The 24^th International Fireworks Display Contest in Macau takes place on the four Saturdays in September – 8, 15, 22, 29 – with the finale on China’s National Day, Tuesday October 1. Two teams compete on each evening and a specially recorded soundtrack accompanies each display.

 

This year the teams come from France, Italy, Australia, Japan, USA, Portugal, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and China.

 

http://www.macautour...tail.php?rid=63

I see teams from China and Japan have occupied the first two places in 2010 and 2011, and Japan won in 2009. I wonder what these countries have that the others do not? It can't be biased judges as I am sure if that was the case a Chinese judging panel wouldn't be too keen to see Japan, of all countries, win. In any case I assume the judging panel is an international one.

 

This is one of those things you have to see for yourself in order to appreciate. It looks boring to me and I wouldn't bother to go all that way to see it, but it wouldn't surprise me to find if I did go I'd really enjoy it. It could hardly have been going for over twenty years if it wasn't any good.

 

Have you been FH?

No, not the Macau displays, but I have watched many in Hong Kong during the annual lunar New Year celebrations. These are totally incredible - far more impressive (and expensive) and on a much larger scale than most others I have seen on television. They also last for over 20 minutes as shown on this vdo (skip the first 90 seconds of Cantonese intro - in fact, I turned the sound right down throughout as I found both the speech and music boring!!).

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOcSklXo6JY

 

China has been using fireworks for millennia. So they have vast experience. I think Europeans only started using them when Marco Polo brought some back during the Renaissance.