Between May and September, renowned pyrotechnicians from around the world captivate audiences with fireworks displays featuring spectacular pyrotechnic effects and perfectly synchronized music. Although there are still six months to go before the first show, advance ticket sales begin on November 17—just in time for St. Nicholas Day and Christmas!
In addition to the four-time winner of the International Fireworks Competition from Sweden, the HVG has selected top teams from Italy, Spain, Finland, and the Philippines to participate. All four teams are taking part in this world-renowned competition for the first time. Normally, the season begins with the previous year’s winner, but this is different in the anniversary year. “For the first four dates, we’re presenting unprecedented, top-tier teams—and to wrap things up, the crowd favorite from Sweden will take the stage. Visitors can look forward to an exciting anniversary year with fascinating fireworks,” promises Hans Christian Nolte, Managing Director of Hannover Veranstaltungs GmbH (HVG), which organizes the competition.
The Italian team PyroEmotions will kick off the 25th International Fireworks Competition on May 16. PyroEmotions is a young pyrotechnics company that has successfully established itself in the Italian fireworks scene—and has also achieved numerous successes on the international stage. For example, the Italian pyrotechnicians emerged victorious at the 2014 Pyronale in Berlin, designed the closing show of the annual International Fireworks Festival in Malta (April 30, 2014), and took first place at the Montreal Fireworks Festival “The International De Feux Loto-Quebec” (2013) and at the Knokke-Heist Festival in Belgium (2012).
The team specializes in innovative fireworks displays characterized by dynamic and colorful choreography of the highest artistic quality. PyroEmotions’ fireworks are distinguished by their high quality, unique pyrotechnic choreography, and carefully curated musical selections. With its artistic fireworks displays, the Italian team is in high demand worldwide.
On June 6, the International Fireworks Competition will welcome distinguished guests from Spain: Ricardo Caballer Estellés and Ricardo Caballer Cardo, the grandson and great-grandson of the founder of Ricardo Caballer SA (founded in 1881), have brought all the ingredients for a breathtaking fireworks display. The pyrotechnicians, headquartered in Valencia, are not only active in their home country as the largest fireworks distributor but are also in high demand internationally. Ricardo Caballer supplies fireworks to five continents, including numerous amusement parks, and is one of the largest fireworks exporters in Spain. The combination of tradition and new technologies has earned the pyrotechnicians an international reputation and numerous awards. The Spanish team also succeeds in moving audiences emotionally. Their fireworks are guided by the motto: “Feelings that words often cannot describe can be expressed through our fireworks.”
For example, the Spanish team provided artistic pyrotechnic displays for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympic Games in Sydney (2000) and the Pan American Games (2007 and 2011). The Spaniards are also extremely successful in competitions. For instance, they won the Czech TV Prize at Ignis Brunensis in Brno (2008) and took first place (2009) and second place (2012) at the Flammende Sterne competition in Ostfildern.
After the summer break, the International Fireworks Competition enters its next round with a first: On August 22, Suomen Ilotulitus Oy will become the first Finnish team to compete in the International Fireworks Competition. The pyrotechnicians, headquartered in Lohja with an additional office in Liuyang, China—the capital of the fireworks industry—are known in Finland as the largest fireworks importer and have also made a name for themselves internationally. With more than 60 years of experience, the company has already staged 10,000 fireworks displays. Every year, the Finnish pyrotechnicians produce around 200 shows. In August, designer Sami Tammi will showcase in the Royal Gardens of Herrenhausen what he has learned over 20 years and through more than 2,000 shows as a designer, project manager, and pyrotechnician around the world. Shows for the International Shanghai Music Fireworks Festival (2005), the World Rally Championship in Finland (2010), and participation in the Chelyabinsk International Fireworks Competition are just as much a part of the Finns’ repertoire as their victories at the Yekaterinburg Fireworks Festival in Russia and the Samobor International Fireworks Festival in Croatia (2012).
On September 5, things will take an exotic turn at the International Fireworks Competition: The Philippine team Dragon Fireworks will showcase its skills. Dragon Fireworks was the first government-certified pyrotechnics manufacturer in the Philippines and is now one of the largest fireworks manufacturers in Southeast Asia. Due to the Philippine fireworks law, which prohibits the import of fireworks, the pyrotechnicians have learned to manufacture a wide variety of fireworks themselves. With great skill, creativity, and technical expertise, Dragon Fireworks has done pioneering work—producing unique fireworks that are true rarities. The high-quality, custom-made materials also contribute to the success of the Philippine pyrotechnicians: For example, in 2004 the pyrotechnicians won the national Philippine fireworks competition and opened the 23rd Southeast Asian Games in 2005. The team has also received other prestigious national awards. Dragon Fireworks has been honored for its high quality and excellent pyrotechnic craftsmanship, which visitors to the 25th International Fireworks Competition will also be able to appreciate.
The 25th International Fireworks Competition concludes on September 19 with a show by Göteborgs FyrverkeriFabrik. The Swedish company was founded in 1994 by former competitors Martin Hildeberg and Anders Hållinder and has since become the largest fireworks display company in Scandinavia. Martin Hildeberg has been the sole owner of Göteborgs Fyrverkeri since 2013. Hildeberg, his team, and his style of fireworks displays are well-known and much loved in Hannover: the Swedish pyrotechnicians have already won the International Fireworks Competition four times (2002, 2003, 2004, 2010). Their other achievements include 2nd place at the Pyronale in Berlin (2012) and 1st place at the Knokke-Heist Festival in Belgium (2007). The Swedish pyrotechnicians are also extremely successful on the national stage. They consistently took first place at the Swedish Championships of Pyromusicals from 2002 to 2011. The successful pyrotechnicians are already hard at work preparing for the 25th International Fireworks Competition, where they once again aim to secure a spot among the finalists.
Tickets for the 25th International Fireworks Competition will be available starting November 17 at the Hannover Tourist Information Office, located at Ernst-August-Platz 8, and starting November 19 at all known ticket outlets for €17.50 (reduced price €14.50). Tickets can be booked online using the order form at www.hannover.de/feuerwerk. Ticket hotline: +49 (0)511 / 12345-123. Gift idea: The season pass for all five dates for 80 euros per person or the family ticket (valid for one event) for two adults and two children for 46.50 euros.
For anyone who wants to combine a visit to the 25th International Fireworks Competition with an overnight stay in Hannover—or who would like to give the gift of a taste of the fireworks competition—HMTG has put together the “Hannover Explosive” experience package. For more information, visit www.hannover.de/explosiv.
In 2014, a total of more than 51,000 visitors attended the fireworks competition in Herrenhausen over the course of five events.
An overview of the 2015 dates:
May 16 PyroEmotions, Italy
June 6 Ricardo Caballer SA, Spain
August 22 Suomen Ilotulitus Oy, Finland
September 5 Dragon Fireworks, Philippines
September 19 Göteborgs FyrverkeriFabrik, Sweden
For more information, visit: www.hannover.de/feuerwerk. Photos of the teams and their fireworks displays for editorial use are available at www.hannover.de/feuerwerk-presse. The fireworks participants will also be announced in the current Hannover supplement “Tips & Dates Winter 2014/2015,” which will be distributed on November 14 with daily newspapers in a circulation of 1.8 million within a 250-kilometer radius of Hannover.
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