A FIREWORKS COMPETITION??? 
Not just a fireworks competition, a pyromusical fireworks competition between three other choreographers from three different countries. To say the night was a “night to be remembered” would be an understatement and a disservice to everyone who was there.
The night was LEGENDARY!
If you have never experienced a pyromusical, I will do my best to do it justice. They describe a pyromusical like watching a concert in the sky. This is not just a firework show with music in the background, this is a firework show completely synchronized with the music that is playing.
If you have ever gone to someone’s house during Christmas (and sometimes Halloween) time and watched how they synchronized the lights to the music that is playing on an FM radio, you have an idea of what I mean by synchronized. That light show is created with a computer program and Christmas lights to create the light effects when the music pops.
A Pyromusical is just like that, except with fireworks! With each down beat, a firework would pop off! This happened dozens of times throughout each choreographer presenting what they could do with 3-5 songs. It was spectacular!
BEFORE THE SHOW
When we arrived, we were able to bring our wagon basket, chairs, bug spray and blankets to the site to set up. The field available was huge and no matter where you chose to sit, it was a great spot to see the show. The portajohns were clean and had a row of them lined up next to the stage for easy access. You could hear the music of the performers throughout the whole venue and there was plenty of room to walk up, watch the performers, dance, and sing along with the oldy but goody tunes!
FAMILY FUN
The kid zone contained a large obstacle course moonbounce, a jumbo sized inflatable slide, and an axe throwing inflatable, which was perfect for my 5 and 10 year old. The axe throwing inflatable was the winner, because the inflatable axes had some weight to them and they stuck to the bulls eye when it hit! Then there was a large connect four and a ring toss available as well! For the adults and high school aged teens, there was a real axe throwing cage to try out. If you have never thrown an ax, it surprisingly takes a bit of skill and was a great addition for the event! There was something for every age group and it truly showed the amount of thought put into the event.You can check out examples of what this looks like here!
FOOD TRUCKS
The event had at least 20 or more food trucks with a variety of foods available for purchase. Including food trucks for edible cookie dough, donuts, tacos, barbeque, and of course something with french fries for my picky eaters. One of the coolest food trucks had something called a pineapple slushie and it was made in a real pineapple with pineapple rings all around it! This was clearly the showstopper of the food trucks.
FIREBALLS!
To help keep the audience warm, and to inspire and awe the crowds, they would blast large fireballs of gasoline in the air! Scary? A touch. Really Cool? You betcha!
THE COMPETITION
Once the firework show started, you were able to vote via an app for your favorite firework company. They also had a panel of judges there for the competition, but being able to have a say in what we enjoyed was a nice touch to the show. The three pyrotechnic choreographers in the show that participated in the competition were the following:
AnΔ±l Hepyücel from Turkey
Jan Lexter Pecaña from the Philippines
Daniel Schäffler & Timo Lüttmann from Germany
After the three shows, Innovative Pyrotechnic Concepts (IPC), who sponsored and produced the competition presented the finale. The finale was the clear showstopper of the night! There has to be an art to picking the right songs for these competitions because whoever did that, is a pure artist in their own right.
WHERE CAN I SEE THEM?
This is the first annual fireworks competition by IPC that my family has been to and I can not wait to see another! IPC(Innovative Pyrotechnic Concepts) produces more than 200 shows per year in the Southern Maryland, Northern Virginia, and Greater DC areas. You can visit their website or find them on facebook to check out their events. I highly recommend attending an IPC show to see what this is all about.
You will want to add this to your family’s bucket list...... and once you go, you will never see fireworks the same again!
