2017 Masters de Feu programme: three capitals in the skies above Compiègne

On Friday, September 8, 2017, Masters de Feu invited the public to the Hippodrome de Compiègne for a second edition devoted to travel, creativity, and pyrotechnic excellence. Following a highly praised first edition in 2016, the international pyrotechnic art competition confirmed its ambition: to bring together, in a single evening, three top-tier fireworks companies, three musical worlds, and three visions of light and emotion. The 2017 program invited spectators to journey across Europe without leaving the lawns of the hippodrome, with a theme as elegant as it was evocative: “The Secrets of European Capitals.”

A highly anticipated second edition at the Hippodrome de Compiègne

For this 2017 edition, more than 12,000 spectators were expected in Compiègne, in this singular setting where the scale of the venue makes it possible to stage large-format pyromusical shows. Doors opened as early as 6 p.m., allowing the public to settle in, enjoy the evening atmosphere, and prepare for the competition. Masters de Feu is not limited to a succession of fireworks displays: the event is conceived as a complete, fast-paced, spectacular evening, where anticipation is part of the experience and every tableau contributes to the build-up in intensity.

The competition’s principle is clear: three international pyrotechnic companies each present an original creation built around a shared theme. The jury, made up of personalities from the fireworks industry, the arts, culture, the city, and the general public, evaluates the shows according to several criteria. The audience, meanwhile, experiences the evening live, in that particular tension that precedes each launch: a few seconds of silence, then the music, the first comets, the fire architectures, and the colors that shape the sky over Compiègne.

“The Secrets of European Capitals,” a theme in three destinations

The 2017 guiding theme offered fireworks designers a particularly rich creative playground. With “The Secrets of European Capitals,” the competitors were invited to tell the story of a city, and also what it keeps hidden: its history, contrasts, symbols, rhythms, nights, and legends. Brussels, London, and Athens thus became pyrotechnic materials. Each capital offered a different imagination, balancing institutions, historical power, ancient heritage, urban modernity, popular traditions, and sonic landscapes. The challenge was not merely to illustrate a destination, but to offer a sensitive and spectacular interpretation of it.

In a pyromusical competition, the theme is both a creative constraint and a revealer of style. It forces fireworks houses to build a coherent narrative, choose music capable of carrying a dramatic arc, pair effects with precision, vary heights, pacing, and textures. A European capital can be translated through a color, an acceleration, a recurring motif, a majestic finale, or conversely a more intimate passage. It is in this ability to bring an atmosphere to life that a crucial part of the competition is decided.

Three European pyrotechnic houses in competition

Belgium was represented by HC Pyrotechnics, with Cliff Hooge in charge of the design. The choice of Brussels as an artistic horizon naturally opened the way to a creation centered on a capital that is political, historical, and cosmopolitan all at once. Opposing it, the United Kingdom entered the contest with Smart Pyrotechnics, represented by designer Steve Martin, tasked with bringing London to life in the Compiègne sky. Greece, finally, was represented by Nanos Fireworks, with Pavlos and Filippos Nanos as designers, around Athens, a founding, radiant, monumental city whose imagery lends itself powerfully to the language of fire.

What all three contenders shared was the need to impress the jury within a limited time, with a creation clear enough to respect the theme, yet personal enough to stand apart. At this level, the difference often lies in the details: the finesse of musical synchronization, the balance between power and breathing space, the variety of products used, the mastery of color, the quality of transitions, and the ability to create a lasting emotion. The 2017 Silver Master therefore rewarded technical virtuosity as much as the artistic intelligence of the show.

ArtEventia for the opening and closing fireworks

As in any major pyrotechnic evening, the program did not rely solely on the competitive performances. The French company ArtEventia handled the opening and closing fireworks, out of competition. Their role was essential to the event’s balance: opening the evening means immediately setting the standard, capturing attention, and establishing the tone. Closing it means extending the emotion after the competition, offering the audience one final powerful image, and ending the evening with flair. These non-competitive sequences fully contributed to the overall rhythm of the night.

The opening fireworks brought the audience into the world of Masters de Feu before the competitors took center stage. The closing display, for its part, came after the performances and the wait for the verdict, at a moment when collective emotion is often at its peak. Between the two, the three competitors had to occupy the center stage, each with its signature, its relationship to music, and its way of shaping the sky. This evening architecture gives Masters de Feu its identity: a competition, but also a major popular and demanding spectacle.

A jury attentive to technique, theme, and emotion

In 2017, the jury was chaired by Sandra Lou. The shows were assessed according to precise criteria: respect for the theme, overall aesthetics, emotional impact, synchronization of effects, and diversity of products used. These criteria capture the nature of a high-level pyrotechnic competition. It is not enough to shoot high, hard, or long: one must compose. A competition fireworks display is a form of writing, with its pauses, contrasts, surprises, and climaxes. The jury therefore had to distinguish between complete creations, conceived as true visual scores.

The presence of members of the general public on the jury also reflects the spirit of Masters de Feu: technical expertise matters, but the emotion felt from the stands remains central. A successful show speaks both to experts and to families come to admire a grand late-summer evening. It must be rigorous without becoming cold, spectacular without being reduced to a demonstration. It is this combination of professional precision and immediate impact that makes the competition so distinctive.

A decisive stage on the road to the Gold Master

The 2017 Silver Master carried significant stakes: the winner would join the champions of the 2016 and 2018 editions for the grand final scheduled in 2019, dedicated to the Gold Master. This prospect gave the evening an additional dimension. Each competitor was not only playing for a place in the annual standings; they were also trying to open the door to a later showdown between winners, within a rare competitive cycle in the fireworks world.

For the record, the 2017 standings ultimately awarded Nanos Fireworks, representing Greece, the 1st Silver Master Prize. HC Pyrotechnics, for Belgium, took second place as well as the Public Prize, while Smart Pyrotechnics, for the United Kingdom, finished third. This result confirmed the strength of the Athens theme and Nanos Fireworks’ ability to leave its mark on both the jury and the history of the competition.

A program designed as a total spectacle evening

Looking back at the 2017 Masters de Feu program means revisiting a pivotal moment in the competition’s establishment in Compiègne. The formula was already there: a spacious, recognizable venue, an international selection, a unifying theme, a unique evening, a mixed jury, a prestigious title, and a large audience. The promise was simple and powerful: to watch the best fireworks designers transform the sky into a stage, music into motion, and European capitals into luminous frescoes. On September 8, 2017, the Hippodrome de Compiègne thus became the meeting point for Brussels, London, and Athens, brought together for one night by fire, color, and emotion.