Silver Master 2017 in Compiègne: Greece, Belgium and England in competition

Just days before ticket sales were due to open on April 27, 2017, Masters de Feu unveiled the poster for its second edition. On Friday, September 8, 2017, the Hippodrome de Compiègne was set to welcome three fireworks companies representing Greece, Belgium and England, in an international competition already eagerly awaited by lovers of major open-air shows. Following a highly praised first edition in 2016, the event confirmed its ambition: to make Compiègne one of Europe’s leading stages for pyrotechnic art.

A second edition celebrating Europe’s capitals

The theme chosen for the 2017 edition, “the secrets of Europe’s capitals,” offered fireworks creators a particularly rich creative field. It invited each team to tell the story of a city, an atmosphere, a memory, a shared imagination. Brussels, London and Athens were no longer just points on a map: they became visual scores, architectures of light, stories to be translated into color, rhythm and sound effects.

At Masters de Feu, a fireworks display is not limited to a succession of spectacular scenes. The competition rewards houses capable of creating a true pyromusical show, where the choice of effects, the precision of launches, the variety of figures and the emotional coherence combine to form a complete work. The 2017 edition therefore promised a journey through three capitals, carried by three distinct pyrotechnic sensibilities.

HC Pyrotechnics for Belgium: the elegance of Brussels

Belgium was represented by HC Pyrotechnics, with Cliff Hooge as designer. For this team, the challenge was to bring the spirit of Brussels to the skies above Compiègne: an institutional, artistic, popular and cosmopolitan city. Such a theme made it possible to explore several registers: graphic finesse, festive warmth, but also the rigor of a European capital whose identity is built between heritage and modernity.

In a competition like Masters de Feu, representing a country is never a matter of decorative folklore. It requires a more subtle reading: conveying an atmosphere without over-illustrating it, surprising without losing the narrative thread, establishing a visual signature while meeting the brief. HC Pyrotechnics entered the competition with the challenge of appealing to both the jury and the audience, in a short format where every minute counts.

Smart Pyrotechnics for England: London on the horizon

England was represented by Smart Pyrotechnics, the house associated with Steve Martin for this edition. Choosing London as the thematic horizon offered an immediately powerful imaginary: the Thames, palaces, clocks, theaters, city lights, but also the pop and contemporary energy of a capital that is constantly reinventing itself. For the fireworks creators, this material made it possible to work on drama as much as contrast.

A London-inspired show could play on shifts in tempo, vertical effects, solemn sequences followed by more electric passages. In the open arena of the Hippodrome de Compiègne, the English team had to transform these references into pyrotechnic language: colors, heights, rhythms, silences, surges. Facing two seasoned European rivals, Smart Pyrotechnics arrived with a clear promise: to take the audience on a journey without ever leaving the lawns of Compiègne.

Nanos Fireworks for Greece: Athens as a memory of fire

Greece was represented by Nanos Fireworks, with Pavlos and Filippos Nanos as designers. Athens offered a theme of rare symbolic power. An ancient and contemporary capital, a city of stone, myth, music and Mediterranean light, it gave the fireworks creators exceptional narrative material. The challenge was considerable: avoid the obvious, bring out emotion, and create a progression capable of linking history, solar power and Greek modernity.

Nanos Fireworks, a regular presence on international stages, approached this edition with the ambition of presenting a precise, expressive and generous form of pyrotechnics. In a competition where evaluation depends as much on technical mastery as on artistic impact, the ability to establish a strong identity from the first seconds can make the difference. The rest of the story would give this participation a particular resonance, since Greece would win the Silver Master 2017.

A competition, a jury and an audience to win over

The essence of Masters de Feu lies in this rare tension: three competitors, one evening, one venue, one shared theme and a title at stake. The teams do not simply take turns as in a festival program; they face off within a precise artistic framework. The jury brings together fireworks professionals, figures from the cultural or media world, as well as representatives of the public. This diversity of perspectives makes it possible to compare the technical rigor of the specialists with the audience’s immediate emotion.

The judging criteria value overall aesthetics, musical synchronization, originality, variety of effects, show construction and the emotion produced. For fireworks creators, the challenge lies in balance: you must impress without overwhelming, tell a story without slowing it down, surprise without breaking the harmony. In Compiègne, the competition is decided as much in the sky as in the collective perception of thousands of spectators gathered to experience the same instant.

The Hippodrome de Compiègne, an open-air stage

The choice of the Hippodrome de Compiègne gives Masters de Feu a very distinctive identity. The site offers the scale needed for major pyrotechnic tableaux, while maintaining a direct connection with the audience. Spectators read the shows across their width, depth and height, allowing designers to create complex luminous architectures: walls of fire, panoramic bouquets, gradual ascents, low sequences and grand finales in full bloom.

In 2017, the gates were scheduled to open at the end of the day, before a build-up leading to the competition in the evening. ArtEventia, outside the competition, was announced to handle the opening and closing fireworks, framing the performances of the three competing houses. This setup reinforced the event character of the evening: not three isolated fireworks displays, but a complete experience, conceived as a major popular and international show.

A step toward the Gold Master

The Silver Master 2017 was not just a victory for one edition. It was part of the broader logic of Masters de Feu: to select, year after year, winners who would later return to compete for the Gold Master. This mechanism gives the competition a special depth. Each edition has its own theme, competitors and atmosphere, but it also helps write a longer story, shaped by returns, artistic rivalries and pyrotechnic signatures.

By announcing Belgium, England and Greece for this second edition, Masters de Feu confirmed its intention to bring to Compiègne houses capable of engaging with the great international stages. September 8, 2017 promised an intense competition evening, combining technical excellence, musical creativity and collective emotion. A promise fulfilled by an edition that marked the history of the competition and firmly established the Silver Master as one of the event’s highlights.