Fire in the sky

Pyrotechnic teams from the United Arab Emirates and the United States battled it out in the finals of the fifth Thailand International Fireworks Contest in Pattaya Bay last month in front of a crowd of 450,000 enthralled spectators. It was a very close call but the Americans eventually won the grand prize and were awarded the Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn trophy.

The fifth contest in celebration of His Majesty the King’s seventh cycle birthday anniversary was officially presided over by Defence Minister and firework committee president Gen Yuthasak Sasiprapha on the beach of Pattaya City.

The event kicked off with firework displays by Royal Thai army forces and followed up with the shows by the US and UAE, whose pyrotechnic displays were accompanied by music. 

The grand finale featured a dynamic and colourful firework exhibition by the nine teams taking part this year. Australia, China, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Philippines, and Thailand all shot their fireworks in unison, making for a magnificent synchronised display.

Some 100,000 fireworks were used during the two-day show.