The Sabah International Fireworks Competition has been “postponed” for the 2nd time, this time to 2015. No reason was given.
The organiser, iMaginators, posted on their own and the SIFC Facebook pages 2 days before the event to make this announcement, and their previously-pretty-uninformative website has since been replaced by just 1 sentence: “Due to unforeseen circumstances, SIFC has been postponed to 2015. We apologise for any inconveniences caused.”
The Sabah International Fireworks Competition was billed to draw professional fireworks teams from the UK, USA, Finland, China, Australia, Japan, France and Thailand.
The Sabah International Fireworks Competition
The teams that were coming to Kota Kinabalu for the Sabah International Fireworks Competition (SIFC) are artists in their own right – designing the explosives, their effects and the dramatic display with a plan and purpose.
Fireworks competitions pit teams against each other to see who can put on the best show and, as a happy side-effect, entertains thousands of onlookers – usually both those present at the site and those from far far away.
At most international fireworks competitions the music is broadcast over local radio in addition to on site sound systems, so that spectators not at the site can still enjoy the full experience.
Fireworks Competition Judging Criteria
Fireworks competitions are not just the act of setting off fireworks for the sake of blowing things up in a colorful way, although that is, undoubtedly, lots of fun.
Fireworks competitions are much more.
Teams are usually restricted by budget and the amounts of ordinance (explosives) they can use for every display, which varies in length depending on the competition requirements.
Judging criteria also varies, but the artistic evaluation may include synchronisation of fireworks to music, the choice of music, the mood and flow of the display and fireworks symmetry, patterns, colours and effects.
There’s also technical aspects including technical synchronisation, site safety management, and the overall timing of the display.
Here’s a little taster of what we missed, courtesy of a recent fireworks display held in Monaco: