Philippines wins 2023 Honda Celebration of Light fireworks competition

Team Philippines' fireworks show at the 2023 Honda Celebration of Light. (Jason Wait/submitted)

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After staging a dazzling performance over English Bay this past Saturday, the champion of the 2023 Honda Celebration of Light has been crowned: Team Philippines.

Organizers of Vancouver’s 31st annual international fireworks competition announced today the panel of judges has deemed Blue Sky Fireworks, a pyrotechnics company based near Manila, as this year’s winning team.

This team representing the Philippines wowed judges and the crowds with their synchronization and effects to a soundtrack theme of “Independence Day (Liberation).” As well, the team from the Philippines won the “People’s Choice” award.

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The two other competitors were Team Australia, represented by Sydney-based Howard & Sons Pyrotechnics on Saturday, July 22, and Team Mexico, represented by Aguascalientes-based Grupo Avacon on Wednesday, July 26.

“Each of the participating teams should be congratulated for putting on a first-class performance, as evidenced by the overwhelmingly positive response from festival goers this year,” said Kelly Guille, president of Archangel Fireworks, the Winnipeg-based company that organizes the fireworks competition every year.

“However, Blue Peacock produced a fireworks display that was a masterpiece of colours, soundtrack, sequencing, and overall excitement and should be proud.”

Each year, the winning team of the Honda Celebration of Light is determined by a panel of judges. This year’s judges entail Vancouver City Councillor Sarah Kirby-Yung, Vancouver Park Board commissioner Scott Jensen, Honda’s Ian Quinn, West End Business Improvement Association’s Gary Gohren, Concord Pacific’s Matt Meehan, Daily Hive’s Kenneth Chan, and Postmedia’s Harold Munro.

The judges score each pyromusical based on the good balancing of show size (10 points), overall design and artistry (30 points), synchronization (20 points), originality of effects (15 points), quality of soundtrack (15 points), and the quality of fireworks and technical precision (10 points). Each show is scored out of 100 possible points.

Thank you, Phillipines! 🇵🇭

The 2023 Honda Celebration of Light has come to a close, with Manila-based Blue Peacock Fireworks dazzling this year’s biggest turnout. #HCOL23 #CelebOfLight pic.twitter.com/SSa9wVSNgc

— Kenneth Chan (@iamkennethchan) July 30, 2023

“Pirates of the Caribbean” takes to the skies for the final night of the 2023 Honda Celebration of Light. 🏴‍☠️🦜 #HCOL23 #CelebOfLight pic.twitter.com/zQYxIM0Nj4

— Kenneth Chan (@iamkennethchan) July 30, 2023

The synchronization of the Philippines 🇵🇭 @CelebOfLight show was pure artistry. I handed in my judge ratings for the three contenders 🇦🇺🇲🇽🇵🇭. Winner to be announced soon. 🏆 pic.twitter.com/yrkoiqINg9

— Sarah Kirby-Yung 楊瑞蘭 (@sarahkirby_yung) July 30, 2023

It was my pleasure joining this thoughtful panel of judges for the @CelebOfLight performances. Incredible shows by 🇦🇺, 🇲🇽 and the 🇵🇭 made our decision difficult. Find out who won tomorrow! 🧐
Thanks to @VancouverPD, @VanFireRescue, @bcparamedics, @ParkBoard and @CityofVancouver pic.twitter.com/eQc6wfb8Em

— Scott Jensen 諸葛丹心 (@ParkBoardScott) July 30, 2023

This was the first time the Philippines was represented in the Honda Celebration of Light. Some of the members of Blue Peacock Fireworks were previously deeply involved in the company of the winning teams of 2014 and 2017, which were won by Akariya Fireworks, representing Japan.

Blue Peacock Fireworks’ leaders were also the co-founders and organizers of the longtime annual Philippine International Pyromusical Competition in Manila.

“We’d like to acknowledge the stunning displays by each of the competing teams in this year’s Honda Celebration of Light,” said Michael McKnight, co-chair of the Vancouver Fireworks Festival Society.

“As we reflect on what was a truly marvelous three evenings of entertainment, we want to extend a big thank you to all of the staff, volunteers and sponsors who make this event possible — and we also want to thank the hundreds of thousands of people who continue to show their unwavering support for the Honda Celebration of Light.”

The event’s 31st year saw a cumulative estimated attendance of 1.3 million attendees across all three nights in the areas in and around English Bay.

For the first time in at least many years, the final night Honda Celebration of Light in 2023 did not coincide with the BC Day long weekend and Vancouver Pride Parade.

The Pride Parade, Vancouver’s next largest public event, will make its return this coming Sunday, August 6, with a new route ending at Northeast False Creek instead of the longtime exclusive location within the West End.

Night 1 — Relive Team Australia’s 25-minute fireworks show at the 2023 Honda Celebration of Light:

Night 2 — Relive Team Mexico’s 25-minute fireworks show at the 2023 Honda Celebration of Light:

Night 3 — Relive Team Philippine’s 25-minute fireworks show at the 2023 Honda Celebration of Light:

Daily Hive is a Proud Media Partner of the 2023 Honda Celebration of Light

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