Hello Europe

Germany kicks off the 2023 International Fireworks Competition!

“Hello Europe – Welcome to Hannover”: Under this motto, this year’s International Fireworks Competition invites you to the Royal Gardens of Herrenhausen.

To kick things off, the team from Beisel Pyrotechnik welcomes fireworks fans to the sold-out Großer Garten. Eager gardeners, quirky characters, and enchanting flowers give guests a warm welcome at the entrance. On the children’s lawn, Monsieur Momo captivates the crowd with comedy and amazing tricks, while the magnificent voice of Me and Ms. Jacobs fills the Garden Theater.

At 10:15 p.m., as the German national anthem begins, the team from Beisel Pyrotechnik will take over the celestial stage above the Royal Gardens of Herrenhausen.
“With our show, ‘The Spirit of Europe,’ we want to both reflect this year’s competition theme and highlight the unique setting of the Great Garden,” promises Rene Calmez, the show’s choreographer. He continues enthusiastically: “Four years ago, we helped our Sicilian friends from Vaccalluzzo set up here. That’s when the desire arose to participate in the International Fireworks Competition for Germany with our own show—and this year, the time has come!”

The Team: Beisel Pyrotechnics

In 1954, the company was taken over by Walter Fischer, then an employee and father of the current managing director, Thomas Fischer. Under the motto “Tradition Meets Innovation,” the company has been designing unique fireworks displays of outstanding quality for many years. Notable highlights on the event calendar include the annual Heidelberg Castle Illumination, the Mainz Summer Lights, and “Rhein in Flammen.”

Her Show: The Spirit of Europe

Peace, tradition, and modernity; individuality and collective action; openness and tolerance; friendship: these attributes—and many more—unite the countries of Europe and are reflected in their “spirit.” Together with the spirit of Europe, the German team Beisel Pyrotechnik will take a journey through several countries on the world’s second-smallest continent to portray these characteristics and the European “sense of togetherness” through music and fireworks in an emotional show.

An overview of the evening's music:

The fireworks display consists of a compulsory piece—this year, an excerpt from Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy,” the European anthem—and a free program lasting about 20 minutes:

Dona nobis Pacem - Cantus
Over the Rainbow/Wonderful World - Robin Schulz, Alle Farben
Brucia la terra - Andrea Bocelli
The Blue Danube (Danube Waltz) - André Rieu
Rise like a Phoenix - Conchita Wurst
Sous le ciel de Paris - Vintage Blends
Spectacular, Spectacular - Moulin Rouge
Soundtrack Burn - Ellie Goulding
Ode to Joy - Masterpieces Vol. 1
Radio21, in collaboration with the Neue Presse, will present a livestream for all five events: