We watched the contest from Kaivopuisto near Cafe Ursula. The whole central Helsinki was very crowded, but by lane splitting a bit with my motorcycle we could easily find a good viewing point.

The contest has been set up in the memory of the shelling of Viapori by a British and French fleet during the Crimean war in 1855. The citizens of Helsinki gathered to the Kaivopuisto area to watch the 46 hour long bombardment of the sea fortress, and the flare rockets shot by the fleet at night. Two of the firework shows re-enacted these scenes by simulating cannon shots from the walls of the fortress.

This year the contest was won by Tähtiraketti with their show Evolution. Spectator SMS votes went for Ilotulitus with their show, The Art, Science and Technique.