Beacons and Fireworks
Published May 13, 2012 | 
On the 4th June as most of the UK is aware by now is the official date of HRH Queen Elizabeth II Diamond jubilee celebrations, and at around 10:30 pm overseas beacons will be lit a little earlier at 10pm.
Over 4000 beacons will be lit across the UK and commonwealth as tribute to this staggering feat. Beacons have long be associated with defence, in the days of old a watcher would pile wood on top of the highest hill and it would be lit to make the village, town or castle aware of impending doom. In Israel a beacon is lit to signify the first day of the month.
Pirates also used beacons for a different reason, to lure unsuspecting ships onto rocks, before plundering the booty (not the same thing as the word “booty” has come to mean these days).
In Wales the Brecon Beacons were named after the numerous beacons lit to warn of English raiders coming over the border, having spent a little time there in a VERY cold November some years ago with the army, the beacon keepers must have been selected by the old “short straw” volunteer system.
But this year a Guinness world record attempt is to be made to attain the longest beacon chain, currently standing at 2006 beacons the farthest north being 300 miles from the north pole and stretching within 1000 miles of the south pole, 8000 miles from Buckingham palace, this was to celebrate the Queens Golden jubilee back in 1977 (I still have my golden jubilee coin I was presented at school).
It seems there will be fireworks with most of the beacons except in the odd place where it’s not possible due to the surrounding area (on top of the many churches taking part) or the location is a little off the beaten track.
Anyone who has already reserved or ordered our Diamond Jubilee Fireworks pack at just £495.00 (R.R.P £1066.25) need not worry, but demand for the fantastic pack has even surprised us here at Epic HQ so best to get your order in as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
For those of you that want to get into the spirit, but don’t fancy dragging tons of firewood to the top of the local big hill, our bio-degradable, animal friendly sky lanterns would do the trick, it would be nice to see a few thousand drifting majestically across the night skies.
For a full list of the events, locations and what’s happening near you, and lighting times visit the Diamond Jubilee Beacons website.
Moscow Fireworks 9th May 2012
Published May 12, 2012 | 
Bright lights lit up the sky over Moscow on Wednesday 9th May as guns fired several rounds of shots into the night sky in celebration of the 67th anniversary over fascist dictatorship of Nazi Germany in the country. The bright salutes marked the end of the long drawn and devastating war. Hundreds of people thronged to the streets to cheer each salute in tribute to those who lost their lives fighting for their country’s liberty between the invasion in the summer of 1941, until the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945.
Around 14,000 troops were on hand for the ceremony which also featured displays of Russian missiles and other military hardware. A minute’s silence was also observed at 19:00 Moscow time which was introduced in 1965 and has continued to be an integral part of the celebrations since. The country lost 27 million of its residents during WWII, most of which were civilians. Compared to the USA, which recorded losses of around 2 million in total, there really is no comparison.
The fireworks later in the evening were nothing short of spectacular when over 4500 rockets were launched from 14 sites across the capital using 70 specialist firing systems.
Visiting Brothers Pyrotechnics HQ. Episode 10.
Published May 11, 2012 | SERIES 1 – EPISODE 10 – VISITING BROTHERS PYROTECHNICS HEAD OFFICE IN BEIHAI.
DATE – MONDAY 27TH FEBRUARY 2012
Following on from episode 9, we got up early, had an English style breakfast again and made our way to the firework factory to discuss last nights firework demo.
We got to factory around 1000 and discussed the products we liked and didn’t liked, watched some of the videos from the demo, weighed some of the fireworks to ensure they weren’t over the 10kg limit, selected some items to see again, played around with the packing and negotiated hard on price……we were getting closer to confirming the order for 2012 
We left the factory around 1300 and headed off back to the hotel for a bite to eat. After lunch we headed off to see Brothers Pyrotechnics. We arrived around 1500 and we’re greeted by the fantastic team.
We sat down, had a few drinks (non alcoholic) analysed the demo list and discussed the demo which was going to take place the same night. We had a few hours to kill and decided to look around their impressive showroom, the showroom has changed from our last visit and had now been spit into 3 sections, here are some of the pics we took:
Section 1 – Chinese Fireworks. The massive domestic market fireworks showroom.
Section 2 – The Brothers Pyrotechnics Museum – An impressive collection of ancient firework tools, machines, historic posters, catalogues, and loads of other memorabilia.
Section 3 – American fireworks showroom. This huge showroom was full of American samples, there must have been over 1000 different fireworks, here are some of our favourite firework names / labels that made us laugh
You can view more pictures on the epic fireworks flickr account – click here.
After the tour it had started to get dark and the Brothers team invited us all for some food and drink before the demo. We declined. A tactical ploy perhaps (only joking Garry), but from experience mixing boat loads of alcohol and then watching a fireworks demo was a big NO NO….beer goggles and firework demo’s don’t mix. We decided to have the demo first and beer later!
It was pretty cold and the demo started around 2000 and there over 40 items to be seen. It lasted just under an hour and we were quite pleased with some of the fireworks. You can check out the videos on our Youtube Channel.
After the demo we went back to the hotel to discuss the demo and had a few beers
Tomorrow we would go back to Brothers Pyrotechnics head office and start to prepare the order.
To be continued…
How To Make A Lady GaGa Pyro Bra
Published May 11, 2012 | 
This blog is for all you ladies, and maybe for a few of you weird guys out there!
A little while ago we posted a blog about Lady GaGa and her amazing boobies of fire, well here’s a video on how to make your own
All you need is:
- A glue gun
- Sheets of adhesive plastic
- Some wire
- 4 wire rings
- Some sparklers
- Thin sheets of cardboard
- Tape
- Scissors
RED WHITE AND BLUE FIREWORKS
Published May 9, 2012 | It seems wherever in the USA you are on the 4th of July this year there will be plenty of colour.
Possibly the best place to watch a pyrotechnic display this time around will be the Mount Vernon Estates and Gardens.
As most displays won’t actually get going until in some cases as late as 9:30pm, the good folks of Washington get to witness a stunning “Day Time Display”.
The event starts at 9:30am with a reading of the Declaration of Independence from the First Virginia Regiment on the bowling green.
At 12:00pm the annual red, white & blue concert starts, with 80 of the best musicians from all the states of the US, with all the musicians being retired ex-military bandsmen representing every branch of the US forces.
At 12:45 the patriotic music will reach a climax, and signal a red, white and blue pyrotechnic smoke display will be fired over the Potomac River.
Also George and Martha Washington will be presiding over the festivities with Birthday cake for all and a special Independence Day naturalization ceremony for America’s 100 newest citizens with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.
The following describes one of the most important battles of the war, leading to the independence we know today.
The unofficial meaning of the colours are:
RED for valour and hardiness
WHITE to mean purity and innocence
BLUE for vigilance, perseverance, and justice
Written by Disco Stu
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