XIV Macau International Fireworks Display Contest

7 August 2002

Macau International Fireworks Display Contest, the foremost competition of its kind anywhere, will be held at the sea area across the Macau Tower in September and October this year. The contest will be a match between ten international teams.

With Mid-Autumn Festival and the National Day of the People's Republic of China coming up, the sky of Macau will be lit up by breathtaking fireworks. The Macau International Fireworks Display Contest, organized by Macau Government Tourist Office of Macau Special Administrative Region, has always been a colossal event.

In the past years, the fireworks were set off from the ground and the location of last year was very close to Macau Tower. Macau Tower is now opened and for safety reasons, the organizer has decided to set off the fireworks from barges on the sea for the first time.

The ten teams participating in the 14th Macau International Fireworks Display Contest are from the Philippines, South Korea, Australia, Thailand, Portugal, Taiwan, United Kingdom, Japan, China and Switzerland, each possessing their own uniqueness. Among them, the Korean team, which has also participated in the contest last year, was seen at the opening ceremony of the Korea-Japan World Cup 2002 in Seoul. The team from China has also taken part in the performance of the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Other teams, with their rich experiences and special feature, will surely bring audiences a colorful and memorable time. 

The organizer is going to present US$17,500 to each fireworks team as subsidy. The winner will receive US$6,000, trophy and certificate. First and second runner-up will receive US$3,200, US$1,800, trophies and certificates respectively.

All participating teams have excellent experience and in no doubt that they will bring tremendous amazement to spectators. This annual event is expected to attract an influx of tourists and local residents while boosting Macau’s tourism industry and increasing its exposure.

The Macau International Fireworks Display Contest first started in 1989, at the time only five teams were in the league including Portugal, China, Japan and Taiwan. Until 1995, the event has gained its fame and from the original 5-team contest tote up to ten teams, with two different teams showing their talent each night.

For the past 13 years, a total of over 60 international teams had taken part in the Macau International Fireworks Display Contest. The Macau Government Tourist Office have always been working hard to advance this event’s status and reputation internationally, having the vision to bring about the world’s most prominent International Fireworks Display.

The fireworks teams for this year includes: Global Pyrotechnics from Australia, Hanwha Corporation from Korea, Hannah Corporation from the Philippines, Sy-Yuan Fireworks from Taiwan, Pyrofel – Pirotecnia, Lda. from Portugal, Pacific Pyro Co., Ltd. From Thailand, Nico Lunig Event GmbH from Germany, Morikami Enka Kogyosho Inc. from Japan, China Hunan Jixiu Fireworks Manufacturing & Display Co., Ltd. from China and Evenment Ciel from France.

This year, each fireworks display will last for approximately 18 minutes, and there will be two displays per night. The dates for fireworks display are September 7th, 14th, 21st, 28th and October 1st of this year. Fireworks will be shown at nights of weekend, Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day. The location for setting off fireworks is at the barges on the sea area 700 meters from Macau Tower.

In order to capture the spectacular moments of the fireworks display contest, the photo and drawing competitions will be held again this year. The 14th Macau International Fireworks Display Contest Photo Competition and the 14th Macau International Fireworks Display Contest Drawing Competition will invite entries soon. The winners of the two competitions will be entitled for premiums and trophies.

This year, MGTO will continue to cooperate with Macau Kai Fong Association to organized the ‘Macao Fireworks Fiesta’ on the reclaimed land of Nam Van Lake on the nights when the fireworks blossom. The five mascots of the ‘Macau Tourism Ambassadors’ will also be there to put a smile on the face of everybody who enjoys the non-stop entertainment throughout the evenings.

The restaurants of Macau Tower will join the party by offering special menu for residents and visitors alike who can enjoy delicious cuisine while viewing the full impact of light and sound spectacular from vantage spots. In addition, the summer fun activities at the outdoor plaza of Macau Tower will extend its opening hours till 10:30pm to put that added sparkle into the party.

MGTO has also invited Harley Owners Group of HK to perform ‘Harley Davidson Parade’ at the Nam Van reclaimed land on September 7, the first day of the fireworks display contest. 

The 12th Macau International Jazz Festival will be held from September 27 to 29 at the Macau Tower, and some sessions of the show on 28th , one of the fireworks display night, will take stage on the outdoor plaza of the Macau Tower, followed by a dancing gala.