Malta International Fireworks Festival 2009

L

Luqa - Malta

Registered User
Malta International Fireworks Festival 2009

The 8th edition of the Malta International Fireworks Festival will be held on Thursday 30th April and Friday 1st May at the picturesque Grand Harbour in Valletta.

Twelve local factories from our island and three foreign companies will participate at this festival. The local factories will participate with ‘one by one’ shells covering different categories consisting of Multi-break colour shells, Multi-Break Cracker Shells (Beraq bil-loghob and Beraq Pront), Ball Shells and Shapes whilst the foreign companies will participate in the pyro-musical category consisting of a 15-minute display.

Our Fireworks Factory - The St. Andrew’s Fireworks Factory - will be amongst the twelve participants, which, since its foundation, it has been working towards building an excellent reputation and for promoting Malta in the fireworks world.

The event officially concludes with a fireworks display synchronized with music by a local company at the final night.
Amongst the best locations where one can appreciate the fireworks displays are Ta' Liesse / Barriera Wharf, Valletta Waterfront and at the top of the bastions surrounding Valletta which have commanding views over the Grand Harbour.
PROGRAMME

Thursday, 30th April 2009

21:30 1st Competitor : Pyromusical display by Proformance Pyrotechnics - Australia

22:00 Maltese fireworks competition of ‘one by one shells.

Santa Maria Fireworks Factory - Mgarr
Mount Carmel Fireworks Factory - Zurrieq
12th May Fireworks Factory - Haz-Zebbug
St Andrija Fireworks Factory - Hal-Luqa
San Nikola Fireworks Factory - Siggiewi
Santa Maria Fireworks Factory - Hal Ghaxaq
Lourdes Fireworks Factory - San Gwann

24:00 - 2nd Competitor : Pyromusical display by Jorge Vacaluzzo Zio Piro - Italy

Friday, 1st May 2009

21:30 - 3rd Competitor: Pyromusical display by Nakaja Art - Poland

22:00 - Maltese fireworks competition of ‘one by one shells..

San Bastjan Fireworks Factory - Hal-Qormi
San Bert Fireworks Factory - Gharghur
San Mikiel Fireworks Factory - Hal-Lija
Tal-Gilju Fireworks Factory - Mqabba
Madonna tal-Konsolazzjoni fireworks Factory - Gudja

23.30 - Pyromusical display by Malta Fireworks - Malta

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It seems promissing to be a healthy competition!

At least 4 / 5 heavyweights.

This year as you can see will be different. More exciting I belive and the competition will be fierce!

So those of you who can make it here, enjoy!
:smile1:
 
L

Luqa - Malta

Registered User
Maximum size for multi-break shells for this festival I belive is 8". Consdering that these are canister multi-breaks, they will be quite heavy!

There will be a mixtue of 6" and 8" Multi Breaks.

In Maltese Multi-breaks, 6" is considered as standard (which is still big enough), while 8" is quite big. 10" is usually the biggest while 12" is sometimes dared.
 
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fireworkscrew

Registered User
You need to see the Malta International Fireworks in the Grand Harbour Valleta, it is an event not to be missed.
I have been 2x and enjoyed it both times.

Fireworks Crew
 
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L

Luqa - Malta

Registered User
Thanks! :)

This year promisses to be great as this eddition includes more factories in competition and in a different approach.
 
V

Vavoom

Registered User
From what I've heard and read, this year's edition was quite a disaster. Well, maybe disaster is a bit exaggerated, but let's say a lot of people have been disappointed.

Below is an article from the Malta Independent, which also deals with a discussion about safety distances that has already been going on for quite a while now.

Fireworks facing an uncertain future
by BERNARD BUSUTTIL


This year’s fireworks festival seems to have been jinxed from the start – the difficulties faced by participants, a 24-hour postponement due to hitches when importing the foreign fireworks, and technical problems during Friday’s display – things that happen in live spectacles, entertainers would say.

But this year’s hitches could very well prove to be an ill omen for the future of fireworks in the years to come, depending on the outcome of an appeal case currently before the courts.

The festival’s organisers this year opted for a different location from where to off the fireworks, abandoning Dockyard Creek in favour of Kalkara Creek – the reason being that while Dockyard Creek is densely populated on both sides, especially Senglea, Kalkara Creek lies between Vittoriosa, including Fort St Angelo, and the less populated peninsula leading to Fort Bighi.

The populated area consideration is topical given recent and ongoing judicial proceedings with regard to the setting off of fireworks.

A constitutional judgment delivered on 26 March changed the legal interpretation of the place from where fireworks are to be set off.

The law stipulated that fireworks were permitted to be discharged only from a spot that was 200 metres away from an “inhabited area”, which was defined as an area inhabited by 100 or more people.

Following a constitutional application, the court decreed that people living in clusters of less than 100 people were being discriminated against, thus their rights to privacy and freedom from discrimination were being violated. Consequently, the judgment effectively nullified the previous definition.

The legal change has not been implemented as yet since a constitutional appeal has been filed. However, fireworks enthusiasts are scared stiff of the possibility that the original judgment will be confirmed, which would mean the de facto demise of fireworks in Malta.

Malta Tourism Authority events manager Martin Morana, responsible for organising the fireworks festival, told this newspaper that the location of barges used to let off fireworks was designated by Malta Maritime Authority. He explained that the Authority was responsible for the sea traffic in and out of the busy harbour.

Mr Morana held that the show had moved out of Dockyard Creek due to the recent expansion of Grand Harbour Marina.

Malta Pyrotechnic Society vice-president Joseph Camilleri said factories had been facing some problems recently with the reduction in quotas for basic material used in their concoctions, mainly potassium nitrate and potassium chloride. A decrease in these materials, he said, meant a correlated decrease in the amount of fireworks produced.

Asked whether the new area suited enthusiasts’ needs, he explained that it was always better to set off fireworks from land than from barges. Northeastern winds can be a great hindrance in this case, as experience has shown, he said. Mr Camilleri described epic battles against the infamous Grigal winds, which meant spending three hours anchoring just one barge. “Trying to manage the setting up of fireworks and letting them off in such conditions is more dangerous than their actual manufacture,” he remarked.

The notion that sea traffic might be an added hindrance was suggested, to which he replied that Sidney Harbour Bridge is only closed for half an hour prior and following fireworks displays. The bridge, he said, is not even closed during the 10 days it takes workers to place tons and tons of fireworks on the bridge.

Mr Camilleri also referred to the recent court judgement, which could effectively mean the end of aerial displays. Village feasts will cease to include fireworks in their programmes, he lamented, as most villages do not have an uninhabited area within a 200-metre radius from where to let off fireworks.

“Maltese laws regarding fireworks are very stiff, even when compared to other countries,” said Mr Camilleri, whose passion for his hobby has taken him to other countries to see firework displays.

In Catania, he said, fireworks are let off from a garden not far from the Cathedral of Sant’Agata. He recalled that the completion of the three-year restoration of the façade of St Peter’s Basilica was celebrated by a fireworks display from the roof of the 500-year-old building.

Mr Camilleri foresaw a grim future for tourism if fireworks in Malta are stopped, as the country’s efforts to attract tourists included a heavy dose of fireworks and village feasts. On a micro level, he added, village feasts do help the economy by generating general expenditure on a variety of goods, from equipment and perishables used by enthusiasts to decorate the church, clubs and streets, to food and drink.

Back to the festival, MTA postponed it “due to mechanical faults that the ship transporting the fireworks developed”. The foreign fireworks did not enjoy much luck after arriving on the island, especially those used on Friday.

People attending the festival had to bear with a number of stoppages resulting from technical hitches and sea traffic.

Two Maltese displays were not given at the designated time due to technical problems, while the programme was suspended for a while due to sea traffic, and the arrival of the Sicily ferry.

Those who braved the cold were told at 11.25pm that a foreign display would start at about 11.50pm. However, the first fireworks of the Maltese displays that had been skipped were let off at 1.10am, by which time quite a large number of people had left their vantage points. The foreign display followed later.

People who contacted this newspaper yesterday complained that Friday’s session was run sporadically, but could not complain about the actual displays, which were described as “marvellous”.
 
V

Vavoom

Registered User
Let's not forget the results of festival as found in the Malta Independent.

Fireworks competition results announced

The 2009 Malta International Fireworks Festival competition official results have been announced. The festival, organised by the Malta Tourism Authority and the Parliamentary Secretariat for Tourism was held last Friday and Saturday. 11 local fireworks factories and three foreign ones participated in the competition. The final results are as follows (in order of placing):

International pyro-musical competition

1 Proformance Pyrotechnics (Australia) Despite a Maltese 8 inch multibreak shell landing on their firing platform prior to their show and igniting part of the Australian display.
2 Nakaja Art (Poland)
3 Vaccalluzzo Zio Piro (Italy)


Traditional Maltese one-by-one fireworks shells

Murtaletti (Cracker cylindrical shells)
1 Santa Marija Fireworks Factory (Ghaxaq)
2 San Mikiel Fireworks Factory (Lija)


Murtaletti tal-Beraq (Coloured Cracker cylindrical shells)
1 Tac-Cintura Fireworks Factory (Gudja)
2 Mount Carmel Fireworks Factory (Zurrieq)


Forom u Disinji (Design/shape shells)
1 Santa Marija Fireworks Factory (Ghaxaq)
2 San Mikiel Fireworks Factory (Lija)


Murtali tal-Kulur (Colour cylindrical shells)
1 San Nikola Fireworks Factory (Siggiewi)
2. San Mikiel Fireworks Factory (Lija)


Blalen (Spherical shells)
1 San Sebastjan Fireworks Factory (Qormi)
2 Mount Carmel Fireworks Factory (Zurrieq)
 
L

Luqa - Malta

Registered User
If you ask me. The festival was a total dissapointment! :confused:

At first promissing to be a great event but it all started with a dissapointment from the very start! It was delayed by one day due to some technichal fualts on a ship carrying the fireworks of the foreign comapies. Then it seemed that delays had to be the 'motto' of this years eddition. And it all ended with some of the results being very questionable!

For many, it was a festival to forget!

Fingers crossed for a better 2010.

I feel sorry for all the foreign visitors who made it here just for this event.

Sorry Guys :wondering:

Putting the dissapointment away. Now looking forward to the real stuff. Festa season kicked of this week :)

With lots and lots of great fireworks prommised by many local factories in their respective feasts. One after the other every week, reaching their climax on the weekends :cool:

Soon I will give details of our Feast (Saint Andrew of Luqa) which will be celebrated from the 29th of June to the 5th of July.
 
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