Vancouver’s Celebration of Light – officially titled the Honda Celebration of Light for the primary sponsor – is an annual pyromusical competition. From 1990 until 2000 the event was called the Benson & Hedges Symphony of Fire, however when the Canadian government brought in tobacco advertising regulations in 2000 the decision was taken to change sponsors to allay fears of being unable to raise enough money to make the event viable.
Entrants to the fireworks competition have to put together a 25-minute pyromusical display, with the music being broadcast over LG103.4FM. Each entrant is then judged at the end of the Celebration of Light and a winner awarded.
The criteria and scoring used by the judges is available from the Honda Celebration of Light website.
2016’s Vancouver Celebration of Light
This year’s event kicks off on Saturday 23rd July and runs across three evenings, with the additional fireworks displays taking place on Wednesday 27th and Saturday 30th of July.
As well as the breathtaking fireworks displays, the Celebration of Light also includes music and theatrical performances, as well as plenty of street celebrations and the ability to try some amazing foods. The festivities all take place around Vancouver’s English Bay, while the fireworks themselves are fired from barges situated in the bay. This makes the whole Celebration of Light an incredible sensory experience, and one that commonly attracts close to 1.5million visitors, from around the city as well as from across Canada and internationally.
Who will be providing the incredible pyromusical displays for the 2016 Celebration of Light?
Royal Fireworks
Royal Fireworks, from the Netherlands, are opening the Celebration of Light with the first display on Saturday 23rd July. This year’s event is the first time in its 26-year history that there has been an entry from the Netherlands.
Royal Fireworks are a popular international company, having put on large displays in China, the Philippines, and Dubai.
Royal Fireworks’ display from last year’s Philippines International Pyromusical Competition can be viewed below.
Howard & Sons Pyrotechnics
Howard & Sons Pyrotechnics are representing Australia at the 2016 Celebration of Light. One of the world’s best known pyrotechnic companies, Howard & Sons provided the displays for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Sydney Olympics in 2000, Melbourne’s Commonwealth Games in 2006, and Delhi’s Commonwealth Games in 2010.
Their winning entry from the 2015 Da Nang Fireworks Competition can be viewed below.
For those interested, Howard & Sons also created an interesting documentary video a few years back of how they put together pyromusical displays, which we have also included below.
Walt Disney Company
There’s not really any introduction for these guys. The Walt Disney Company are representing the United States at this year’s Celebration of Light, closing proceedings on Saturday 30th July. The United States’ largest consumer of fireworks, the Walt Disney Company produces 11,000 fireworks displays per year across seven parks and four cruise ships.
We can’t wait to see what they produce at the Celebration of Light 2016!