This weekend again, the hexagonal sky will take on a thousand lights for the national holiday. On average, 15,000 fireworks are fired in France for this single weekend. Invented in IXe A century by the Chinese, the explosive powder used is still mysterious for many of us. Here are the answers to the most frequently asked questions about this.
How much does it cost?
Table of Contents
The question of the price depends essentially on the duration of the show but also on the place where it is drawn and the means deployed. Logically, the longer the show lasts, the higher the price. But depending on the locality, the applied pricing policy will not be the same: in the region, pyrotechnic shows range from 1,500 euros to small villages to 5,000 euros in the tourist area. In the medium and large agglomerations such as Carcassonne, Marseille or Bordeaux, budgets are around 100,000 euros at 200,000 euros.
At the top of the French list, we find the fireworks of July 14 in Paris, whose price amounts to 750,000 euros for thirty-five minutes this year. In this budget, 350,000 euros are really devoted to the devices, the rest funding the staging, staff and security. Thus, when a minute of fireworks at Livarot-Pays-d’auge, commune of Calvados, costs 350 euros, it returns to € 6,800 Marseille and 21,428 euros for the Parisian show.
Colors and shapes: How does it work?
The colors are the fruit of chemical reactions produced by “bombs”. These artifices, spherical in shape, are projected in the sky and produce the colored bouquets at the time of their explosion. These projectiles are on the one hand composed of “black powder”, better known as “barrel powder”, mixing sulfur, potassium nitrate and charcoal. To this are added, skillfully arranged in the heart of the projectile, dozens of metal salt balls producing colors. In contact with the heat, produced by the conflagration of the powder in the bomb, each compound emits a different nuance: strontium for red, baryum for green, potassium for purple, copper for blue, etc. Product of a chemical reaction, it is therefore impossible to qualify colors or produce others, such as pink for example.
The forms depend on the arrangement of these same balls in the sphere. The principle is very simple: to obtain a heart, a star, or a completely different geometric form, it will be necessary to install the granules in the sphere so as to reproduce the contours. However, at the time of the explosion, the rotation of the projectile is difficult to control. This is why you will sometimes see the biases drawings if the calculations are not carried out upstream by the fireworks.
Who produces these shows?
There are several categories of companies in the field. First, we find large groups, such as Pyragric or Ruggieri. These two companies organize major international events and have approved distributors spread across the territory. Thanks to this massive presence, a large number of shows in France are, in fact, affiliated to these groups, without it being necessarily mentioned of their name. In Paris this year, the Ruggieri group is also in charge of the pyrotechnic show. Founded in 1739 by an Italian siblings, the company was bought in in 1997 by the Etienne Le Croix group, producing among others of armaments and equipment against “natural plagues”. The rest is divided between smaller structures, such as Jacques Couturier Organization or the magicians of the fire, and local craftsmen.
What does an artificer do the rest of the year?
The fireworks generate 60 to 70 % of their annual figure on July 14. For this day alone, 15,000 fires are fired in France, against 5,000 the rest of the year. Companies therefore use seasonal workers who come to implement the shows, space from a few hours to several days. Most of these technicians have another activity, that of fireworks being for the most part. However, large groups can afford to employ employees year -round thanks to their provided order book.
From the company’s point of view, the year is divided into several separate periods. From October to December, the fire season is preparing: ordering artifices, imagination of staging but also prospecting of any new features. From December to March, the goal is then for salespeople to win as many contracts as possible. From April to July, this is the splendor period, with a peak of activity on the weekend of the national holiday. Finally, from August to October, it is the leave, a little forced. From there restarts more beautifully the year.
Does it pollute?
To produce the explosions, the bombs are filled with “black powder”, a mixture of sulfur, potassium nitrate and charcoal. This dangerous cocktail produces a significant quantity of fine particles. Indeed, a study by the American Oceanic and Atmospheric Observation Agency (NOAA) demonstrates the drastic increase in these discharges in the fireworks area during and after the spectacle of 370 %. In 2012, Airparif analyzed the concentration of these particles in the air following the show in the capital. Result: an increase of more than 3,000 % in the area, which quickly went down in the following hours.
Finally, the strong sound level of explosions is also problematic for surrounding fauna. A Dutch study shows that during the New Year, shortly after midnight, a large number of birds suddenly fly from the sound of the explosions, sometimes even abandoning their nests.
