Hello,

Does anyone know how long the competition is expected to last? i.e. how many more years?

Not that I care, but I just don't want it to ever end! I want it to keep going for many many years to come!

And another question, do you guys think that it will go on until the 50th anniversary? It's a dumb question, I know, but just curious!

Please reply soon.

Regards,

Trav.

When La Ronde was sold to Six Flags in 2001, part of the contract was that they had to keep running the fireworks competition for 10 years. So we should be good until 2010. After that, who knows! I do know that the current sponsorship from the SAQ is up for renewal after next year.

Eventually the competition will end - already there was an article in the Journal de Montreal this year talking of the pollution caused by the competition and how people who live close by were complaining about the smoke. It's only a matter of time before fireworks everywhere are banned. There is a lot of pressure in the US to do this - this is part of the reason that Disney was looking for a launch system that doesn't require black powder - simply to reduce the amount of smoke. At the Symposium last year I spoke to a chemist who is working on producing completely smoke-free fireworks. It is a difficult problem with no obvious solution. So we should enjoy the competition while it is still running because I have a feeling that many people in this forum will talk fondly to their grand children about these strange things called fireworks.

Paul.

all i have to say is

Six Flags must be stupid enough to cancel this competition

Enkil,

the problem is, from a business perspective, the fireworks competition does not make a lot of sense. It is very expensive to organize and the majority of people see it for free from outside of La Ronde - like you and Smoke! The area of the park taken up by the competition site is quite large - imagine how many rides could be put there or how many concession stands. These could generate revenue for the entire season the park is open, rather than just the 10 fireworks nights. Note that no other theme park in the World has a fireworks competition - yes, I know some Disney parks do fireworks. Of course, if they did cancel it, how many people would visit La Ronde just as a theme park? Six Flags probably have a good idea of this number because they can count the people who come to the park when it's not a fireworks evening. So they can easily calculate if the fireworks makes them money or loses it. We have to remember that a sponsor puts in a large amount of money each year - if there was no sponsor, I think there would not be a fireworks competition anymore here.

Paul.

Paul, is the amount of pollution really a problem?

i once talked to my school teacher, i asked her if the pollution caused by this competition is bad? she said its ok for 30min, but not for a 1hour show

can we consider this as one of the most pollution maker in Montreal?

Cars are by far the biggest source of pollution in Montreal since they are continuously producing pollution. The type of pollution caused by fireworks is mainly a problem for people who suffer from asthma since it consists of fine particles ... but if you consider how many people here smoke, then I think, overall, it is not so bad. And I personally like the smell of fireworks smoke!

Paul.

yeah i do too

also, another question, do u know how much revenue Mondial SAQ does? or do they get any?

You'd have to ask Six Flags that question. There are probably public documents somewhere which detail how much money the sponsors give. After the cancellation of the Benson and Hedges sponsorship, the government set up a temporary fund to allow events to continue until they found new sponsors. I remember seeing a report somewhere which said how much they gave to the fireworks competition.

As for direct revenue, the Mondial SAQ doesn't really get any if you think about it. It is just people going to La Ronde and buying tickets. Since there are about 7700 seats, it should be possible to work out how much ticket revenue they get for each display. However, remember that the price for a seat isn't much more than the general admission to the park so many of those people might have gone to La Ronde anyway. I have heard it said in the past, though, that the concession stands at La Ronde do about half their season's business on the 10 fireworks nights. But that might not be accurate anymore since the rides don't stay operating as late as they used to when the city ran the park. People don't hang around spending money at the concession stands if there's no rides to go on.

Paul.

Honestly, I don't think the competition will live to its 50th anniversary, although it's a really a sad thing to say. The sponsors provide the funding for the displays, and how much does it cost to fire one... 40 000$ or something? I don't know. All I know is that the seats are not enough to pay for it.

It's a very complicated thing, these corporate fundings. I don't know the details of how things are done between Six Flags, The Mondial SAQ, the other sponsors, like Air Canada, Molson... how much do they contribute, who pays the bill, who takes the revenue, how it's distributed... I don't know. But it's the same as everywhere else. A sponsor is never there forever. It changes constantly because of contracts. So it could be possible that after Six Flags is done with its 10 years of hosting the competition, it might be gone forever. I mean, I can see this happening. No other Six Flags park in the world has such a thing. Or maybe it will just be toned down a bit. Instead of 30 minutes long displays, it will just last 15 minutes, with less countries participating each year. That could be possible if Six Flags wants to do things cheap (and God knows they love to do that).

Right now I have a feeling that the fireworks competition is more of a financial burden for Six Flags, and that its executives want to abandon it as soon as possible. Money wise. But without the Mondial SAQ, Laronde will have to do something big to keep its attendance rates up. Same thing for the city of Montreal. The Mondial SAQ is a festival in the ranks of the Jazz Fest, the Francofolies, the Just for Laughs... If it's gone, then Montreal will have lost another tourist magnet event. Overall, it would not help Montreal's tourism business. And I don't think Six Flags would care about that since Laronde is mostly filled with locals. Cause I doubt Laronde is on lots of tourists' to-do lists.

Personally, I'd rather see the Mondial SAQ live forever. But we can't decide. It's all corporate...

Hello Paul and Enkil,

Sorry for the late reply.

Anyways, this really sucks! 10 years is not so long, if you think about. I don't think I can stand a summer without the Mondial SAQ fireworks competition!

Not only this, but this will ruin Montreal's reputation of this so called "biggest fireworks competition of its kind in the world!" Right now, we still hold this title, but it's so sad for me to say that it will eventually be over! Why are people complaining so much about the smoke?!

Paul, I remember you saying, a while ago, that by the time we actually get to the display, we will have consume many more pollutants from other sources, like smog, and other particulate matter and circulating chemicals in the atmosphere, more than the given amount of what we intake from the 30 minute display! It really makes sense! Why would people complain? It's true. We take in far less during the display, than what you intake during the day! What's this world coming to!

Anyways, I was hoping that the competition would be holding off for at least another 20 or more years, but it looks like I was way off! At least, when I have children of my own, I would've been able to share my passion with them and show them something they'll always remember! It would've been my treat for them. Now, I don't know if i'll get the chance! Oh well.....

I wish that we could do something to help, but I don't think so! It's all about the money, as badnitrus said!Can you guys imagine a world without fireworks? I can't stand it! Pretty much, all my life, since 1990, I've been enjoying the competition, and I was hoping that it would go on forever! Well, if it ends in 2010, I'll be 26 by then!

Trav.

in begining of competition in 1985, i know that the technologie wasnt high, but now a days, the competition (or the fireworks diplays) have improved

why stop it? why not continu and improve

someone needs to creat fireworks without smoke within 5 year! lol

and La Ronde needs to expand its territory, take all the territory of the other side of the bridge

and make La Ronde, one of the greatest park with the best fireworks competition in the world

im dreaming right? lol j/k

Enkil,

Maybe your dream will come true! I know, for sure, that the park will expand, but I'm also hoping that they'll create fireworks without smoke very soon, so the competition would go on and people would stop complaining! If it happens, it will be more ethical towards society and fireworks will be accepted as something clean and enjoyable.

I don't even know why Six Flags won't continue something so prestigious and popular! It doesn't make sense! Why would they disappoint hundreds of thousands of fellow enthusiasts who've been attending for so long! So, why stop it? It's like destroying Montreal! It's always about the money! I know it can be expensive to sponsor the show and all the funding and financial criteria, but look at how many people love the competition. It's the passion and entertainment that truly counts!

It really isn't fair to do this. Something must be done, and fast. This competition must go on!

I must be dreaming, too!

Trav.

If people want the competition to continue, perhaps the best thing to do would be to write to the SAQ and tell them how important you think the competition is and to thank them for their sponsorship so far. I'm sure if they received hundreds of letters from members of the public in Montreal it would be clear to them the value of the sponsorship. After all, lets be clear: the sponsors of any event don't do it for the love of the event, they do it as an investment for which they want a return.

Paul.

i have an idea

we can creat a petition at http://www.petitiononline.com/petition.html

but i think this would be good to start until 2010 or around 2010

since theres no threat right now, and who knows maybe the site vanishes until 2010

we have plenty of time to do this, at least we will be able to do something

I don't know by how many people you can multiply my experience, but as I try to figure out how to pay all my credit card bills from my visit to Montreal - a lovely tourist attraction on its own, to be sure, but without the fireworks competition I doubt I would visit the same place year after year - I know there is an indirect impact on the economy that can't be measured by ticket sales alone. Not to mention the indirect promotion as my wife and I speak highly of all the attractions of Montreal every year when we come back. And I have to admit I did patronize the sponsor once or twice on our trip. And if there are complaints about the fireworks, put it to a referendum - nothing like a little democracy in action.