Fireworks are a strange form of entertainment. Thousands of people gather around, often in the cold and the dark, watching a series of explosions tear across the sky. Often, the shows are brief. In the wrong weather, the shows can even be a complete disaster! That doesn’t deter us, though – we have a fascination with the colorful patterns they make in the sky, and we’ll go out of our way to see them. Whether it’s a New Year’s Eve celebration – or the 4th of July in the United States – the majority of us will see at least one large-scale fireworks display in the average year.
Even if we don’t get outside to see fireworks, you might be surprised how many people will sit at a screen and watch recordings of them! There are videos of fireworks displays on YouTube which have upwards of ten million views. There are even slots like Fireworks Frenzy and Fireworks Master on online slots websites such as Rose Slots which use fireworks as a theme, and attract players to come and spend their money playing slots while watching pretty virtual firework displays. If a virtual firework display can earn money like this, imagine how much money a real one can make for the people who put them together. It’s no wonder they seem to get bigger and better every year!
Who puts on the biggest and best fireworks shows, though? Where do we have to travel to see the very best fireworks displays imaginable? We’ve looked far and wide, and we’ve put together your guide to the world’s best fireworks displays right here in this article. As Katy Perry once sang, “Baby you’re a firework, come on like your colors burst” – nowhere do the colors in the sky burst better than at the destinations on our list!
Dubai, December 31st
They seem to do everything bigger in Dubai. They used to say that about Texas, but the jewel of the United Arab Emirates has been competing hard for ownership of the slogan in recent years – and that extends to how they go about their fireworks displays. The annual New Year’s Eve fireworks in Dubai aren’t just an impressive sight – they represent the largest fireworks display anywhere in the world, with the gigantic Burj Khalifa right at the heart of them. That means we’re talking about fireworks launched two and a half thousand feet in the sky! With all the money in Dubai, organizers can afford to be a little ‘extra’ about their displays, so the Downtown Dubai display goes big on length and spectacle. As a crescendo, fireworks burst from seemingly every floor of the Burj Khalifa in the colors of the flag of the UAE.
Paris, Bastille Day
Much like America has July 4th for its largest fireworks celebration of the year, Paris in France has July 14th, which is Bastille Day. For those unfamiliar with the celebration, Bastille day is the anniversary of the day revolutionists stormed Bastille prison, which is considered to be a critical point in the French Revolution. If you think celebrating violent events with fireworks is a little odd, you should try talking to a British person about Guy Fawkes Night on November 5th. Bastille Day is now a celebration of French patriotism, with fireworks to mark the occasion! Much like the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the famous Eiffel Tower acts as a focal point for the fireworks display, and is usually decked out in lights to match the bright light show in the skies.
Addison, Texas, Independence Day
We’ve mentioned that Americans celebrate independence day on July 4th, and on that day you’ll find fireworks celebrations in almost every town and city in the USA. Millions of people go outdoors to enjoy a show, but the people who arguably see the best one are in Addison, Texas. This is a show so spectacular that it’s broadcast on the radio. Yes, you read that right, they broadcast a fireworks show on the radio! Such a thing is possible because there’s more to the Independence Day show in Addison than just the fireworks – impressive as they are. The carefully choreographed party lasts for a full half hour, and is accompanied by a music show specially composed to complement the fireworks. The American Pyrotechnics Association considers this to be the best Independence Day fireworks show in the USA, and if anybody should know, it’s them!
London, New Year’s Eve
Britain hosts fireworks parties on November 5th every year to commemorate the occasion when conspirator Guy Fawkes almost succeeded in blowing up the Houses of Parliament (never let it be said that the British aren’t eccentric), but they pale in comparison to what residents of London are treated to every New Year’s Eve in the nation’s capital. Once again we have a well-known landmark being used as the centerpiece of a fireworks show, and in this case, it’s the big London Eye Ferris wheel. At 135 feet high it’s no match for the sheer scale of the Burj Khalifa, but there’s something to be said for the sight of a wheel shooting off rockets in every direction from the capsules surrounding the steel frame. It looks like it shouldn’t be possible to achieve the feat without putting everybody nearby in danger, but as they pull off the trick every year, we assume they’ve found a way to do it safely.
Sydney, New Year’ Eve
As spectacular as the other shows we’ve mentioned are, nobody knows how to throw a fireworks party like the Australians. The Chinese may have invented the art, but the Aussies have mastered it! The Sydney New Year’s Eve fireworks show is famous around the world, and that’s not just because Sydney is the first major city in the world to welcome in the new year. The scale of the show is incredible, lightning up the entire night’s sky and seeming to go on for miles. The effect is as if the sky itself has torn open in a dazzling array of light, which must cost millions of dollars. It’s also the most-attended fireworks display that we know of – for New Year’s Eve 2018, almost two million people came to the city to see the show, which is best viewed from the Harbor Bridge. Not only is the show massive, but it’s also never the same twice; each year, organizers are tasked with thinking of a new theme. So far, they’ve never disappointed.
