekend, your own pyrotechnic display with great gear from All Spark Fireworks.
Flora and Fauna Inspired Fireworks for Spring
Ahhh, spring is in the air, the birds are chirping from their verdant perches and the flowers are popping up from the ground in a palette of pretty colors. What does all this mean? Well, folks, it’s time to stop and smell the roses . . . literally and figuratively! After you enjoy all the flora and fauna brought to you by dear Mother Nature, it’s time to kick up the season with some pyrotechnic pleasures from AllSpark Fireworks. Here are some of our favorite picks that have ‘something’ to do with birds, flowers and such:
Opening Flower Happy Bird All of creation will rejoice at the sight of our Opening Flower Happy Bird firework. This nostalgic favorite is a real crowd pleaser, plus it’s an inexpensive fountain style firework which means you can afford to set off a whole bunch. Each of these pint-sized fountains packs quite a punch of pyrotechnic effects including gold, silver and lots of crackle.
Twitter Glitter XLG: The little birdies in the tree won’t be hanging around long to watch our Twitter Glitter XLG, a wild and whistling firework that can’t be missed. This 200 gram cake shoots a torrent of twinkling effects that include red stars, green stars and creates lots of noise that includes whistling – just like birds taking off in flight.
Wildflower: Blooming with beauty, our Wild Flower firework is anything but garden variety. Grow a naturally fun time with this fountain style firework. Filled with silver chrysanthemum and yellow, green, yellow, blue and silver chrysanthemums along with yellow and silver chrysanthemums, you’ll have a blast watching sparks fly up from the ground and blossom in the sky.
Ground Bloom Flower: Our Ground Bloom Flower definitely blooms where it is planted, bursting into a showy display of pleasing petals for every celebration. This time-honored ground spinner gets excitement growing and faces glowing as it dances about sparking in red, green and yellow changing colors. A beautiful bouquet of buds in so many colors that is sure to get rave reviews at your next gathering.
Minogue Makes Debut as Sydney’s Firework Creative
She’s always had that celebrity ‘sparkle’ factor and now pop star, Kylie Minogue, will be putting her shine on the famous firework display that takes place every New Year’s Eve in Sydney, Australia. While she is better known for her songs such as “Can’t Get You Out of My Head,” “Wow,” and “Illusion,” Minogue will step off the stage to be in charge of choosing the themes and colors for the show.
The top official for the city, Clover Moore, reports that 43-year-old music icon will spend the next nine months alongside the pyrotechnic creative teams for the show to add her own ‘special brand of sparkle’ to the event.
The annual pyrotechnic blowout is one of the most famous in the world with the harbor and famous opera house setting the backdrop for an amazing firework show. Because of Australia’s location on the globe, residents are some of the first to usher in the New Year with a bang – as millions of spectators around the world tune in with anticipation.
Last year, the Sydney show attracted 1.5 million people to the harbor to watch the fireworks in person, bringing in $156 million to the local economy. It will be interesting to see what Minogue’s ‘star touch’ brings to the skies, stay tuned! Meanwhile, if you’d like to make your own “Wow” firework show, check out the fabulous finds at AllSpark Fireworks.