Welcome, Portugal: Team Macedos Pirotecnia Visits the Herrenhausen Gardens

Of course, no celebration of this seafaring nation would be complete without ships—and here in the Great Garden, they can even dance. At the Garden Theater, the Trio Fado transports the audience to the old alleys and beautiful miradores of Lisbon with songs full of longing and melancholy. On the rehearsal stage, Marcia Bittencourt presents choro—a genre that emerged in Brazil from Portuguese and African elements—with expressive vocals and pandeiro percussion. With his beloved ship Jolante, Pirate Mathjes heads straight for the children’s playground with sailor’s yarns and songs. 
As darkness falls, the grand fireworks display begins at 9:30 p.m.—at the fourth installment of the renowned competition, the Macedos Pirotecnia team will light up the sky. Diogo Vasconcelos, chief designer and the person primarily responsible for the show in the Royal Gardens of Herrenhausen, is especially looking forward to this moment: “Fireworks are in your blood—once they flow through your veins, they’ll never leave you. Our entire team, consisting of engineers, designers, and specially qualified technicians, has spent the last few months analyzing the distinctive features, perfectly symmetrical elements, and unique characteristics of the Great Garden. With our unique musical rhythm, combined with traditional Portuguese fireworks elements, we aim to leave the audience in Hanover with a lasting impression.” The name of Macedos Pirotecnia’s show, “Portuguese Odyssey,” promises quite an adventure! It is a show that reenacts the unique odyssey of Portuguese seafarers as they crossed oceans to discover an unknown world. Portugal played a leading role in this, creating new maritime routes and facilitating the movement of people, animals, and plants around the world. With their show, the Portuguese aim to let the audience experience this incredible meeting of cultures, as well as the ambitions, ideas, efforts, and innovations that made it possible.

The team: Macedos Pirotecnia from Portugal
Macedos Pirotecnia was founded in 1934 by Joaquim Macedo da Silva and has been run as a family business ever since. The Macedo family’s business strategy is divided into two areas: first, the research, development, and production of fireworks; and second, the design and execution of fireworks displays. The key to their success lies in the decades of expertise the team has gained through events around the world. They demonstrate their quality through numerous victories and awards at national and international competitions—from Europe to Africa, from the Americas to Asia. Macedos Pirotecnia also holds a Guinness World Record: in 2006, the Portuguese team set off 66,326 rockets within eight minutes.

Finals of the International Fireworks Competition:
September 15, 9:00 p.m. - New Zealand, Firework Professionals (sold out)