Top 5 Annual Firework Displays Worldwide

by Shabana Adam | 2 November 2012

Where are your favourite places to watch firework displays?

Many Londoners will flock to the Blackheath’s famous display, those in the South East may head to Leeds Castle’s annual ‘Spooktacular’ event, whilst those in Wales might visit what organisers claim to be the biggest firework event in the UK –‘Sparks in the Park’, in Cardiff.

However, Momondo says that fireworks should be enjoyed more than once a year…here are the travel site’s Top Five Annual Firework Displays, all renowned for wowing the crowds worldwide:

1. New Year’s Eve at Copacabana, 31 December 2012Over two million people each year watch the impressive New Year’s fireworks at the Brazilian beach, named in honour of Our Lady of Copacabana. For those whom music and passion are always the fashion, Copacabana is the place to be on NYE – last year David Guetta held a free concert. Return flights from London to Rio de Janeiro in December (returning in January 2013) start from £549 on momondo.co.uk.

2. Kentucky Derby Festival, 15 April – 2 May 2013The pyrotechnic masterpiece - part of the annual Kentucky Derby Festival in Louisville, Kentucky, is widely considered the largest firework show in North America. Head to the festival to catch other fun events such as the Great Balloon Race, Great Steamboat Race, and Pegasus Parade. Return flights from London to Kentucky in April 2013 start from £522 on momondo.co.uk.

3. Madeira Fireworks Festival, 8, 15, 22 & 29 June 2013Every year Madeira hosts its own Fireworks Festival - and on every Saturday in June a pyro-musical show fills the bay of Funchal with light and colour. Funchal claimed the title for ‘the largest fireworks display in the world’ in 2006, and has yet to be challenged. Return flights from London to Madeira in June 2013 start from £230 on momondo.co.uk.

4. Macy’s New York show, 4 July 2013Each year, to celebrate US independence, millions of people gather near the Hudson River, to view the Macy’s Fourth of July Fireworks show, in New York City. In recent years, the illuminating spectacle has been launched from six barges along the river, with over 40,000 shells - exploding over a thousand feet into the air, above peering crowds. Flights from London to NYC in July 2013 start from £383 on momondo.co.uk.

5. New Year’s Fireworks on Sydney Harbour, 31 December 2012Lastly, Austrailia is home to possibly the most well known global firework event, held annually on New Year’s Eve at Sydney Harbour. With 1.5 million spectators, the array of fireworks can easily be seen from the inner west Gladesville Bridge, to the famous headlands, forming the entrance to the harbour in Sydney Harbour National Park. Flights from London to Sydney in December 2012 (returning January 2013) start from £819 on momondo.co.uk.