FIRST MULTI-SENSORY FIREWORK DISPLAY
The firework display for New Year’s Eve 2013–14 in London, UK, incorporated
a taste-and-smell experience. Around 50,000 people standing between
Westminster Bridge and Hungerford Bridge enjoyed coloured fireworks paired
with fruity flavours. Red pyrotechnics were paired with a strawberry‑flavoured
cloud. Other colours were complemented by clouds of coloured apple-, cherry-
and strawberry‑flavoured mist, with peach snow, “floating oranges” (thousands
of bubbles filled with Seville‑orange‑flavoured smoke) and edible banana
confetti. Food scientists Bompas & Parr (UK) were behind the creation.that explode into colours on ignition), a bursting
charge and a time-delay fuse. The Yonshakudama
firework is fired during Japan’s Katakai‑Matsuri
Festival, held every 9 and 10 Sep in Katakai,
Niigata Prefecture, Honshu. First launched on
9 Sep 2014, its shell measures 120 cm (3 ft 11.2 in)
in diameter and weighs 464.8 kg (1,024 lb 12 oz)
- about as heavy as a grand piano. It was created
by Masanori Honda’s Katakai Fireworks Co. (JPN).
Chocolate firework
Nestlé (CHE) created a firework 3 m (9 ft 10 in)
high and 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) in diameter, housing
60 kg (132 lb) of Swiss Cailler chocolates. It was
released in Zürich, Switzerland, on 31 Dec 2002.
Catherine wheel
Lily Fireworks Factory (MLT) created a Catherine
wheel with a diameter of 32.044 m (105 ft 1.5 in)
- some four times longer than a London double‑
decker bus. Its spread was verified in Mqabba,
Malta, on 18 Jun 2011.
Pyrotechnic image
Fireworks by Grucci (USA) constructed a
65,526‑m² (705,316‑sq‑ft) image from fireworks
in honour of the 20th anniversary of the Dubai
World Cup horse race at the Meydan Racecourse
in Dubai, UAE, on 28 Mar 2015. The image
depicted the country’s national flag.Firework map of the world
On 31 Dec 2013, a firework display was staged
in Dubai, UAE, to celebrate the New Year. It
incorporated the man‑made “World Islands”
archipelago, located offshore in the Persian
Gulf. Comprising 300 islands, this artificial
feature was designed in the shape of the seven
continents of the world. During the display,
air-burst shells outlined each continent in a
pyrotechnic depiction of Earth’s landmasses.
The development covers an area of 6 x 9 km
(3.7 x 5.6 mi) and is surrounded by an oval-shaped
breakwater island. All the available shoreline
(some 232 km; 144 mi) was used in the display.MOST FIREWORK
SHELLS LAUNCHED
PER MINUTE
The New Year’s
Eve fireworks in
Dubai, United Arab
Emirates, on 31 Dec
2013 featured
479,651 shells fired
in 6 min – a rate of
79,941 fireworks per
min. The firework
spectacular took
10 months to plan
and involved the
contributions of
200 technicians
from US company
Fireworks by Grucci.LONGEST STRAIGHT-LINE FIREWORKS DISPLAY
Each year, near the end of August, the beautiful Cavallino-Treporti beach near Venice, Italy, is the venue
for Beach on Fire, a fireworks display spanning a huge area. The event held on 27 Aug 2016 was produced
for Parco Turistico – a local tourist consortium – by Parente Fireworks (both ITA) and stretched along
11.38 km (7.07 mi) of the 13 ‑km ( 8 ‑mi) beach, from Punta Sabbioni to the Cavallino Lighthouse.Stars
One glowing globe of light, possibly
featuring different coloursStrobe
A sequence of rapid,
bright flashesWillow
An extended burst of stars
that slowly descendThe
mass volley
of fireworks (see
above) was launched
from 400^ different sites
along Dubai’s shoreline
and synchronized by
100 computers across
the city. The event
cost around $6
m
(£3.6 m).