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Archive for the ‘Fireworks’ Category

videos of the awesome fireworks from Skyfest in Limerick 2010. The whole of Limerick was illuminated by these fantastic fireworks set over King Johns Castle. This video was shot from the opposite bank of the River Shannon and shows of the fireworks quite nicely. A great night for Limerick and a great party in the streets and bars afterwards.

The Skyfest Fireworks were just the start of events celebrating St Patricks Day on Wednesday 17th March. We hope you enjoy the video of the fireworks. For more info on Skyfest in Limerick click here.

The largest bonfire had an overall volume of 1,401.6 m³ (49,497 ft³). The bonfire was built by Colin Furze (UK) in Thistleton, Leicestershire, UK, and lit on 14 October 2006. Click here for further reading.

FROM fireworks to film and the “most amazing parade in the world”, there’s something for everyone this St Patrick’s Day.

The festival is not just a one- day affair — organisers are offering a six-day helping of street theatre, music, visual arts and a ceili to celebrate all things Irish.

The fun starts on March 12 and organisers promise the festivities won’t be limited to Dublin.

And most importantly — it is set to deliver a massive €58.3m cash boost to the Irish economy with one million people expected on the streets to watch festival events.

One of this year’s highlights is the National Lottery Skyfest in Limerick City, with 50,000 people expected to attend a fireworks display at King John’s Castle overlooking the Shannon.

Families can look forward to a ‘Big Day Out’ in Merrion Square on March 14. And a monster ceili will get pulses racing at St Stephen’s Green at 4pm on St Patrick’s Eve.

Colourful characters including a “dancing puppet”, “a liquorice sweet” and a “candy floss girl” gave a flavour of the March 17 parade at the festival launch yesterday.

This year’s parade will feature the work of pageant companies from all over Ireland and marching bands from the US, Bulgaria and France. Click here for the full article.

Click here for more info on St Patrick’s Day 2010.

Click here for even more info on St Patrick’s Day 2010.

London may be bracing itself for the excitement of the 2012 Olympic Games in two years time, but right now in Vancouver, Canada, the 2010 Winter Olympics are taking place. The Winter Olympic Games aren’t just about competitiveness, they’re also about installation art, water displays and projected images.

LiveCity Yaletown is a festival being held at the same time as the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, and as a tribute to the Olympics a special Olympic themed show will take place each night during the games. LiveCity Yaletown will see many musical acts perform for the public, free of charge, but once the musical performances have ended at the end of each night, the Olympic Games will take centre stage and form part of a unique installation art experience.

The experience will consist of a fireworks and water display, using light and video projection. The fireworks will be set off every night as a video projection screen made of water is fired up into the air. The moving projection screen will then see video and images from the Olympic Games recorded that day projected onto it, as the screen waves and bends with the power of the water jets. The water powered projector screen will be 140 ft wide and 65 ft high and will be fired into the air by Falls Creek. Click here for the full story.

The current Guinness World Records as of 5 November 2007 are:

Largest Catherine Wheel
A self-propelled vertical firework wheel 25.95m 85 ft in diameter was designed by the Newick Bonfire Society Ltd and fired for at least one revolution on 30 October 1999 at the Village Green, Newick, East Sussex, UK.

Largest firework display
The record for the largest firework display consisted of 66,326 fireworks and was achieved by Macedo’S Pirotecnia Lda. in Funchal, Madeira, Portugal, on 31 December 2006.

Longest firework waterfall
The world’s longest firework waterfall was the ‘Niagara Falls’, which measured 3,125.79 m (10,255 ft 2.5 in) when ignited on 24 August 2003 at the Ariake Seas Fireworks Festival, Fukuoka, Japan.

Most firework rockets launched in 30 seconds
The record for the most firework rockets launched in 30 seconds is 56,405, in an attempt organized by Dr Roy Lowry (UK), executed by Fantastic Fireworks, at the 10th British Firework Championship in Plymouth, UK, on 16 August 2006.

Largest bonfire
The largest bonfire had an overall volume of 1,401.6 m³ (49,497 ft³). The bonfire was built by Colin Furze (UK) in Thistleton, Leicestershire, UK, and lit on 14 October 2006.

Tallest bonfire
The world’s tallest bonfire tondo measured 37.5 m (123 ft) high, with a base of 8 m² (86 ft²) and an overall volume of 800 m³ (28,251 ft³). The event was organized by Kure Commemorative Centennial Events Committee, and lit on 9 February 2003 at Gohara-cho, Hiroshima, Japan, as part of a traditional ceremony to encourage good health and a generous harvest.

Chinese New Year is celebrated around the globe but Hong Kong still lays claim to the world’s biggest party. The region’s two-week event — to usher in the Year of the Tiger — is a fusion of ancient customs and contemporary fun that includes a spectacular parade, performances, fireworks, flower markets, sporting events and tours.

The hoopla starts Feb. 14 when the Cathay Pacific International Chinese New Year Night Parade — with its ornate floats, marching bands, cheerleaders, acrobats, costumed characters, and of course, the Tiger mascot — weaves its way through Tsim Sha Tsui.

Organized by the Hong Kong Tourism Board, the parade was a 2007 “Best Value Entertainment Around the World” pick by Lonely Planet Bluelist. It continues to be a show-stopper with 40 troupes of performers this year.

About 18 groups are making their festival debut including such famous entertainers as the Notting Hill Carnival from the U.K., Morioka Sansa Odori Dance from Japan, the Arezzo Flag Wavers from Italy, and the Paris Firemen from France. Also appearing are Dance Ensemble Siverco from Russia, Tropidanza and the San Diego Chargers Girls from the U.S., and Tiger Bank from Switzerland.

As this year’s theme is Festive Hong Kong 2010 and the four seasons, the parade route will be lined with whimsical decorations — giant Chinese buns, pumpkins, Santa Claus — symbolizing the region’s Chinese and Western heritage and festivals.

After the parade, performances will take place — and the floats will be on display — from the second to the eighth day of the Lunar New Year in Tsim Sha Tsui, Sha Tin and Tai Po.

Flowers are integral to the celebrations and the colourful flower market is at its best. New Year’s blooms include fragrant narcissus and peonies for prosperity, plum blossoms to strengthen romance, tangerine plants for marital bliss, and kumquat trees for success in businesses.

As New Year is also a time for looking back, it is customary to give thanks for the past 12 months and pray for good fortune in the coming year. Visitors can share these traditions on a Fortune-Seeking Trip, joining the crowds as they make a pilgrimage to fortune tellers, visit temples to pray and, finally, spin the Wheel of Fortune and tie a wish on Wishing Trees.

Another custom is buying clothes and shoes to symbol ize a fresh start. Everyone can join their Hong Kong friends in shopping — perhaps buying a cheongsam or silk padded coat in red to bring luck and ward off evil spirits.

New Year’s feasts include a whole fish, which represents abundance and togetherness; oysters, whose name in Chinese sounds like “good things,” sesame balls and oil dumplings for wealth. The latter, shaped like early gold ingots, are believed to bring unexpected fortunes.

MORE INFORMATION

The parade starts at 8 p.m. at Hong Kong Cultural Centre Piazza and proceeds along Canton Rd., Nathan Rd. and major arteries in Tsim Sha Tsui, stopping at two performing zones, before finishing at New World Centre. There are plenty of places for free viewing along the route. Stadium seats at the Cultural Centre Piazza are $24-$41.

Fireworks are a popular way to celebrate in Turkey, especially during the summer months, the sound of fireworks is part of the evening soundtrack in Turkey, where pyrotechnics are often used to celebrate weddings, football victories, and official ceremonies alike. But a municipality on the country’s Mediterranean coast has put the kibosh on such festivities, saying they can fatally frighten endangered sea turtles….Read the full story on TreeHugger