Malta International Fireworks Festival
From maltawiki.com
The Malta International Fireworks Festival has been celebrated annualy since the origin in 2003. The festival gathers a number of both Maltese and international fireworks producers. See also: Events and Festivals in Malta.
The festival is held annually at the end of April in the Valletta Grand Harbour and is open to pyrotechnic manufacturers all over the world. The festival started in 2003 as a way to display Maltese fireworks production, but was in 2006 opened to factories worldwide.
The festival features a variety of competitive fireworks displays where Maltese fireworks makers compete with eachother. Each day of the festival is closed off by a grand fireworks display synchronized to music.
[edit] Malta International Fireworks Festival 2011
The Malta International Fireworks Festival of 2011 is held on Friday and Saturday of the weekend of the 29th and 30th April.
[edit] Malta International Fireworks Festival 2010
The Malta International Fireworks Festival was arranged for the 8th time in 2010 from the 29th to the 30th of April. The program started at 21:00 both days. The festival was organised by the Parliamentary Secretariat of Tourism and the Malta Tourism Authority. The fireworks festival was also part of the 6th anniversary for Malta's accession to the EU.
A number of Maltese fireworks factories as well as two Italian producers participated in the festival and the festival was started off by Orzella Fireworks Company of Rome.
Each day was closed by fireworks displays synchronized to music, one evening by the Santa Maria Fireworks Factory of Mqabba and the other by the Mount Carmel Fireworks Factory of Zurriq.
Closing off the festival was the famous Parente Fireworks Company of Italy with a fantastic pyro show.
[edit] History of Fireworks in Malta
The tradition of producing and celebrating events with fireworks has a long history in Malta. In the time of The Knights of Malta, explosives were lit off from mortars as an expression of celebration on special occations, such as the selection of a new Grand Master or a new Pope. From these exercises evolved the modern day Maltese fireworks that we all know and love today; the feu de joie, the musketterija, the solfarelli d'aria, the St. Catherine's wheels and many others.
The tradition of celebrating religious events with fireworks is still alive today and can be seen accross the country every year as each parish church in Malta holds a feast for their patron saint. For an overview of Maltese feasts, see the event calendar.