Despite very cool temperatures of around 15C, the 38th Edition of the Montreal International Fireworks competition opened without a hitch, unlike in 2023 when the show we saw tonight was cancelled due to poor quality caused by forest fires. At that time, it wasn’t clear if the show was cancelled or postponed nor, if postponed, until when. So the decision was made to defer it until this year and the crews of La Ronde and Royal Pyrotechnie carefully dismantled the show and put it into storage.
The pyrotechnicians amongst the audience were fearful that some of the pyrotechnic items may have suffered damage or degradation during their year-long storage, especially when one or two small items very close to the beginning of the display appeared to not fire too well. However, our fears were assuaged and the display fired very close to flawlessly. The first display of the season is always a good test of the crew and infrastructure and it was fantastic to see that everything went well.
As this display was not in-competition, a full review is not necessary. Sufficeth to say that the signature design style of Yanick Roy was evident throughout and excellent use was made of all of the space of the firing site. The soundtrack was assembled from a set of pieces chosen by the organizers and there was something for everyone. Despite the cool temperatures, the audience was very enthusiastic and gave the team a well deserved ovation after the glittering gold finale. Regular forum contributor and blogger Mylène Salvas, who is also a licenced pyro, was also on the crew!