Norway Wins the 2018 International Fireworks Competition

Congratulations to Norway: The winners of the 2018 International Fireworks Competition are from Norway. The North Star Fireworks team shot straight to first place with their fireworks display during the second round of the competition on June 9. Second place went to the Firework Professionals team from New Zealand, while the Italians took third place.

The 10-member panel of experts named the show put on by the young Norwegian team the best fireworks display in this year's competition. North Star Fireworks not only wowed the 11,000 spectators at the Herrenhausen Gardens, but also prevailed over teams from Italy, Romania, Portugal, and New Zealand.

© Sebastian Gerhard

Hans Christian Nolte, managing director of Hannover Veranstaltungs GmbH, congratulated the winning team and expressed his delight at how this year’s competition went: “During this sensational summer, the evenings at the Herrenhausen Gardens were especially fun. In the time leading up to the fireworks, visitors enjoyed hearty picnics and celebrated in high spirits to the music of local bands and musicians. We will continue to work in the coming years to establish the International Fireworks Competition as a cultural flagship for the Herrenhausen Gardens, Hanover, and Lower Saxony.”

All five dates of the 2018 International Fireworks Competition were sold out well in advance—meaning that a total of over 55,000 visitors were captivated by the unique and creative shows put on by the participating teams. Before nightfall, a diverse program took place in the Great Garden, on the rehearsal stage, and in the Garden Theater, each themed after the participating country. Brazzo Brazzone, the world’s only Italo-World-Groove brass band, kicked off the festival on May 26. They were followed by Scandinavian folk music from Huldrelokkk, the Romanian brass band Fanfare Ciocarlia, songs full of longing and melancholy by the Trio Fado, and the Wellington-based singer-songwriter Teresa Bergmann. To round out the festivities, there were many other artists, street performers, comedians, and dance groups to entertain visitors of all ages.

© HMTG

Randell Greenlee, spokesperson for the expert jury, summed up the 28th International Fireworks Competition: “All five participants demonstrated pyrotechnic creativity at the highest level. The teams made use of the full breadth of the Herrenhausen Gardens but often differed in the layering of the effects in depth. This created a wide variety of images in the sky throughout the summer. Once again this year, the creative use of ground fireworks—as specified in the rules—and the high-quality materials were particularly pleasing. The compulsory piece by Arturo Márquez provided the teams with suitable music for their artistic interpretation. The free routines were designed in extremely diverse ways—which made the competition particularly attractive. Once again this year, it was no easy task for the jury to determine the participants’ rankings.”

The choice of music for the individual freestyle routines also varied greatly depending on the participating country: Scarpato Pirotecnica kicked off this year’s competition with their show “Italy Sings,” taking the audience on a journey through the world of Italian music. The Norwegian team from North Star Fireworks told their story of “stories that might just happen at night in the Herrenhäuser Gardens” with excerpts from “The Pink Panther,” “Winterbird,” and “Earthquake.” The Pyro Events Team sent a piece of the Romanian soul soaring into the sky over Hanover with mostly traditional music. On September 1, Macedos Pirotecnia’s show “Portuguese Odyssey” evoked the great adventures of Portuguese seafaring. To conclude the event, the team from New Zealand presented excerpts from “Fly Me to the Moon,” “Sunrise” by Richard Strauss, and “Jungle.”

© HVG

The winning team: North Star Fireworks from Norway
North Star Fireworks is the newcomer on the fireworks scene: The company was founded in 2015 by Andreas Helle (manager and lead designer), Kenneth Hurlen, Lars Nøkleby, and Kim Erik de Sousa. The four current owners were previously involved in some of Norway’s largest professional shows, such as concerts by Jean Michel Jarre, the Tall Ships Races, New Year’s Eve, and many others. The company focuses on the interplay of high-quality shows, design, and video simulation for national and international clients. Storytelling is another key aspect of their design. The goal: to bring the magic of their shows to life for the audience. Consequently, the Norwegian company’s style is highly emotional and features a high degree of synchronization. North Star Fireworks presented its first show outside of Norway at the 2017 Pyronale in Berlin—with tremendous success! Not only did the audience award the show the “Show of the Day” prize, but the jury also named it the first-place winner.

For additional press materials, please visit: www.hannover.de/feuerwerk-presse