Symphony Splash 2018 ~ Don't Miss The Cannon Fire!
The 29th annual Victoria Symphony Splash performance was held last night and more than 40,000 people showed up to hear the orchestra play a free concert on a barge in the Inner Harbour.
The best seats in the house are right down front but you need to bring your own canoe.
The mass of people on the lawn of the legislature have no view at all, but the music is played over a large sound system . There is a real party atmosphere - I guess a lot of people love classical music. Me? I'm just here for the cannons! More on that in a moment....
People show up at 6 in the morning to stake out spots for their chairs. The show doesn't get started till 7:30 PM. I had no place to sit so I kept moving through the crowd taking photos. You can't block the isles for more than a moment before a volunteer asks you to move along.
I head straight for the guns. You can't perform Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture properly without cannon fire at the climax, and these young Navy cadets are here to make a loud noise at the appropriate moment - which will then begin the fireworks show at the end of the night. Exciting, right?
I have to be honest, I didn't stay to watch! The crowd was just too big this year, and I couldn't cope with it. Cathy and I took a walk in the park instead. Had we stayed, however, this is what the climax might have looked like:
August 4th, 2013. The guns fire three shots in quick succession - the trick is to time it and capture the smoke coming out of the muzzle of all three guns. I missed here - only two out of three!
Oh, but look! In 2016 I nailed it. One, two, three... boom, boom, BOOM!
And the fireworks display last night probably looked something like this. But where was I?
Watching the sun go down
...and thinking of you :)
Please be sure to check out my latest posts:
* The Trouble With Sunsets ~ And My Attempts At A Solution
* Sublime Sunday Goes To The Library
* International Tourists: Try Showing Some Class! A RANT!
* Fireworks For Monomad
* Happy Vacation @Petals!
* The Swiss Barbershop and Alien Abductions ~ Two Photos for #Monomad
* A Day Late And A Dollar Short!
Thank you @pixresteemer!
Beautiful photos. I don't blame you for not hanging around. I don't really like crowds either. Did you ever take in the Symphony of Fire at the waterfront in Toronto? It was sponsored by the Dumaurier Tobacco company. We went to see it in 1993. Totally awesome. Fireworks set off to classical music...
Thank you! It was crazy last night! Our friends had chairs and a perfect viewpoint but Cathy and I had decided to walk around taking pictures. It was just too busy though. I did see the Symphony of Fire, it was awesome!
We went to celebrate my husband's 50th birthday! And it was awesome! We had front row seats and we could fell the percussions from the displays out on the barges...
Looks like a really fun evening @keithboone. If we were there I suspect we'd be in the canoes although not if we had to sit there from 6.00 a.m. 😱
I'm surprised you were able to get so close to the cannons.
I like where you ended the evening and with a pretty sunset. 😊
I think if you had a canoe or kayak (or paddle board!) you could paddle right up there any time and just squeeze your way into the little fleet. As for the 6 AM chairs - check this out: you stake out your spot by placing your chairs somewhere in the roped off areas, and then you can go home for 12 hours. The chairs will be there, untouched, when you show up for the concert.
That kind of thing wouldn't work in a big city, but it does here. Those cannons are loud! They're firing blanks, of course, so they let you get exactly this close. I was standing right at the rope barrier for two hours so that nobody could block my shot. In the 2016 shot, lower left, a serviceman ducked under the rope in front of me at the last second.
It's like that in the parks for the New Year's Eve Fireworks in Sydney @keithboone. I couldn't imagine that happening in London!
That explains it then. That's dedication. 😁
That firework shot from 2016 is amazing. I tried capturing fireworks but my photos were all blurry. It was too dark, and I have no idea how to truly use my camera yet, lol. Seeing those canons fire would be entertaining, but watching the sunset is amazing as well. :)
Thank you very much! It's best to use a tripod when shooting fireworks. That's another reason I didn't stay last night - I forgot my tripod! :)
Crowds! I understand. And it looks to me that you made a great choice. I think there must be more kayaks per capita there than any where else on earth! Your photos always make me feel like I was there.
Aww, thank you, Melinda. I just did a quick check out in the back shed... looks like the regular number of kayaks to me? :)
Man oh man! I sold two of mine and now there is only one left hanging from the rafters. I'm feeling horribly deprived now!😄
:)
What an interesting event!
Thanks for your support, Erika.
My pleasure!
What a remarkable blog Keith. You certainly do know how to keep us entertained......and inspired at the same time. Large crowds turned out in full and I think I would have felt a bit claustrophobic too but you spoilt us with those superb images from previous years. Thanks for sharing these fabulous photos and providing interesting info as well. (U & R)
Hi Trudee! There is something happening every weekend of the summer in Victoria - got to entertain the thousands of cruise ship tourists that blow through here in about 4 or 5 hours before getting back on board and heading to either Seattle or Alaska. I love trying to capture new things. It's a photographers paradise if you like these touristy scenes. Thanks so much for your support :)
I think Victoria must be one of the most popular places to visit in the world because of the many attractions during winter and summer. Your photos are truly sensational.
Wonderful photographs, beautiful place!
Thank you very much!