30th Macao International Fireworks Display Contest

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One of the best times to visit Macao is during the 30th Macao International Fireworks Display Contest, which is a spectacular multimedia pyrotechnic show spread out over five weekends.

The contest is an international event involving competitors from 12 countries, who will wow the crowds with fireworks synchronised to music and laser effects. Attending the festival is truly one of the spectacular things to do in Macau and the good news is it’s free.

30th Macao International Fireworks Display 

macau international fireworks photo
2018 Macao International Fireworks Display Photo Competition Group 2 (Age: 18 or above), Certificate of Merit, Lei Weng Tat

Reasons to visit Macao during the Macao International Fireworks Display 

  • The fireworks displays are world-class and seeing the sky light up during the festival is truly spectacular.
  • Besides the opportunity of seeing impressive fireworks, late September and October are good months to plan your Macao trip around the Mid-Autumn Festival (12 and 13 September), the 33rd Macao International Music Festival (4 to 10 October), Festival of Ancestors (7 October) 
  • The festival also showcases local creativity with photography, drawing and song-writing competitions that are open to the public. 
  • Macao’s nightlife is in full swing. Check out the Mid-Autumn Full Moon party at Club Cubic (15 September).

Who will be competing in the Macao International Fireworks Display?

macao fireworks teams

Teams from Malaysia, Philippines, Portugal, South Korea, United Kingdom, Romania, South Africa, Canada, France, Japan, China and Australia will compete for the grand prize.

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The team from Australia is scheduled on 5 October at 940pm. 

Cardile International Fireworks is responsible for some of Western Australia’s largest and most spectacular fireworks displays, including WA Day in 2019, the annual pyromusical displays at the Perth Royal Agricultural Show and Chinese New Year at Burswood Resort, where fireworks are launched from multiple barges on Perth’s Swan River.

Cardile won the gold trophy at the YueYang Tower Cup Fireworks in Hunan, China, in 2010, and hope to beat the world’s best pyrotechnics experts to win the prize.

In Macao, the international teams will spend a week on the ground positioning the fireworks on the barge and wiring each firework to its individual music cue.

But even before they arrive in Macao, the teams would have spent six months preparing for an event of this scale.

Putting on a successful show requires many hours of creative work conceptualising and designing the show, selecting music, choreographing and synchronising the fireworks to the music.

Then there’s the craft of making custom-designed fireworks to suit the music and programming the fireworks to the music.

Other events during the Macao International Fireworks Display

macao fireworks competition
Macao International Fireworks Photograpy Competition Group 2 (Age: 18 or above), Consolation Prize, Li Man Lok.

What’s unique about Macao’s International Fireworks Display is the festival is a melding of international expertise with local creativity and talent.

To complement the fireworks displays, the organisers also run contests to crowdsource photography, art and music.

There’s a photo contest that is open to the public, a drawing contest for students, a trophy design contest and songwriting contest.

The 12 teams will be choreographing part of their fireworks show to the music of last year’s songwriting contest’s winning song “Light your fire” by Matthew Lam Chun Yat and the winning design of the last trophy design contest will be used for this year’s trophies. 

How to see the 30th Macao International Fireworks Display

macao fireworks

The 30th Macao International Fireworks Display Contest will be staged in front of the Macau Tower on 7, 13, 21, 28 September and 1 and 5 October 2019.

The displays take place at 9 pm and 9.40 pm and there’s a Fireworks Carnival with food stalls, live music and other activities from 5 pm to 11 pm on those days. See more details here.

Best spots to see the fireworks in Macao

fireworks display in macao
29th Macao International Fireworks Festival Group 2 (Age: 18 or above), 2nd Hong Chio Long.

Enjoy the fireworks from 360 Cafe at Macau Tower or book a place on the Skywalk for a truly spectacular view from the perimeter of the tower, 233m from the ground.

 

  • As the fireworks are set off at the bottom of Macau Tower, Praia Grande and Nam Van Lake are good viewing spots.
  • Another good spot for photography is Ave. de Republica behind Sai Van Lake.
  • Penha Hill on Macau Peninsula is also a good vantage point.
  • Taipa Island is less crowded, but the fireworks will be further away.
Macau International Fireworks

Macau International Fireworks

 

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Christina Pfeiffer
Christina Pfeiffer is a writer, photographer and video blogger based in Queensland, Australia. She has lived in three continents and her career as a travel journalist has taken her to all seven continents. Since 2003, she has contributed travel stories and photographs to mainstream media in Australia and around the world such as the Sydney Morning Herald, CNN Traveller, The Australian and the South China Morning Post. She has won many travel writing awards and is a full member of the Australian Society of Travel Writers.