We are competing at The British Firework Championships 2022
We will be firing the second show on the second night (Thursday 18th August) subject to any last minute changes.
The British Fireworks Championships are back in 2022 for its 25th anniversary. Six British fireworks companies will be competing over two nights in Plymouth. Each night has three displays lasting 10 minutes with a 10-minute break in-between, starting around 9:30 PM.
Tens of thousands of spectators watch from all around Plymouth Sound. The main viewing area is on The Hoe, where there will be additional entertainment and food stalls. Many watch from The Barbican, West Hoe and Jennycliff (directly behind the firing site).
The firing site is Mount Batten Breakwater. The judges sit aboard a boat in the estuary. They judge each display on a list of criteria and, at the end of the second night, they will award the winner and runners-up.
The Competitors
The firework companies competing this year are;
(Subject to any last minute changes)
Wednesday 17th August
9.30 pm – Nemisis Pyrotechnics
9.50 pm – Europla Displays UK
10.10 pm – Phoenix Fireworks
Thursday 18th August
9.30 pm – Fully Fused Fireworks
9.50 pm – Sonic Fireworks
10.10 pm – Wizard Fireworks
The British Fireworks Championship has been running since 1997, organised by TESA (The Event Services Association) and sponsored by Plymouth City Council. The 25th British Firework Championships are supporting the R.N.L.I. by way of selling programmes.
Jubilee Challenge
Each competitor has been asked to incorporate a special sequence in their display to celebrate The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. Extra points will go to whoever the judges think has produced the best tribute.
Visiting Plymouth for the Competition
A lot of people travel to Plymouth from Devon and Cornwall. Plan to arrive early in the day and stay overnight if you can. The traffic will be heavy after the event – be patient.
Check the closing time of car parks because you don’t want to be locked in. Public transport is pretty much out of the question as most services don’t run late in the night. Plymouth City Council offers special late services to their Park & Ride car parks. The Falcon bus service to Exeter runs all night.
The best place to view is in front of the Citadel along Madeira Road. You can stand along the wall or sit on the grassy banks below the Citadel walls. It will be busy here, with the best spots taken from early in the day. A quieter ‘party-in-the-park’ style location is Jennycliff and Mount Edgecombe, with people sitting on blankets and having picnics. The display is much more distant at these locations but you are less likely to get caught up in traffic.
New this year, tickets are on sale for viewing from Drake Island. The famous island in Plymouth Sound is just across from the Mount Batton break-water. More details from Drake Island.
Facts and Figures for our Display.
Here are a few facts and figures about the 10 minute competition display we will fire and all the work that goes into it. Many wonder why fireworks displays are expensive, reading the list below you can begin to understand the time and effort that goes into ‘just’ a 10-minute display.
3 transit style vans will take our display from our base in Uffculme to Plymouth.
2.4 tonnes of equipment will be loaded into the vans.
1 tonne of fireworks will be used in the display.
150+ ‘man-hours’ went into the preparation for the display. That’s design-time on Finale 3D software, firing equipment manufacturer and barn fusing.
12 crew on the day will spend approximately 150 hours between them rigging the display.
1242 fireworks will be fired in the 10 minute show. That’s 7597 individual pyrotechnic units.
(Including 105 cakes and slices, 85 roman candles, 410 single shots, 24 flares and maroons, 618 shells [ranging in diameter from 65mm – 175mm].)
1000 firework igniters will be used.
2.6km of cable connecting the fireworks to the firing system.
864 firing cues will be made by our Cobra Firing System via 74 modules to fire the display.
Countries the fireworks & equipment are from include, China, Spain, Italy, Slovakia, Great Britain, Mexico and the USA
Highlights include:
- Aquatic Bursts & Flares fired on to the water
- British-made maroons (very loud bangs)
- 35 by 40 Metre St. George’s Flag in fireworks
- ER II Jubilee tribute and Red, White & Blue finale
Follow along online via Social Media
Join us on Facebook & Instagram during the run-up to the display and during the competition days.
There will be a live YouTube stream (via the VisitPlymouth YouTube Channel)
- Re-watch: Night 1 – Live Stream: The British Firework Championships 2022 – Nemisis, Europla, Phoenix
- Re-watch:
A taste of what is to come below with some pictures from our participation in The British Musical Fireworks Championships 2021 in Southport where we came second in the competition.
