- Six nations will face off in the International Fireworks Championship in Traverse City Sept. 5 to 6.
- Canada, China, Poland, Portugal, Serbia and the US are participating this year
- Each 15-minute set is known as a ‘pyromusical,’ with fireworks choreographed to music
All summer long, we’ve given you activities to check off on the ultimate Michigan summer bucket list.
Now, here’s a way to cap the summer off with a bang: The International Fireworks Championship is happening in Traverse City Friday, Sept. 5 and Saturday, Sept. 6.
Teams from six nations — Canada, China, Poland, Portugal, Serbia and the US — will compete at Turtle Creek Stadium, where the Traverse City Pit Spitters usually play.
But this will not be your average fireworks show that you see at the end of a baseball game.
Each team has to have previously won another competition to be eligible to participate in the show. The winner of last year’s International Fireworks Championship, SelStar Fireworks from the United Kingdom, started out their 15-minute set with Eminem’s “Lose Yourself.” The staccato guitar riff that starts the song off played to an empty sky when a line of fireworks suddenly began shooting up on-beat, creating the effect of a base drum fill. The show transitioned through several different songs, the same way a dance team might, except, in that case, the dancers were the lights in the sky.\
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Industry professionals call the craft “pyromusicals.”
“It’s about, ‘Does that firework effect make you feel what the music’s trying to portray?” said Iain Keightley, display manager with SelStar Fireworks.
Keightley said his company usually enters a couple firework competitions each year, mostly in Europe, where the events are more common. But he said the Traverse City championship stood out.
“Americans love fireworks. So the audience reactions and the level of cheering through the shows was probably some of the loudest we’ve heard anywhere,” he said.
This year, there will be an audience award each night, gauged by cheering, and a “Best of Show” award given by a panel of industry professional judges.
Each night will consist of pre-show entertainment from 6:30 to 8 p.m., then three teams will compete starting at 8:30 p.m. The evening will wrap up with a finale show by a non-competitor. Friday’s finale show will be a performance by SelStar Fireworks and Saturday’s will be a show put together by the panel of judges.
“It’s an event for the senses,” said Mickey Graham, director of sports and events for Traverse City Tourism. “It pretty much has ruined (all other) fireworks for me.”
Tickets start at $45 and run as high as $500 for four tickets at a high-top table for one night. Admission is free for children 2 and younger.
More information can be found here.
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