Top 5

Best firework displays in history

Mike Pollitt | Monday 8 November, 2010 10:45

Fireworks are great. That’s surely the only conclusion to be reached from this weekend’s festivities. Without further ado, here are five notable displays from history so you can cling on to the magic for at least one more day.

2008 Beijing Olympics footprint fake

Such an epic idea…a trail of firework footprints wending through the city to the Bird’s Nest stadium. An echo in fire of the Olympic torch relay, a visual symbol of the event’s connection with ancient times, of the shared striving of humanity across the ages. All brought to you by the power of CGI . Great finale in the stadium though – that at least was real.

2007 London New Year

Turning the London Eye into a massive Catherine wheel, using Big Ben as a compositional foreground object, setting off a shitload of fireworks FROM BOATS. This was special.

2006 Madeira New Year

The world record holder for biggest ever fireworks display. The video is a little grainy, but you get the idea. There were a lot of fireworks, and they went on for 40 minutes. Snipe wonders if it’s possible to get bored of fireworks?

1749 George II’s display

Back to the Thames for this lovely looking event, held to celebrate the signing of some treaty or other. Tragi-comic-ironic farce ensued. Says Wiki: “Unfortunately, during the display, one of the fireworks landed on the pavilion of the Temple of Peace, igniting the several thousand fireworks inside and killing three spectators”. Oh dear. At least they went out with a bang.

c. 13th century Chinese ‘ground-rat’

Back to China, where it (maybe) all began. The ground-rat was mysterious type of firework which once frightened the Emperor’s mother at a feast by scurrying along the ground very quickly. Snipe likes to think she jumped on a chair, hitched her petticoats around her knees and screamed blue murder, which as we all know is the traditional female response to an unexpected rodent.

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