The 27^th Macau International Fireworks Display Contest will be held on the spectacular shorefront of the Macau Tower on 5^th, 12^th, 19^th, 27^th September and 1^st October. Ten contesting teams will brighten up the city skyline with spectacular fireworks on the designated nights. Displays last approximately 18 minutes, with two competing countries per evening.

The teams from France and Austria will battle it out on the evening of the Mid-Autumn Festival and World Tourism Day, 27^th September, while the Australian and Mainland China teams will stage their fireworks displays on 1^st October, the grand finale of the contest and China's National Day.

By order of the contest programme, the ten teams this year hail from Malaysia; Portugal; Finland; Taiwan, China; Korea; Italy; France; Austria; Australia and Mainland China. Malaysia and Finland are two newcomers to the contest; similarly, the companies from Italy and France will stage their first performance in Macau.

Red Flame Special Effects Sdn. Bhd. from Malaysia, with more than 20 years of experience in the industry, has participated in a number of international fireworks events, winning second place in the Malaysia International Fireworks Competition in both 2007 and 2008. Suomen Ilotulitus Oy - Finnish Fireworks Ltd. from Finland has over 60 years of experience in the industry, organizing more than 200 shows every year. The company was the champion of the Samobor International Fireworks Festival 2012, in Croatia.

Parente Fireworks from Italy, with over a century of pyrotechnic history, was awarded the championship in the Danang International Fireworks Competition in both 2011 and 2012. To celebrate the 50^th anniversary of the Kuwaiti constitution, Parente Fireworks produced a mega fireworks show in Kuwait in 2012, which was listed as a Guinness World Record-breaking event at the time. Meanwhile, artEventia from France, established in 2013, incorporates different elements into its fireworks shows, standing out by integrating massive projected images, lights, water jets and multicolour lasers to create multidisciplinary shows.

This year, Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) again requests competing teams to choreograph their fireworks displays to both music and laser light projections to enhance the audience experience with a more fascinating light and sound spectacular. Spectators can view live broadcasts of the fireworks shows with background music on TDM - Radio Macau's Chinese Channel (FM 100.7) and TDM - Macau TV Channel every fireworks evening.

In addition, MGTO will again present the SMS Game and Fireworks Carnival this year to encourage residents' participation in the event, with the Tourist Office actively promoting this year's fireworks display contest via a cannonade of international, regional and local media.

The 26^th Macau International Fireworks Display Contest photo competition, student drawing competition and trophy design competition awards ceremony was held on 23^rd June, with winners list announced on the MGTO website. The award exhibition is being held in the lobby of Tourism Activities Centre until 26^th July.

For more details of the 27^th Macau International Fireworks Display Contest, please visit: http://fireworks.macautourism.gov.mo