Road closures will be in place across the weekend to facilitate the British Musical Fireworks Championship in Southport. The annual pyrotechnic competition is held in Victoria Park, with traffic restrictions in place around the area.
Event schedule and judging
A panel of judges will score each performance to determine the winner during the event, which spans two nights from Saturday, September 26 to Sunday, September 27. Both events begin at 5.30pm with a 9.30pm curfew.
Firework teams will launch their displays into the sky choreographed to a musical soundtrack. Displays vary with unique moods, patterns, colours, effects, timing and overall designs depending on what the team is trying to convey.
Full list of road closures
Road closures will be in place from Saturday at 6pm until Sunday at 11.59pm. The full list of traffic restrictions includes:
- Rotten Row
- Duke Street
- Esplanade
- Kingswood Park
- Victoria Way
- Blandford Close
- Marine Drive
- Oxford Road
- Palace Road
- Ascot Close
- Weld Road
- Coastal Road
Scale of the displays
More than 10 tonnes of fireworks and two tonnes of explosive materials will be deployed by pyrotechnic specialists demonstrating their artistry during the contest. Each performance demands roughly five kilometres of cabling to connect the electrical systems, with approximately 15 technicians working for more than 12 hours to set up the show.
Some of the bigger fireworks will reach heights of 500 metres, with all presentations carefully handmade by the individual teams. A full list of displays and the complete schedule is available in a dedicated guide.
