Pains Fireworks win L’International Des Feux, the world’s greatest fireworks competition

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Pains Fireworks are delighted to announce that they have become the first UK Company to win the Golden Jupiter award at Montreal’s world renowned International Firework Festival.

Mike Jones & Guy Deeker receiving the winner’s trophy

In the 23rd year of the competition, regarded as the most prestigious event of its kind in the world, firework companies from eight countries displayed their daring talent to compete for the pyrotechnic industry’s most coveted prizes: the Gold, Silver and Bronze Jupiter awards.

Over the nine shows spanning six weeks through June and July, more than 2.5 million visitors view the displays from vantage points across Montreal.

Pains faced intense competition from major display companies from Spain, Mexico, China, USA, Canada, France & Germany. No English company had previously ever been ranked in the top three and this was only the 5th time that a British company had even been invited to compete. Entry to the L’International Des Feux is by invitation only and is restricted to display companies that have a proven track record both nationally and internationally of staging large scale firework spectaculars.

Pains were the second of the competitors to fire this year on an extremely hot day on the 27th June. With tornado warnings and thunderstorms in the area throughout the final set-up, the rain held off until shortly after the display allowing the audience of over 250,000 lining the banks of the St Lawrence River, to enjoy a stunning & memorable display.

Pains Fireworks are only the second company in the history of the competition to have won the Golden Jupiter when firing so early in the draw. The display was singled out for its creative theme, the quality of its choreography and the technical standard of the presentation.

Based on the eternal cycle of day and night, a highlight of the show was an ambitious firework image of the sun which measured over 25m wide suspended from a crane over the lake at La Ronde.

The 25m lancework Sun

This was the largest firework image ever created for this competition but is within a long tradition of firework pictures produced by Pains that goes back almost two centuries to the foundation of the company in 1835.

The company’s “passion and boldness” were saluted by the organizing committee and the panel of 19 judges who determine the winning display.

The show was also witnessed by Britain’s Consulate General in Montreal who sent the following communiqué after the awards were announced at the end of July:

FROM BRITISH CONSUL GENERAL MONTREAL: CONGRATULATIONS!
I was honoured to be present at the Pains Fireworks display at the Montreal International Fireworks Festival and thoroughly enjoyed the event.  I had certainly never seen fireworks like that before.  I was delighted, therefore, to learn that Pains had won the coveted Jupiter d'Or, the top prize at this world-famous competition.

Please pass my congratulations to the team, and thank them again, as I did on the night, for a magical experience.

Best wishes
Anne Jarrett
British Consul General
Montreal

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