The Montreal International Fireworks Competition reaches a new milestone this year with its official 100th participant. But who is it?

The count of the companies who participate in the competition is not as easy to establish as it may appear. There is a variety of issues with the way to count them. One company may appear under different names because of a change. Other companies merge. In some cases, the ownership structure makes things more blurry.

During her opening speech of the 35th edition of the competition, in 2019, Martyne Gagnon claimed that 305 shows made by 99 companies from 29 countries had been presented during the first 34 years of the event. No new company was in the line-up of the 35th edition. So this 36th edition features the 100th entrant!

To reach a count of 99 companies, it is necessary to consider the Chilean entrant in 2016 as a “new” company. This is what La Ronde did with its presentation of Pirotecnia SPA, despite the ownership by Pirotecnia Igual. In its 2016 brochure, La Ronde stated: “It's the first presence in Montréal for Pirotecnia SPA Chile, the Chilean branch of a Spanish firm founded in 1998.”

Following the same logic, Sirius Pyrotechnics from Mexico may be considered as a new entrant into the competition, despite its common ownership structure with Canadian Sirius, which made a competition show in 2012 (see the latest Paul's preshow post here for some interesting details). In this case, Sirius Pyrotechnics appears to be the 100th participant in the Montreal competition.

That being said, the wording chosen by La Ronde to introduce the Mexican team on its website creates an uncertainty about the view of the officials. Indeed, it states: “Having originated in Valencia, Spain in 1877, Sirius Pyrotechnics has been in existence for an astounding 130 years. Needless to say, the company has produced fireworks displays for numerous internationally acclaimed events over the years, including the 2010 Olympic games.”

In 2012, the official brochure referred to the involvement of the Canadian entrant Sirius Pyrotechnics in the same event: “It will be Sirius Pyrotechnics' first participation in L'International. Patrick Brault that is behind this new company has produced in the 25 years several major fireworks events in North America, including the opening and closing ceremonies of the Vancouver Winter Olympic Games.” In the case where La Ronde considers Sirius Pyrotechnics as a single company appearing under different national flags, then Hungarian entrant NUVU appears to be the 100th participant in the Montreal competition.

Additional communication, including the wording chosen for the introduction of the teams tonight and/or next Wednesday, may clarify who is the 100th participant to the Montreal International Fireworks Competition, at least through the lens of the competition officials.

Fred

In a pre-recorded introduction tonight, Michel Lacroix said: “For its first presence in Montreal, Sirius Pyrotechnics of Mexico will bring our audience to Mexico...”

That wording indicates that competition officials consider Sirius Pyrotechnics of Mexico to be the 100th participant in the event since its beginning in 1985. This important milestone went unnoticed during this mysterious evening.

Fred