FIREWORKS FESTIVAL: DRAWING IN THE SKY

Chronicle by Sergio Martinez 

There is probably something about fireworks displays that takes us back to our earliest childhood memories. Along with that excitement that evokes our childhood, there is also that enveloping accumulation of sensations that fireworks contain. There are the luminosity, the colourfulness and certainly the noise of the detonations. Our senses of sight and hearing capture every detail of the spectacle, and even the sense of smell will be stimulated by the sulfurous smell of gunpowder. 

Images from the show presented by the firm Sirius Pyrotechnics,
from Mexico, on July 9

From an aesthetic point of view, fireworks literally draw in the sky. This is the canvas on which the various pyrotechnic devices are deployed, like brushes, illustrating the darkness of the night with the most varied figures. 

 The Montreal fireworks festival, officially known as L'International des Feux Loto-Québec, includes not only the fireworks display but also the soundtrack that each competing firm must present, and here the most important and also the most complicated feature. There must be a proper synchronization and integration between the musical elements and the pyrotechnical part. This is one of the central points in evaluating the shows and the consequent awarding of prizes at the end of the competition. 

The pyrotechnic festival began on Saturday, June 25. It will end on Saturday, August 6, with shows on Wednesdays and Saturdays, except for Saturdays, July 23 and 30. At the time of writing, three shows have taken place: "Je me souviens" ("I remember"), a show with a drone part; "Tribute to Prince", and the presentation of the firm Sirius Pyrotechnics from Mexico on Saturday, July 9. Hungary will be present on Wednesday, July 13, Canada on Saturday, July 16, Italy on Wednesday, July 20, Croatia on Wednesday, July 27, England on Wednesday, August 3, and the closing show with the awards ceremony and a Tribute to Genesis on Saturday, August 6.