Having just celebrated my first ever Luxembourg National Holiday a fortnight ago, I was left in awe of the impressive fireworks display this little country put on for its Grand Duke’s (official) birthday. And so, feeling inspired, I decided to compile a list of my top pick of firework shows and celebrations in Europe. The list is by no means exhaustive and, as I see more fireworks across Europe and further afield, I might find some even better examples!
On a sidenote, it seems both apt and ironic that I’m posting this on 4th of July, the US’s Independence Day, when America doesn’t feature on this list. However, this August I will be making my frst trip to the US of A and will have more material then! In the meantime, happy 4th of July US friends and if you’re ever in Europe, maybe you’ll get the chance to see some of the firework mastery the Old Continent has to offer…
5. La Mercè (Barcelona)
Anyone who’s read my previous post “Fiesta, siesta, cerveza: Spanish Festivals”
will know that Spain has a myriad of festivals throughout the year and everywhere from its biggest cities to smallest villages. One of the most impressive for me – and indeed my first Spanish festival – was the La Mercè celebrations in Barcelona. It was the beginning of my Erasmus in Spain and my friend and I hadn’t even realised there was a festival happening (rookie mistake) when we chose to take a BlahBlah car from hell – looong story – to the Catalan capital in September 2014. This somehow made it even more exciting as we stepped straight into Barcelona’s largest, craziest street party! The annual festival, which marks the end of Summer, pays tribute to the city’s patron saint Mercè. As well as a beautiful firework display on the beach, festivities include a parade of giant wooden figures, traditional dances, human pyramids and beach concerts.
4. Disney Dreams (Disneyland Paris), Bastille Day (Paris) & Musical Fountains Show (Versailles)
Having spent a Summer (2014) working in Disneyland Paris, it would be rude not to emphasise the splendor of Disney Dreams, the amusement park’s firework show taking place each evening before closing. As an employee, I must have seen the display dozens of times and yet each time, I was left with goosebumps. But Disney Dreams isn’t even just fireworks, it’s an illumination show with lights and projections of our favourite Disney characters talking and singing with one another against the backdrop of the magnificent Sleeping Beauty castle. Magical. There’s no other word that sums the experience up better! And for anyone who still believes Disneyland is only for kids, my parents, friends and I can argue otherwise – although we may just be big kids at heart. The only downside is that there are a lot of children on shoulders blocking the view at times and, worst of all, way too many phones in the air – I love making memories, but when all I can see of the show is on the phone screens of adults who should know better, it gets a bit frustrating. Tip: get there early to find a good spot at the front. PS depending on the season, Disney Dreams is called differently and the content changes slightly, for example, with a Christmas or Halloween theme, but each time is amazing.
Of course, no Summer in Paris would be complete without experiencing France’s National Day, Bastille Day. Every 14th of July, the Parisian sky comes ablaze with a glittering array of fireworks, allowing the French capital to truly live up to its name as City of Lights. Unsurprisingly, one of the best spots to see the fireworks is against the backdrop of the Eiffel Tower, although they’re beautiful wherever you are in the centre of Paris.
Another show to consider seeing this (or any) is the Musical Fountains show in the nearby city of Versailles. The show sees the gardens of the charming Château de Versailles come alive with music during summertime, while its fountains are illuminated in different colours. In addition, every Summer Saturday evening, the show ends with a beautiful firework display against the fairytale backdrop of this lovely old castle.
3. Kölner Lichter (Cologne)
Every year in mid-July, Germany’s 4th largest city hosts one of the country’s biggest and most impressive music and fireworks show, the Kölner Lichter, or Cologne Lights. The theme changes each year, from that of ‘love’ in 2015 – the one I got to experience – to this Summer’s ‘Paintings’ (21st July 2018) but each time, the show drenches the city in magical colours and light. During the day, food and drinks are served and the many, many spectators can enjoy live performances by the lovely river Rhine. At night, watching the fireworks over the river against the backdrop of the Cologne Cathedral is breathtaking. And yet, surprisingly, the event is still relatively unknown outside of Germany… for now.
2. Las Fallas (Valencia)
Another Spanish city on the list should come as no surprise since I already mentioned how many festivals the country has. Arguably the best festival Spain has to offers, Las Fallas takes place every year between 15th-19th March, which just happens to coincide with my birthday/birthweek – needless to say I may be biased since celebrating my 21st birthday in Valencia during one of Spain’s biggest parties was simply incredible! Anyway, Las Fallas features four days of non-stop festivities, in honour of Saint Joseph – the amount of Spanish festivals is indeed due to just how many saints they celebrate and luckily for us there’s more than enough of them! The main highlight of the event is the contest between huge paper-machier floats (falles) which residents spend months making. The many floats, spread all over the city, are later set on fire before that year’s chosen winner is burnt down on the final night of celebrations. Regarding fireworks, Las Fallas took things to a whole other level. I was literally dumbstruck at how colourful, dynamic and diverse the display was as the entire city sparkled against the night sky. Be warned though, there is a loooot of smoke and more noise than I’ve ever heard – even for Spain (*stereotypical joke*) and you’ll be surprised at the number of young kids are just casually running around with fireworks of their own. All in all an unforgettable and unmissable experience for anyone looking for good fireworks or just an incredible party in Europe.
1. Luxembourg National Holiday (Luxembourg City)
Again, I may be slightly biased because Luxembourg has been my home for the past two years, but the Luxembourg National Day fireworks display tops this list without a doubt. Luxembourg certainly takes its Grand Duke’s birthday (23rd June) seriously, spending a whopping €5 mill. or so on fireworks on the eve of the event. It may only last some 20 minutes, but the stunning colours and shapes exploding in the sky from an astonishing 26,000+ rockets against the backdrop of the Adolphe Bridge, the Golden Lady or any part of the the fairytale-esque Luxembourgish capital, paired with synchronised music, is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before. It’s also the one day of the year when pretty much the whole of this small, generally quite empty country come together to fill the streets of Luxembourg City. An amazing atmosphere found in this charming little country at the heart of Europe, which may not be the first place to come to mind for huge celebrations and firework shows.
Of course, there are many other places in Europe with amazing firework displays, the obvious ones being Edinburgh and London on New Year’s Eve, but these are my own personal favourites. Hopefully some day you’ll all get the chance to experience at least one or two of them, if you haven’t already. In any case, let me know where your favourite spot is for watching fireworks, in Europe or anywhere else, and I’ll be sure to add them to my “firework bucket list”!
