Philippine International Pyromusical Competition

History

Beginnings and foundation

In 1988, Ricardo "Ricky" Crisostomo of La Mancha Group International (LMGI), visited a three-day fireworks competition in Europe. His son, Rob, recalled in The Philippine Star that his father was "awestruck" on what he experienced. LMGI was once the leading pyrotechnics company in the Philippines, and the Crisostomo family wanted to bring the concept of such a competition to the country.

La Mancha previously performed fireworks displays during the Philippine Centennial in 1998, and were commissioned by the country's Department of Tourism for its Wow Philippines campaign. It then organized the 1st International Fireworks Festival in December 2002 and the World Pyro Olympics Exhibition in March and April 2004.

World Pyro Olympics (2005–2008)

The first World Pyro Olympics took place in 2005 in The Esplanade at the back of the-then unfinished SM Mall of Asia in Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines from December 26 to 30. Firework materials were placed in the participant's barge floating within Manila Bay, around 300 m from the seawall. It was participated by nine foreign countries. The event host, La Mancha Group, along with the nine foreign fireworks makers, held a fireworks demonstration on the last day. Australia emerged as the champion.

The second WPO was hosted again at The Esplanade at the then newly completed SM Mall of Asia from January 5 to 13, 2007. Nine foreign countries competed in the second edition. The United Kingdom emerged as champions, while the team from China won an award for technical precision. It attracted 500,000 spectators at the main venue and over a million people in surrounding areas.

Rob Crisostomo recalled in The Philippine Star about the difficulty of producing shows for five consecutive evenings. It was then decided in 2008 to hold the third WPO for five Saturdays, rather than five straight evenings, from May 3 to 31. The third event was postponed to the following week due to heavy rains and rough seas brought by Tropical Storm Halong (Dindo). The countries that participated were Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, and Venezuela. Italy won the said competition.

The World Pyro Olympics was often criticized for creating heavy traffic jams, but Rob Crisostomo defended the show, saying that he and La Mancha created it for "families to come together" and not "to create monstrous traffic jams."

In 2009, La Mancha planned to move the World Pyro Olympics to Bonifacio Global City in Taguig, to be held on five Saturdays from November to December in the lead-up to the Christmas season. Apart from the fireworks displays, it would have featured an exhibit of cars, marching bands, and play areas and bazaars. However, the WPO committee decided to postpone the event to early 2010, citing non-stop rains and subsequent flooding that affected the safety of the venue.

Philippine International Pyromusical Competition (2010–present)

SM Supermalls partnered with Platinum Fireworks, Inc. for the first Philippine International Pyromusical Competition (PIPC). On February 14, 2010, Platinum Fireworks kicked off the competition by performing an opening exhibition. The opening night coincided with Valentine's Day and Chinese New Year. It was then held at SM Mall of Asia every Sunday from February to March. The United States, United Kingdom, China, France, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia and Australia participated in the competition. Each participant performs a fireworks display for a minimum of fifteen minutes. The Philippines then closed the first edition on March 14.

In 2011, the competition moved to Saturdays, where it has remained ever since. The competition expanded to six weeks from five in 2012. From 2011 to 2013, the Philippines provided only the closing exhibitions, before performing both opening and closing exhibitions by 2014. Since 2013, the Philippine Pyro Enthusiasts Association has been one of the most prominent supporters of the PIPC. The association is composed primarily of Filipino members, along with a select number of international affiliates, all of whom actively advocate for the growth and recognition of the fireworks and pyrotechnics industry in the Philippines.

In 2019, competition organizers moved the Philippine International Pyromusical Competition from SM Mall of Asia to SM City Clark in Angeles City, Pampanga, to support the Manila Bay Rehabilitation Program by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

The competition was put on hiatus in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In March 2024, competition organizers announced its return after a four-year hiatus. With the completion of Manila Bay's rehabilitation, the competition returned to SM Mall of Asia. It was however shortened back to five weeks, and was moved to May−June instead of the usual February−March. Skyglitters Enterprise of Valenzuela City was tapped as co-presenter along with Platinum Fireworks, Inc. The following year, the competition returned to its former schedule, with Platinum Fireworks returning as the sole presenter. Since its 12th edition, the Philippine International Pyromusical Competition has been held on the newly reclaimed land behind SM Mall of Asia, a change from the previous editions which were held on a barge.

Participating teams

(Host nation highlighted.)

Winners

(*) Also the recipient of the People's Choice Award

References

References

1. (November 20, 2009). "A family fired up by fireworks". The Philippine Star.
2. Villanueva, Rhodina. (November 27, 2005). "Pasay to host aerial fireworks Olympics". The Philippine Star.
3. Villanueva, Rhodina. (January 1, 2006). "Australia wins pyro olympics in Manila". The Philippine Star.
4. "Participants".
5. "Event Description".
6. "Event Program - Schedule".
7. "Location Map".
8. "Participants".
9. (December 10, 2009). "World Pyro Olympics postponed". The Philippine Star.
10. "Previous Participants". Platinum Fireworks, Inc..
11. "The Biggest and Greatest Pyromusical Show Moves to SM City Clark!". [[SM Supermalls]].
12. Vibal, Leana. (March 4, 2024). "The Philippine International Pyromusical Competition Is Back".
13. Uson, Melanie. (November 5, 2024). "Attention, pyro fans! Philippine International Pyromusical Competition is returning in 2025". PhilSTAR Life.