[ladyscraper]

I hope this is the right part of the forum to post something like this.

I have a question/observation about the Canada Day fireworks that are held around Toronto every year. Each year I watch the Canada Day fireworks here in Toronto and then I go watch the 4th of July fireworks in New York (my wife is from New York so we visit there quite often).
I think the fireworks here are pretty good actually but obviously they pale in comparison to the ones in NYC. At first I thought that made sense because New York is a much bigger city but the the more I thought of it, the more I thought that Toronto could do something similar.

It seems like the reason the NYC fireworks are so huge is because they are paid for by Macy's and called "Macy's Fourth of July Fireworks". When the government is not on the hook to pay for something then a lot more money can be put into them and they can be massive... so that got me thinking about the absolutely HUGE banking companies we have in Canada. They could easily afford something like this and just call it "Scotiabank Canada Day fireworks" or whatever and run tv/radio ads about it and have the city agree to put their posters all around the sites where the fireworks are.

So my question is why haven't they done this? It would be the best advertising to be associated with making the fireworks in Canada's largest city a true spectacle.

-or am I just completely wrong and there are already companies sponsoring the city-run Canada day fireworks here?

 

[taal]

Toronto has the worst fireworks in Canada currently ...

Quebec has the best by far! Better then NYC, check out the ones near Quebec city and Montreal.

If you think NYC has good fireworks you really haven't seen many because they're just OK.

Toronto used to have a good fireworks when they were sponsored by Benson and hedges (symphony of fire) or something like that ... those were the good old days.

 

[dt_toronto_geek]

I love fireworks, they're one of my summer highlights!

When Benson & Hedges sponsored Symphony of Fire I believe they spread it over three weeks, 7 performances including the grand finale evening, now we get four performances over two weeks and they're not as spectacular as they used to be. I've not seen fireworks in the US in person (save for when I was in Disney World for a week of training where they blew them off for five or ten minutes every night around 7 or 8pm) my only true reference is what I've seen in films and on TV. It seems to me that the American cities really go all out for fireworks, especially on 4th of July. It's my impression that we (Toronto) pale in comparison in terms of volume of fireworks and in length of the performance.

Sponsorship seems to change every few years and I recall one or two summers when the program was canceled due to lack of sponsorship. I remember CTV partnering with another corporation for several years, now I think it's Canada Dry.

 

[ladyscraper]

It's my impression that we (Toronto) pale in comparison in terms of volume of fireworks and in length of the performance.

I agree that the fireworks here pale in comparison right now but when I thought of all the money our banks have, I realized they don't have to. I am surprised that not one bank has stepped forward to do this. Having their brand of bank tied to massive yearly Canada Day fireworks would be better advertising then almost anything they waste money on right now.

I'm thinking of writing a letter to some of the banks about this but I'm not sure which department to send it to. Anyone have any tips?

 

[gabe]

Best fireworks i have ever seen were the Benson & Hedges Symphony of Fire. Shame the tobacco companies can't sponsor events like that anymore.

 

[dt_toronto_geek]

Best fireworks i have ever seen were the Benson & Hedges Symphony of Fire. Shame the tobacco companies can't sponsor events like that anymore.

They were spectacular back in the last half of the 80's and the 90's. Being as I often work nights I would sometimes miss a performance or two each year but I'd do my best to do my schedule so that I could be down there for most of the competitions.

A late, dear friend of mine was a projectionist working Ontario Place one summer at one of those theatres in the pods somewhere and he got me comp. rooftop seats every night for all seven performances one summer (late 80's/early 90's) and it was stunning. The lights turn out when the countdown begins, we got the simulcasted, synchronized music blasting all around us and truly the best seats one could get short of being on a boat out on the lake. Great memories!

 

[benii]

The Canada Day fireworks at Ontario place was very weak this year. I didn't hear music, and the smoke cloud from the blasts actually covered up the latter half of the show =(