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travel / travel magazine / may08
TenBest
The biggest bangs
Settle in on your picnic blanket, then look up - waaaay up - to catch Canada’s best fireworks
When night falls on Québec on
July 3, the crowd in town for the city’s
400th anniversary celebrations will be
treated to what promises to be the biggest
and most spectacular fireworks display
ever created in Canada. Three of the
country’s top fireworks designers have
joined forces to put on the show. One of
the producers is Maude Furtado of
Montréal-based Pyrofest, the company
her father Frank started more than
20 years ago. Furtado has grown up with
fireworks and is one of the few women
working in the field. She travels the
world planning, advising and judging
shows. Here, she offers her favourite
fireworks events in Canada.
L’International des Feux Loto-Québec,
Montréal
The first of its kind, this international
pyromusical competition at La Ronde
includes nine countries synchronizing
music with fireworks. The competition
is an annual event. (June 21 to Aug. 6)
Les Grands Feux Loto-Québec, Québec
Montmorency Falls Park, just 11 kilometres
northeast of the city, creates a
natural amphitheatre for this dazzling
pyromusical competition. It is a magical
experience to see colourful fireworks
by the thundering wall of water. (July 19
to Aug. 6)
HSBC Celebration of Light, Vancouver
This event attracts the largest crowds in
Canada, with some 350,000 people gathering
on the shores of English Bay for
each of four shows. The fireworks are
launched from barges in the bay (left),
making for an unforgettable experience.
(July 23 to Aug. 2)
GlobalFest, Calgary
Set in Elliston Park in East Calgary,
GlobalFest combines a breathtaking fireworks
display and a multicultural festival
with more than 20 pavilions. Four countries
will participate in the International
Fireworks Competition this year.
(Aug. 11-23)
Les Grands Feux Telus, Sherbrooke, Que.
Part of la Fête des Nations, an annual
festival in Parc Jacques-Cartier that is
entering its 11th year, the pyromusical
competition pits Canadian provinces
against one another. The event includes
three stages featuring world music, jazz
and Québécois artists and culminates in a
grand finale fireworks display. (July 15-20)
The Calgary Stampede
The Stampede has earned its reputation
as “The Greatest Outdoor Show on
Earth,“ partly due to its multimedia
grandstand show, which wows the crowd
with LED screens, music, acrobatics and
fireworks. (July 4-13)
Niagara Falls Fireworks, Niagara Falls, Ont.
Not only is Niagara Falls illuminated in
rainbow colours at dusk every evening,
but at 10 p.m. on select days through
July and August, the whole family can
thrill to the spectacular “Fireworks over
the Falls.“ The border city also hosts special
fireworks displays on Victoria Day,
Memorial Day, Canada Day, U.S.
Independence Day and the Canadian
Civic Holiday. (July and August)
Les Grands Feux du Casino du
Lac-Leamy, Gatineau, Que.
Exploding over Lac Leamy, adjacent
to the Casino and Hilton Hotel, the
annual pyromusical competition spans
five evenings and includes shows by
four different countries, each vying
for the coveted steel-and-bronze Zeus
trophy, aptly named for the Greek God
of Thunder. (Aug. 2, 6, 9, 13, 16)
Canada Day, Ottawa
Hundreds of thousands of people flock
to the nation’s capital to mark Canada
Day. Immediately following an evening
concert on Parliament Hill, fireworks
begin bursting into the sky over the
Peace Tower - you can’t get more patriotic
than that. Numerous sites on both
sides of the Ottawa River offer postcardperfect
views. (July 1)
Friendship Festival, Fort Erie, Ont.
This celebration of the friendship
between Canada and the United States
takes place in Fort Erie on the Canadian
side and in Buffalo, N.Y. Fort Erie hosts
concerts, plays and a midway. Both
national holidays are celebrated with
stunning fireworks displays. (June 27
to July 6)
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