Skyfire is an annual March fireworks show held overLake Burley Griffin inCanberra,Australia since 1989. The event is funded by local radio stationshit 104.7 andMix 106.3,[2][3][4] and the display is synchronised to a soundtrack of music broadcast on the stations.
This section needs to beupdated. The reason given is: half the years event was held are missing. Sources missing. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(February 2021)
The first Skyfire was held on 18 March 1989, as FM 104.7's contribution to the Canberra Festival that year.[1]
Around 60,000 people attended the second Skyfire on 11 March 1990, which was put on at a cost of around A$100,000.[6]
On 10 March 1991, Skyfire III saw more than 2.5 tonnes of fireworks launched into the sky for Canberra's viewing pleasure.[7]
In 1992, Skyfire was held on 8 March. It featured 3 tonnes of pyrotechnics and lasted for 35 minutes.[8]
Skyfire V, on 7 March 1993, featured 436 separate shots, coordinated to music by artists including Madonna,Midnight Oil and Prince.[9] The show used more than five tonnes of fireworks, launched from 10 pontoons floating in the middle of the lake.[10]
In 1994, Skyfire was held on 13 March and featured 6 tonnes of aerial and water fireworks worth almost A$250,000.[11]
Skyfire X, on 8 March 1998, attracted an estimated 120,000 visitors.[12]
Skyfire XI, held on 7 March 1999, had grown to attract an estimated 180,000 visitors.[13]
The 2006 Skyfire was held on 4 March, and called "Skyfire 18" because it was the eighteenth year of the fireworks. The day has become a large event with other activities including a display by theRoulettes aerobatic squadron and a performance byLee Harding. There were around 35,000 individual fireworks used, with approximately 6,000 shooting comets and almost 3,000 shells.
More than 170,000 visitors turned out to see Skyfire 19 in 2007.[citation needed]
Skyfire 21 was held on 21 March 2009, with fireworks commencing at 8.33pm and lasting for 21 minutes. The firing zone was down the centre basin ofLake Burley Griffin up to Anzac Parade and Parliament House down to Regatta Point.[14] Fortunato Foti and a band of pyrotechnicians from Foti International Fireworks provided the show which was "at least 30 per cent bigger than the previous years,"[15] with "over 3,000 aerial fireworks, 15 to 20,000 shooting comets".[15] One barge shot off a few more fireworks for 5–10 minutes after the show completed.
On 19 March 2011 around 80,000 people attended Skyfire. That year over 30 youths were taken into custody by police for underage drinking at the event.[16] The following year, 130 police were employed to patrol Skyfire, and youth reception stations were set up at the event.[17]
The 2012 event featured more than 2,500 aerial fireworks.[18]
Skyfire in 2014 utilised around 3,000 individual cues and approximately eight kilometres of cabling.[20]
Skyfire 2018 featured 40,000 pyrotechnic effects, 2,500 shells and 25,000 shooting comets. The firework display started at 8:30pm with events at Regatta Point starting at 6:00pm including music, Federation Guard displays and aRoyal Australian Air Force (RAAF) fast jet handling display.[21]
Skyfire was cancelled in 2020, for the first time, due to thecoronavirus pandemic in Australia. In November 2020, the 2021 show was also cancelled due to the pandemic.[22]
On 26 October 2023 at 8am local time, as part of a huge announcement, it was announced that Skyfire would return on 16 March 2024, after a 5-year hiatus due to the pandemic.[22] amplifyCBR radio stationsHit104.7 andMix 106.3 Canberra both co-hosted the event live from Regatta Point andLake Burley Griffin.[2][3][4]
Featured more than 20 tonnes of equipment set up in 11 positions along 400 metres of the lake's central basin, and more than 2,000 kilograms of explosive content.
^abc"The festival is in full swing".The Canberra Times. Vol. 63, no. 19, 519. Australian Capital Territory. 18 March 1989. p. 5. Retrieved16 March 2024 – via National Library of Australia.The FM104.7 contribution to Canberra Festival, Skyfire I, will explode over Kings Park tonight
^abBrown, Andrew (23 November 2020)."Skyfire 2021 cancelled due to coronavirus".The Canberra Times.Australian Community Media. Retrieved19 February 2021.... the safety and health of the Canberra community was the priority. .... We have made the difficult, though responsible and sensible decision, to cancel for 2021... – Canberra FM Radio general manager, Craig Wagstaff
^Mapstone, Naomi (13 March 1995)."Skyfire sparks the imagination".The Canberra Times. Vol. 70, no. 21, 879. Australian Capital Territory. p. 1. Retrieved16 March 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
^"Police praise Skyfire crowd".The Canberra Times. Australian Capital Territory: Fairfax Media. 15 March 2015.Archived from the original on 10 May 2015.
