One of Europe’s best firework competitions is about to kick off in the Czech Republic. Ignis Brunensis is an international firework competition that lasts for two weeks, producing some of the best fireworks shows you can find. Here’s information about the event and what to expect from Ignis Brunensis in 2018.
The History of the Competition
The Czech competition has been running since 1998 so 2018 is a big anniversary event. At the start, the competition was occasionally just a national competition or a non-competitive event. But from 2002, the event has opened its doors to international fireworks groups and the groups are competing against each other. Here’s a clip from last year’s winners, Pirotecnia Ricardo Caballer from Spain:
Ignis Brunensis has always taken place outside the city centre of Brno Dam. In fact, the competition’s name in Latin stands for Fire of Brno. The event attracts up to 200,000 visitors annually – the whole town gets behind this magnificent event.
The participating groups will have to create a fireworks show lasting around 20 minutes, combining music with the fireworks. On the final day of the event, the city centre will also get to enjoy a non-competing closing ceremony performance.
Ignis Brunensis 2018
Ignis Brunensis 2018 will kick off on Saturday 2nd of June with a prelude show by a Czech fireworks group. The competition is divided into three days that will take place as follows:
- Wednesday 6th June – SUREX from Poland
- Saturday 9th June – PYRO EVENTS from Romania
- Wednesday 13th June –POK 2.0 LUX FACTORY from France
There will also be an epilogue show on Saturday 16th June. Another Czech team, called the Ignis Brunensis Team, will be in charge of the finale. This performance will be entirely focused on celebrating the country’s history with the power of fireworks.
This year’s event is bound to be stunning because it coincides with the country’s celebration of the 100th anniversary of the republic. Therefore, all the firework displays will have to include a compulsory piece of Czech music into the show. The music is a piece by the famous Czech composer Antonin Dvorak.
The opening show and the three competitions will take place in Brno Dam, with the epilogue happening over Špilberk Castle. All the displays will start at 10.30pm but there will, of course, be plenty to do before and after the shows!
Get involved with the show
If you are looking for a place to visit and enjoy fireworks, Czech Republic is definitely worth it. The event this year will be massive and the city will have plenty of other things to do aside from watching the shows. The country’s not the most expensive either so you can have a lot of fun exploring the region. Visit the official Czech Tourism website to find out more.
If you won’t get a chance to see the fireworks live, you can always catch the displays afterwards on YouTube. Check out our online store for fireworks and create your own summer display in celebration of this wonderful European nation!