Hello everyone,

Please share your reviews/comments for the Swiss display here!

Trav.

Musicals are not my favorites, but it's always interesting to be impressed by something you know less about. I've often found myself, in the past, really enjoying shows that didn't mean much at first. This was the case with Switzerland. Another great night under the stars.

I liked :
— Very strong first five minutes, perfectly synchronized, well built.
— «And all that Jazz» with dancing nautical shells, awesome girandolas.
— Last part of «Roxanne» was amazing with tail comets bouncing on the water, ramp 4 effects, «cr_ckling» shells in the air («_» = «a» !).
— «Burlesque» segment with all the color changing mine and shells.
— Effects on ramp 4 were nice.
— «L'envie d'aimer», all the gold comets, mines and cakes moving and deforming because of the wind were spectacular!!!
— Lot of nautical shells.

I noticed :
— Show design was basic after the first third of the show, too many repetitions (colors, patterns, shooting style).
— «Let the sunshine in» in pink-gold only with constant same pattern the whole song... I would have expected yellow, orange colors, variations.
— «This is me», such a beautiful and powerful song, had a strange musical arrangement. It started with lasers and finished again with repetitive shells thru the end.
— Color range was limited at some points.
— Cake starting right after the finale.
— Felt unsynchronized at times because of repetitions.
— Powerful short finale.

Personal thoughts
Switzerland team did a great job. A lot of energy in the soundtrack and a good rhythm overall. Despite all this positivity, major points made it difficult for me to put this show in the high rankings. During every song, very limited color range / shooting style / shell patterns didn't make me feel engaged, waiting for more. Beside couple of short surprises here and there, a feeling of anticipation for the next song took place, hoping for something different, more elaborate.

After 4 shows :
1) Italy
2) Japan
3) Canada
4) Switzerland

Best soundtrack : Japan.

Dan

Very personal thoughts
For the first time, during «Aquarius», I was impressed with that short laser segment. Probably because of the smoke, we could see them very well. Colors were bright and nice, it felt really synchronized with the music.

Very very personal thoughts
Don't get me wrong... I still don't like lasers !!! ;)

(My views coincide with ArtiDan's in part, but our assessments lead to different rankings!)

The return of the Swiss company, competing in Montréal for the third time, was eagerly awaited. Sugyp distinguished itself during its first visit in 2012 with a creative show based on aviation (reviews of Aérofolies are available in this forum here) and, in particular, the use of a flying machine equipped with a few pyrotechnic devices. In 2016, Sugyp chose the theme of emojis illustrated in various ways, including several set-up pieces made of lances (review here ). Despite some sequences that were a little too long and consisted entirely of flame jets, the team won a Bronze Jupiter award. This year, the Swiss entrant took a more conservative approach, which was well executed overall, resulting in a VERY GOOD show, performed in windy but rain-free conditions, unlike the several days of setup.

This more traditional approach was initially embodied by a popular and engaging theme centered on musicals, and by a soundtrack consisting of a dozen musical excerpts, three of which were in French. This selection fit well with the theme of the extravaganza, though Merci ben! by Les Cowboys Fringants is more debatable. One could argue that the theme was stretched a bit too thin. Mylène explained on her blog that the song appears on the Pub Royal album, the subject of a musical show, but is not performed in the show itself. This addition was intended as a tribute to Québec. (Similar recognition was expressed through a heart and the emblem of Montréal on the flying device in 2012, and with set-up lances in 2016. This time, it was also illustrated by a sequence of vertical shots of red stars producing a heart again at the end of this song.) Some songs were edited to shorten them, keeping only the excerpts deemed most relevant to the design. The transitions were fairly classic, with a short break between each tableau.

In my review on the Canadian display last week, I wrote that the quality of the pyrotechnics was slightly lower than in the previous two displays, citing as an example the dimly lit girandolas that seemed to struggle to properly fly. By contrast, the opening part to And All That Jazz (Chicago) featured two or three rows of bright double-ascension girandolas that moved efficiently. During El Tango de Roxanne (Moulin Rouge), red flashes appear to have been fired from candles, enhancing cakes that propelled stars of the same color. Some segments were designed to highlight specific pyrotechnics. During Show Me How You Burlesque, a tableau dominated by red and blue elements, we were treated to fans of mines alternating colors 7 to 9 times (presumably from the Slovenian manufacturer Hamex), shells whose blue and red stars changed in various sequences, and, finally, a shell that appeared to produce two hemispheres, separated by a pistil that also changed colors. As for the segment Merci ben!, we also observed stacked ring shells with various color change sequences. However, gold, silver, and white pieces were particularly prevalent during the entire show.

The synchronization between the fireworks and the music was generally very good but perhaps less sustained than in the first three shows in competition this year. The synchronization was very precise at times, for example throughout the opening segment, with many note-synchronized pieces. At other times, the synchronization was a little more atmospheric.

The technical design resulted in a show that made fairly good use of the available space. This was particularly obvious in the harmonious combination of pyrotechnic effects at various altitudes and the launch of products on the surface of the lake: from nautical fountains in the opening segment to numerous nautical shells in the finale, which could be fired despite the strong winds blowing towards the audience in the bleachers. At the end of the second segment, the fourth ramp was the scene of a superb set made of several layers of red star mines, superimposed at different angles on the outline of this circular, raised platform, an effect that appeared only once. The fifth ramp, close to the spectators, was used more discreetly, I think, limited to flares at the start of the show and a few mines during the finale. The fifth ramp could have contributed to greater diversity in the firing patterns, which were sometimes repetitive from one tableau to the next. While some segments featured diverse and elaborate arrangements, others were more basic, for example with candles augmented with shells for extended periods. However, it is very likely that most viewers did not note these repetitions. Also, after the show, I heard the designer say that the rain that had fallen during the day may have impacted some of the smaller pyrotechnic devices. I don't know to what extent this explains the lack of fireworks for nearly 10 seconds during Show Me How You Burlesque. I thought that strobe effects or other very short duration products could have been synchronized to the jerky claps heard at that moment. Overall, nevertheless, the show did not seem to suffer from technical problems and offered a very good density of products.

In my opinion, this show's pyromusical design stood out due to its consistency between the pyrotechnic structure of each segment and the accompanying song. Although a couple of products and firing patterns were repeated from one tableau to another, I think repeating a sequence during each part of a song creates a sense of coherence, as was the case with the music for Belle (Notre-Dame-de-Paris). Overall, the fireworks were well-harmonized with the rhythm of the soundtrack, creating crescendos and more serene moments throughout the show. For example, several types of horsetails were displayed during Memory (Cats), a very nice moment of the performance. The finale was excellent, short but effective. This was partly thanks to the nautical shells kept in reserve for the ultimate segment of the extravaganza. However, it was extended by a late cake of serpents in the right side of the firing area once everything was over. To summarize, it was a fairly traditional pyromusical design, less original than Sugyp's two previous shows but probably better structured and executed.

My personal ranking so far:

1. PyroItaly (Italy)
2. Sugyp (Switzerland)
3. Great Sky Art (Japan)
4. Blue Star Pyrotechnics (Canada)

As in the Canadian display, the lasers were integrated so that three of the four mandatory segments overlapped with the pyromusical show. The lasers were better synchronized with the soundtrack and, above all, their effect was greatly enhanced by the smoke blew towards the audience at La Ronde. This highlights a paradox in La Ronde's approach: to reduce polluting emissions, they use technology that only produces interesting outcomes with a large quantity of smoke (due to the absence of projection surfaces).

Furthermore, two performers located in the center of the stands provide entertainment before each fireworks display this year. Starting at 9 p.m., dressed in flashy costumes, the characters Champagne de la Doré and Paillette de la Doré (!) invite audience members to answer general knowledge questions related to the competing country or the theme of the fireworks display. After the introduction of the pyrotechnicians and the national anthem, the actors return to ask the audience to turn on the light on their mobile phone and shout to the viewers on the distant bridge. Their contribution, which deprives us of part of Vangelis' pre-show music, seems to be appreciated by the audience, who interact with them enthusiastically.

When I arrived at the park, a few stage technicians from La Ronde, who are members of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, were protesting in front of the entrance. According to a union post on Facebook, park management declared a lockout on Friday, July 11, following the strike which had occurred on July 3 (the day of the Italian display). This may explain why the Ferris wheel was turned off several minutes before the fireworks and not turned back on afterwards. The light show on the Jacques Cartier Bridge was also turned off in advance, so it did not participate in the countdown marking the start of the fireworks display.

Fred

As someone who does enjoy musicals and also enjoyed the last 2 presentations by Sugyp, I was looking forward to this display.

Overall, as others mentioned, I thought it was very good. I did find that the pyromusical design to be somewhat basic when looking at the earlier songs in the display. Rhythmically, there could be a bit more creativity in how the shells were fired for numbers like «All That Jazz», «Time Warp» and some others. However, at the same time, I give strong praise to a team that actually makes use of the lake — so few teams tend to do that these days.

I did find the shells to be very vibrant and plentiful with some interesting effects. However, I do find the Japan show did have better quality.

As well, as others have mentioned, maybe in part due to the smoke, the lasers were the «best» that I've seen since they were introduced. I also strongly applaud the designers for making use of the permissible overlap between shells & lasers where possible. In other shows that I've seen, there was always a clear fireworks segment followed by a laser segment. The overlap approach allowed for better integration between the two.

Finally, the cool evening weather was wonderful. Can we have this for all shows? :-)

Considering that I've only seen 2 shows this year — Japan and Switzerland, the comparison between the two is difficult. The shows were thematically very different. On one hand, Japan put more thought into its theme and had better shells. However, the finale was non-existant and there were was not much use of the lake. The Swiss show was basically the opposite. As well, Japan had outstanding sychronization.

With that in mind, my rankings are:
1) Japan
2) Switzerland

However, it doesn't mean the Switzerland show should be seen negatively at all. Looking forward to seeing some of the remaining shows!

This was a good show but somehow I was expecting something different from them.

Im assuming the team, being Silver in 2016 with a quite intricate show, went for a more basic approach (specially with the theme and soundtrack but also with the fireworks) to get the approval of the general public and try to get the Gold Medal but i think it was a mistake.

The theme to me was too obvious, not conducted at all, unlike the one from 2016. The 2016 songs felt somehow more unique to me. Having an obvious theme shouldnt be a problem per se. There are plenty of gold medals with very basic themes, but the added issue here was that the fireworks werent too elaborate and somehow felt quite basic. I felt there was a bit too repetition in patterns and effects (color dahlias for example) and segments felt too plain sometimes.

I know they tried to go for the emotion path, a path I love by the way, witjhmore roman candles and shells and less one shots, more focused on the music and growing slowly every segment, but I feel something was missing in this particular display to be considered an «emotional» show.

The use of the lake was very good, product was good, but overall nothing exeptional I fear. I enjoyed the finale with all the nauticals.

Overall a good show for a great season but I truly was expecting something different from them since I really liked their pasta shows.


My ranking:

Italy

Japan

Switzerland

Canada

Here's my review:

https://montreal-fireworks.com/ReportBlog/2025/07/20/switzerland-july-17-2025-sugyp-sa/

As I wrote at the end of this, the level of the competition this year is much more even as all the displays have been at a very good level. After seeing the first four of six, anyone of them is a contender for a Bronze Jupiter, but I can't say there's a stand-out for Silver or Gold yet. The Sugyp display is up there towards the top of the list, especially as it ticked many important boxes such as the use of the entire display area and the lake. We still have two strong contenders yet to perform – and the weather most definitely can play an important role in their success or otherwise. I think had the wind not been so directly at the audience, my impression of the Sugyp display might have been different.

Paul.

For a fourth consecutive time, a Severe Thunderstorm Watch made an appearance for a display day this year. Substantial short-duration rainfall rates affected the island during a mid-afternoon thunderstorm family which prompted a Severe Thunderstorm Warning. Thankfully, as envisioned, this situation drastically improved in time for the late-afternoon and moving forward. Humidity also declined to moderate standards after being very high earlier in the day while under a display-time temperature of 20 C. However, WNW to Westerly winds were quite forceful and blowing the smoke rapidly towards the on-site audience. Furthermore, gusts were faithfully blowing at slightly above the 40 km/h threshold, which raised concerns as to whether this display would be allowed to fire without delays. Ultimately, the green light was given.

The Swiss display came with several attributes that made it memorable in so many good ways. Truly, a nice variety of effects in combination with a rich arrangement of color and high product quality provided a beautiful set of sequences that begged to be admired. Among all pieces comprising this show, I think the segment just before the first appearance of the lasers, entitled "El tango de Roxanne", was superb and really featured great depth to this display. Indeed, the firing angles shown in this portion of the show at the surface were very creative, producing a visually-pleasing sequence of "jumping fish" with red stars that raced gracefully back and forth while complementing the mid- to upper-level shells at the time. The double-ascension girandolas were additionally well integrated into the display, and they stood out much more than what we observed during the Canadian display. The penultimate piece additionally created a gorgeous splash of color that enriched the dynamics of the display further and reinforced what had taken place previously, and it flowed well with the music. The emerging heart shape made of red stars that appeared prior to the finale also made me reminisce about components of their 2016 display.

Another section to really draw attention to was that of "Show Me How You Burlesque". This segment had a fiery feel to it in the available space, turning quickly into a deep red with the crimson stars and other bright effects coming to life. In particular, though, the sequences of strobing stars that quickly alternated between red, white and blue intricately changed quite tightly with the "snapping-finger" sounds engendering that soundtrack, as well as closely matching the portion of the lyrics at the beginning, "more, more, more". While I agree that SUGYP targeted a somewhat more simplistic firing style overall relative to previous entries, I think this particular piece offered us something more similar to (or better than) what we saw in notably 2016.

At the same time, the show was delivered under a fairly good conceptual design. Indeed, the comedic-style theme was regularly felt during this show. Some points could have been made more obvious, but more appropriate songs would restore the proper atmosphere in between the seemingly less relevant ones.

Although my negative points come across as mostly minor (and hinted previously), I think the more significant one here would be the lesser complexity of the show in comparison to their 2016 (and to a degree 2012) attempts. In that sense, I thought that the firing styles were less diverse from one piece to the other, and so this led to sometimes untidy transitions and more of a limited emotional feel. One part where this was readily noticed was the manner in which "Aquarius/let the Sunshine" faded out with no reinforcement – I would have otherwise envisioned the use of long-burning effects to support the fading of that soundtrack, for instance. That said, the level of creativity was still high, but it lacked some of the elements that truly would have made the display stand out even further. As mentioned, some of the soundtrack choices did not make sense to me in relation to the theme, losing the comedic feel of the display during those moments. One case was during "Time Of My Life", as good a depiction as that segment realistically was through the pyrotechnics. As such, the theme did not always keep pace with the sort of clarity that I had hoped for – prior to the display, I was envisioning something more similar to the circus-type approach that was formulated by France 2015.

The finale was good, but as with the theme this year, this one was similarly broken up/separated and so felt a bit short because of the discontinuity. Nevertheless, the volleys of nautical shells, a bit like in the Canadian display, were magnificent as they more forcefully combined with the mid- to upper-level chaos.

Overall, a fantastic display that likely joins so many other contenders for a Jupiter award this year. The complexity of the show came strong, as well as with respect to its product quality and careful selection of products to highlight the generally relevant music.

Trav.