Celebration of Light
Encyclopedia
The Celebration of Light (formerly known as Benson & Hedges
Symphony of Fire
) is an annual musical fireworks
competition in Vancouver
, British Columbia
, Canada
. The first "Symphony of Fire" was held from July 25 to August 5 of 1990. The celebration is one of Vancouver's largest and most well known festivals. The multiple-day event has an estimated annual attendance of 1.4 million people. The 2011 event is scheduled for July 30, August 3, and August 6, with performances by China, Spain, and Canada respectively.
Benson & Hedges
Benson & Hedges is a British brand of cigarettes owned by the Gallaher Group, which became a subsidiary of Japan Tobacco in 2007. They are registered in Old Bond Street in London, and are manufactured in Lisnafillen, Ballymena, Northern Ireland for the UK and Irish markets.-History:Benson & Hedges...
Symphony of Fire
Symphony of Fire
The Symphony of Fire is an annual multi-day fireworks exhibition and friendly international competition held around the world, most notably in Vancouver, British Columbia, and Toronto, Ontario, Canada...
) is an annual musical fireworks
Fireworks
Fireworks are a class of explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. The most common use of a firework is as part of a fireworks display. A fireworks event is a display of the effects produced by firework devices...
competition in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The first "Symphony of Fire" was held from July 25 to August 5 of 1990. The celebration is one of Vancouver's largest and most well known festivals. The multiple-day event has an estimated annual attendance of 1.4 million people. The 2011 event is scheduled for July 30, August 3, and August 6, with performances by China, Spain, and Canada respectively.
2011 Program
The 2011 Celebration of Light presented a "Battle of Champions" by featuring three previous competition winners: China (represented by 2009 winner Red Eagle Industrial and Trade Co. Ltd), Spain (represented by 2010 winner Pirotecnia Igual), and Canada (represented by 2007 and 2008 winner Archangel Fireworks Inc). The winner for the 2011 competition was China.| Saturday, July 30 | |
| Country: |  Mainland China |
| Team: | Red Eagle Manufacturing Industrial and Trade Co. Ltd |
| Theme: | China Storm |
| Wednesday, August 3 | |
| Country: |  Spain |
| Team: | Pirotecnia Igual |
| Theme: | Odyssey |
| Website: | www.pirotecniaigual.com |
| Saturday, August 6 | |
| Country: |  Canada |
| Team: | Archangel Fireworks |
| Theme: | Then and Now |
| Website: | www.archangelfireworks.com |
2010 Program
The 2010 HSBC Celebration of Light winner was Spain (Pirotecnia Igual).| Wednesday, July 21 | |
| Country: |  United States |
| Company: | Rozzi Inc. |
| Theme: | In the Mood |
| Saturday, July 24 | |
| Country: | Spain |
| Team: | Pirotecnia Igual |
| Theme: | Heaven and Hell |
| Website: | www.pirotecniaigual.com |
| Wednesday, July 28 | |
| Country: |  Mexico |
| Team: | Lux Pirotecnia |
| Theme: | Journey |
| Website: | www.luxpirotecnia.com |
| Saturday, July 31 | |
| Country: | Canada, Mainland China |
| Team: | Groupe Fiatlux-Ampleman |
| Theme: | Tribute to China/The Butterfly Lovers |
2009 Program
The 2009 HSBC Celebration of Light winner was China (Red Eagle Industrial and Trade Co. Ltd.).| Wednesday, July 22 | |
| Country: | Canada |
| Company: | Archangel Fireworks Inc. |
| Theme: | No Place Like Home |
| Website: | www.archangelfireworks.com |
| Saturday, July 25 | |
| Country: |  South Africa |
| Team: | Fireworks for Africa |
| Theme: | Tapestry of Colour |
| Wednesday, July 29 | |
| Country: | |
| Team: | PYRO2000 |
| Theme: | Parasols Over the Pacific |
| Saturday, August 1 | |
| Country: | Mainland China |
| Team: | Red Eagle Industrial and Trade Co. Ltd. |
| Theme: | Through the Looking Glass |
2008 Program
The 2008 HSBC Celebration of Light winner was Canada, making back-to-back wins for Archangel Fireworks Inc.| Wednesday, July 23 | |
| Country: | Canada |
| Company: | Archangel Fireworks Inc. |
| Theme: | Attack |
| Designer: | Kelly Guille & Sean Procter |
| Website: | www.archangelfireworks.com |
| Saturday, July 26 | |
| Country: | United States |
| Company: | Western Enterprises, Incorporated |
| Theme: | Love Will Change the World |
| Designer: | Gary P. Caimano |
| Website: | www.fireworksbywestern.com |
| Wednesday, July 30 | |
| Country: | Mainland China |
| Company: | Pyromagic Productions Ltd. |
| Theme: | Power of the Dream |
| Designer: | Wilson Mao |
| Website: | www.pyromagic.com.hk |
| Saturday, August 2 | |
| Grand Finale | |
| Designer: | TBA |
2007 Program
The 2007 HSBC Celebration of Light winner was Canada.| Wednesday, July 25 | |
| Country: | Spain |
| Company: | Ricardo Caballer Pirotechnica |
| Theme: | Fireworks and the 7th Earth |
| Designer: | Ricardo Caballer Cardo |
| Website: | www.ricardocaballer.com |
| Saturday, July 28 | |
| Country: | Canada |
| Company: | Archangel Fireworks Inc. |
| Theme: | Take Five to Jive |
| Designer: | Kelly Guille and Sean Procter |
| Website: | www.archangelfireworks.com |
| Wednesday, August 1 | |
| Country: | Mainland China |
| Company: | Jiangxi Province Lidu Fireworks Corporation Ltd. |
| Theme: | The Time Machine |
| Designer: | Xu Delong |
| Website: | www.lidufireworks.com |
| Saturday, August 4 | |
| Celebration Finale | |
| Designer: | Yves Relave |
2006 Program
The 2006 winner is Mexico, who joins this competition for the first time.| Wednesday, July 26 | ||
| Country: |  Italy |
|
| Company: | A.P.E. di Parente Romualdo | |
| Theme: | Magia Di Fuochi | |
| Designer: | Michele Parente | |
| Website: | www.parenteape.it | |
| The Italian team's presentation is a peculiar and charming pyrotechnic show with wide variety of effects ranging from the sky to the water, dancing volcanoes, golden rain and a fantastic closure. Attendance was estimated at 400,000. | ||
| Saturday, July 29 | ||
| Country: | Mainland China |
 |
| Company: | Jiangxi Province Lidu Fireworks Corporation Ltd. | |
| Theme: | Yellow River Odyssey | |
| Designer: | Xu Delong | |
| Website: | www.lidufireworks.com | |
| The Chinese team's presentation features specific colours in each of the five sections: blue, silver and crackling, green, green falling leaves and gold. The music is performed by The Philarmonic Orchestra of China, accompanied by pianist Xiang-Dong Kong. | ||
| Wednesday, August 2 | ||
| Country: |  Czech Republic |
|
| Company: | Flash Barrandov Special Effects Ltd. | |
| Theme: | Rhapsody in Blue | |
| Designer: | Jaroslav Štolba | |
| Website: | www.flash-sfx.cz | |
| The Czech Republic show is an evening full of jazz music in four sections: Classical jazz, Conspiracy jazz, Latin jazz and Traditional jazz. | ||
| Saturday, August 5 | ||
| Country: | Mexico |
|
| Company: | Lux Pirotecnia, S.A. de C.V. | |
| Theme: | Siente México: Feel Mexico | |
| Designer: | Jorge M. Márquez | |
| Website: | www.luxpirotecnia.com | |
| Past and future values come together in a program full of joy. A musical score that includes pre-Hispanic sounds, music in the history of carnival celebrations, traditional sounds mixed with innovative rhythms, and some of the best Mexican known values, friendship and fraternity are present in this show with the purpose to make you feel a little part of Mexico. | ||
| Celebration Finale | ||
| Designer: | Jaroslav Štolba | |
| The Celebration Finale is specially designed to pay tribute to the HSBC Celebration of Light competition. The 6-minute Celebration Finale did not include components from participating countries. | ||
Previous Years
Because of the change in sponsor, records are difficult to find before the year 2001.2006
| Winner: Mexico |
|
| Company: | Lux Pirotecnia, S.A. de C.V. |
| Show Theme: | Siente México: Feel Mexico |
| Mainland China |
|
| Company: | Jiangxi Province Lidu Fireworks Corporation Ltd. |
| Show Theme: | Yellow River Odyssey |
| Italy |
|
| Company: | A.P.E. di Parente Romualdo |
| Show Theme: | Magia Di Fuochi |
| Czech Republic |
|
| Company: | Flash Barrandov Special Effects Ltd. |
| Show Theme: | Rhapsody in Blue |
2005
Winner:  Sweden |
|
| Company: | Unique Pyrotechnic AB |
| Show Theme: | Kisses of fire |
| Canada |
|
| Company: | Concept Fiatlux Inc. |
| Show Theme: | Jazz in the sky |
| Mainland China |
|
| Company: | Beijing ZhongFa A.F. Consulting Co. Ltd. |
| Show Theme: | Voix de feu, feu de voix |
2004
| Winner: Sweden |
|
| Company: | Fyrverkeri Expertena AB |
| Show Theme: | Aurora Borealis over Canada |
| Mainland China |
|
| Company: | Beijing ZhongFa A.F. Consulting Co. Ltd. |
| Show Theme: | On ne dort pas ce soir |
| Spain |
|
| Company: | Vicente Caballer e Hijos S.L. |
| Show Theme: | Plus Ultra |
2003
| Winner: Mainland China |
|
| Company: | Beijing ZhongFa A.F. Consulting Co. Ltd. |
| Show Theme: | From January to December |
| Canada |
|
| Company: | Concept Fiatlux Inc. |
| Show Theme: | Pyrotechnic Symphony of Voices |
| Czech Republic |
|
| Company: | Flash Barrandov Special Effects Ltg |
| Show Theme: | Woman on Fire |
2002
| Winner: Canada |
|
| Company: | Concept Fiatlux Inc. |
| Show Theme: | The Desert Rose |
| Italy |
|
| Company: | Nanna Fireworks |
| Show Theme: | Fire into the Music |
| Spain |
|
| Company: | Fuegos Artificiales Antonio Caballer S.A. |
| Show Theme: | The Party of the Sense |
2001
| Winner: Spain |
|
| Company: | Fuegos Artificiales Antonio Caballer S.A. |
| Show Theme: | Soul to Fire |
| South Africa |
|
| Company: | Pyro Spectacular |
| Show Theme: | Cosmos |
| Mainland China |
|
| Company: | Beijing ZhongFa A.F. Consulting Co. Ltd. |
| Show Theme: | Odyssee |
2000
| Winner: Spain |
|
| Company: | |
| Show Theme: | |
 Australia |
|
| Company: | |
| Show Theme: | |
| Italy |
|
| Company: | |
| Show Theme: | |
1999
| Spain |
|
| Company: | Fuegos Artificiales Antonio Caballer S.A. |
| Show Theme: | |
| Canada |
|
| Company: | Sirius Pyrotechnics |
| Show Theme: | |
| Mainland China |
|
| Company: | Beijing ZhongFa A.F. Consulting Co. Ltd. |
| Show Theme: | |
1998
| Winner: Spain |
|
| Company: | Fuegos Artificiales Antonio Caballer S.A. |
| Show Theme: | The Mythical Land |
 United Kingdom |
|
| Company: | Pyro 2000 |
| Show Theme: | Fire and Fantasy |
| Italy |
|
| Company: | Nanna Fireworks |
| Show Theme: | Voices in the Sky |
1997
| Winner: United Kingdom |
|
| Company: | Pyro 2000 |
| Show Theme: | |
| Canada |
|
| Company: | Sirius Pyrotechnics |
| Show Theme: | |
| Mainland China |
|
| Company: | Beijing ZhongFa A.F. Consulting Co. Ltd. |
| Show Theme: | |
1996
| Winner: Spain |
|
| Company: | Ricardo Caballer |
| Show Theme: | |
| Mainland China |
|
| Company: | Beijing ZhongFa A.F. Consulting Co. Ltd. |
| Show Theme: | |
| Company: | |
| Show Theme: | |
1995
Winner:  Portugal |
|
| Company: | Pirotecnia Minhota |
| Show Theme: | |
| Mainland China |
|
| Company: | Beijing ZhongFa A.F. Consulting Co. Ltd. |
| Show Theme: | |
| Canada |
|
| Company: | |
| Show Theme: | |
External links
- Official Celebration of Light website
- Full video clip of the Italian July 26, 2006 firework display
- Full video clip of the Chinese July 29, 2006 firework display
- Full video clip of the Czech Republic August 2, 2006 firework display
- Full video clip of the Mexican August5, 2006 firework display
- Full video clip of Spain July 25, 2007 fireworks display
- Full video clip of Canada July 23, 2008 fireworks display
- Full video clip of USA July 26, 2008 fireworks display
- Full video clip of China July 30, 2008 fireworks display
- Full video clip of the Finale August 2 2008 fireworks display
- Full video clip of Canada July 23, 2009 fireworks display
- Full video clip of the United States July 21, 2010 fireworks display
- Full video clip of Spain July 24, 2010 fireworks display
- Full video clip of Mexico July 28, 2010 fireworks display
- Celebration of Light - Photo shot from North Vancouver