| Honda Celebration of Light |
|---|
|
|
| Begins |
July 23, 2016 (2016-07-23) |
|---|
| Ends |
July 30, 2016 (2016-07-30) |
|---|
| Frequency |
Annually |
|---|
| Location(s) |
Vancouver |
|---|
| Inaugurated |
1990 (1990) |
|---|
| Sponsor |
Honda |
|---|
| Website |
|---|
|
Official website |
The Honda Celebration of Light (formerly known as Benson & Hedges Symphony of Fire) is an annual musical fireworks competition in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The first "Symphony of Fire" was held from July 25 to August 5 of 1990. The celebration is one of Vancouver's largest and most well known festivals, and is recognized as the longest running off-shore fireworks competitions in the world.[1] The multiple-day event has an estimated annual attendance of 1.4 million people.
2016 program
The 2016 Honda Celebration of Light took placefor July 23, July 27, and July 30. The event featured the Netherlands, Australia, and the United States in competition. Notably, 2016 was be the first time that the Netherlands has competed in the event.[2] The Walt Disney Company, the world's largest consumer of fireworks,[3] was the competitor for the United States, while Australia was represented by Howard & Sons, whose displays have included the opening and closing ceremonies for 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney[4] and opening and closing ceremonies for the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi and 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.[5] Team USA won the competition.[6] Vancouver Police had to shut down English Bay Beach for the Team USA show, due to capacity concerns.[7]
2015 program
The 2015 Honda Celebration of Light was scheduled for July 25, July 29, and August 1. For the 25th anniversary of the event, three returning competitors from China, Brazil, and Canada participated. The 2015 competition winner was Canada.
2014 program
The 2014 Honda Celebration of Light was scheduled for July 26, July 30, and August 2, featuring performances by the United States, France, and Japan respectively. The competitors were newcomers to Vancouver, though their respective countries have previously participated before.[12] The 2014 competition winner was Japan.[13]
2013 program
The 2013 Honda Celebration of Light was scheduled for July 27, July 31, and August 3, with performances by the United Kingdom, Canada, and Thailand respectively. 2013 was the first year that Thailand participated in the event as part of the organizers' ongoing efforts to introduce a new nation to the program each year. The 2013 competition winner was Canada.
2012 program
The 2012 Brazil show
The 2012 Honda Celebration of Light was saw teams from Vietnam and Brazil as newcomers, while the Italian team of Pirotecnica Soldi was more established.[16] Canada did not participate for the first time in six years as producers of the event had been looking for new countries to compete from each continent for the next three years.[17] The 2012 competition winner was Italy.
2011 program
The 2011 HSBC Celebration of Light presented a "Battle of Champions" by featuring three previous competition winners: China (represented by 2009 winner Red Eagle Industrial and Trade Co. Ltd), Spain (represented by 2010 winner Pirotecnia Igual), and Canada (represented by 2007 and 2008 winner Archangel Fireworks Inc). The winner for the 2011 competition was China.
| Saturday, July 30 |
| Country: |  China |
| Team: | Red Eagle Manufacturing Industrial and Trade Co. Ltd |
| Theme: | China Storm |
| |
|
| Wednesday, August 3 |
| Country: |  Spain |
| Team: | Pirotecnia Igual |
| Theme: | Odyssey |
| Website: | www.pirotecniaigual.com |
| |
|
| Saturday, August 6 |
| Country: |  Canada |
| Team: | Archangel Fireworks |
| Theme: | Then and Now |
| Website: | www.archangelfireworks.com |
| |
2010 program
Fireworks by China on July 31, 2010.
The 2010 HSBC Celebration of Light winner was Spain (Pirotecnia Igual).[18]
2009 program
The 2009 HSBC Celebration of Light winner was China (Red Eagle Industrial and Trade Co. Ltd.).[19]
| Wednesday, July 22 |
| Country: | Canada |
| Company: | Archangel Fireworks Inc. |
| Theme: | No Place Like Home |
| Website: | www.archangelfireworks.com |
| |
|
| Saturday, July 25 |
| Country: |  South Africa |
| Team: | Fireworks for Africa |
| Theme: | Tapestry of Colour |
| |
|
| Wednesday, July 29 |
| Country: |  United Kingdom |
| Team: | PYRO2000 |
| Theme: | Parasols Over the Pacific |
| |
|
| Saturday, August 1 |
| Country: | China |
| Team: | Red Eagle Industrial and Trade Co. Ltd. |
| Theme: | Through the Looking Glass |
| |
2008 program
The 2008 HSBC Celebration of Light winner was Canada, making back-to-back wins for Archangel Fireworks Inc.
| Wednesday, July 23 |
| Country: | Canada |
| Company: | Archangel Fireworks Inc. |
| Theme: | Attack |
| Designer: | Kelly Guille & Sean Procter |
| Website: | www.archangelfireworks.com |
| |
|
| Saturday, July 26 |
| Country: |  United States |
| Company: | Western Enterprises, Incorporated |
| Theme: | Love Will Change the World |
| Designer: | Gary P. Caimano |
| Website: | www.fireworksbywestern.com |
| |
|
| Wednesday, July 30 |
| Country: | China |
| Company: | Pyromagic Productions Ltd. |
| Theme: | Power of the Dream |
| Designer: | Wilson Mao |
| Website: | www.pyromagic.com.hk |
| |
|
| Saturday, August 2 |
|
| Grand Finale |
| |
2007 program
The 2007 HSBC Celebration of Light winner was Canada.
| Wednesday, July 25 |
| Country: | Spain |
| Company: | Ricardo Caballer Pirotechnica |
| Theme: | Fireworks and the 7th Earth |
| Designer: | Ricardo Caballer Cardo |
| Website: | www.ricardocaballer.com |
| |
|
| Saturday, July 28 |
| Country: | Canada |
| Company: | Archangel Fireworks Inc. |
| Theme: | Take Five to Jive |
| Designer: | Kelly Guille and Sean Procter |
| Website: | www.archangelfireworks.com |
| |
|
| Wednesday, August 1 |
| Country: | China |
| Company: | Jiangxi Province Lidu Fireworks Corporation Ltd. |
| Theme: | The Time Machine |
| Designer: | Xu Delong |
| Website: | www.lidufireworks.com |
| |
|
| Saturday, August 4 |
|
| Celebration Finale |
| Designer: | Yves Relave |
| |
2006 program
The 2006 winner was Mexico, who joined the competition for the first time.
| Wednesday, July 26 |
| Country: |  Italy |
| Company: | A.P.E. di Parente Romualdo |
| Theme: | Magia Di Fuochi |
| Designer: | Michele Parente |
| Website: | www.parenteape.it |
| The Italian team's presentation is a peculiar and charming pyrotechnic show with wide variety of effects ranging from the sky to the water, dancing volcanoes, golden rain and a fantastic closure. Attendance was estimated at 400,000. |
| |
| Saturday, July 29 |
| Country: | China |
 A portion of China's 2006 Show |
| Company: | Jiangxi Province Lidu Fireworks Corporation Ltd. |
| Theme: | Yellow River Odyssey |
| Designer: | Xu Delong |
| Website: | www.lidufireworks.com |
| The Chinese team's presentation features specific colours in each of the five sections: blue, silver and crackling, green, green falling leaves and gold. The music is performed by The Philarmonic Orchestra of China, accompanied by pianist Xiang-Dong Kong. |
|
| Wednesday, August 2 |
| Country: |  Czech Republic |
| Company: | Flash Barrandov Special Effects Ltd. |
| Theme: | Rhapsody in Blue |
| Designer: | Jaroslav Štolba |
| Website: | www.flash-sfx.cz |
| The Czech Republic show is an evening full of jazz music in four sections: Classical jazz, Conspiracy jazz, Latin jazz and Traditional jazz. |
|
| Saturday, August 5 |
| Country: |  Mexico |
| Company: | Lux Pirotecnia, S.A. de C.V. |
| Theme: | Siente México: Feel Mexico |
| Designer: | Jorge M. Márquez |
| Website: | www.luxpirotecnia.com |
| Past and future values come together in a program full of joy. A musical score that includes pre-Hispanic sounds, music in the history of carnival celebrations, traditional sounds mixed with innovative rhythms, and some of the best Mexican known values, friendship and fraternity are present in this show with the purpose to make you feel a little part of Mexico. |
|
| Celebration Finale |
| Designer: | Jaroslav Štolba |
| The Celebration Finale is specially designed to pay tribute to the HSBC Celebration of Light competition. The 6-minute Celebration Finale did not include components from participating countries. |
Previous years
Because of the change in sponsor, records are difficult to find before the year 2001.
Fireworks display by Italy in 2006
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999
1998
1997
1996
1995
References
External links
Netherlands
Australia
Brazil
France
Japan
Thailand
Vietnam
Sweden
Portugal