Fireworks World Championships in Berlin
Top pyrotechnicians from six countries will soon be painting their fleeting pictures in Berlin's night sky at the tenth Pyronale.
Fountains of fire explode into the dark sky and rain back down to earth like sparkling spray. Glowing balls of glitter dissolve into stardust, followed by deafening thunderclaps. What happens above people's heads at a firework display generates true enthusiasm among many. And about 80,000 of them will be in Berlin's Olympic Stadium from 4 to 5 September 2015 when a total of 18 tonnes of explosives brighten the night sky at the tenth Pyronale.
Freestyle programmes on “My Country”
The fireworks festival has been held since 2006, with six international teams fighting it out every year for the world championship. Every day the audience chooses a winner. The vote is then added to the ratings given by a jury of experts. There are rules that apply to all participants to enable the jury and the audience to compare the work of the teams. First, they must set off a fireworks display without musical accompaniment and only using the colours green and purple for one full minute. In the second section, which lasts four minutes, they have to interpret a fixed medley of popular classical pieces – in 2015 the music will include Verdi's Gypsy Chorus and Rimski-Korsakov's Flight of The Bumblebee. Finally, the pyro-pros will present a “freestyle” programme on the subject of “My Country” to music they choose themselves. To ensure that the participants do not try to outdo each other through the sheer scale of their presentations, they are all restricted to a uniform budget and are only allowed to use a maximum of 1,200 fireworks each. 9,000 to 10,000 effects can be created in this way. The fiery images explode at an altitude of about 300 metres, while individual figures can spread out in three dimensions for up to 150 metres.
In 2015 the spectators will see the Pirotecnia Caballer group from Spain, which includes a 135-year-old pyrotechnician family. They will be followed by Pyrotex Fireworx from the UK. A German team, Potsdamer Feuerwerk, will also be competing again after an absence of several years. Privatex-Pyro from Slovakia, who are known for making their own material, will open the Saturday night, followed by Pyrostar Finland, whose show has been announced by the organizers as a “modern interpretation of fireworks”. The final team to take over Berlin's May Field will be Fireworks Martarello Ramos from Mexico, whose towers and pinwheels promise a flaming spectacle.
Pyronale on 4 and 5 September 2015 in Berlin
