Russian Light Festival Breaks 2 Guinness World Records
Moscow’s International Circle of Light festival closed Tuesday with a spectacular water and pyrotechnics display, after breaking two separate world records.
The festival secured recognition for the world’s largest image projected by water and largest number of simultaneous flame projections, according to Russian state media outlet TASS.
“I have the honor to congratulate you to achievement of a two Guinness World Records titles,” Guinness World Records judge Seyda Subasi Gemici stated.
Gemici made the announcement during the festival’s closing ceremony, which illuminated the Russian capital with fireworks, dancing water spouts, a laser show, and light displays dancing across some of the city’s most iconic buildings. The sensory overload has been viewed by an estimated 5 million people since it began on Friday with a light and multimedia show.
According to organizers, the festival’s opening event saw Moscow’s Rowing Canal flooded with nearly 300 fountains and 170 fire torches that moved in a complex, choreographed display.
Along with the fire and water displays, the festival also featured a Japanese Hanabi show. The Japanese performance brought in large-caliber fireworks that rattled the city center.
This year’s event was the eighth installment of the Circle of Light, which has taken place in Moscow annually since 2011.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vj3Wzvgum1g
Previous iterations of the festival have won three other Guinness World Record titles, and the event is one of the biggest annual light and pyrotechnic displays in the world.
#Moscow hosts VIII #CircleOfLight International Festival – brilliant fireworks & illumination shows light up the skies of Russia’s capital ??#MoscowIsWhereItsAt pic.twitter.com/HlQIY6u5GJ
— Russia in RSA ?? (@EmbassyofRussia) September 25, 2018
This year, buildings like the Bolshoi and Maly theaters were doused in brilliant images from Russia’s past, along with projections of racing chariots and mythical creatures.
Along with these light displays, the Circle of Light has also become an event for local artists and musicians. This year, the Teatralnaya Ploshchad marked the event by launching a new show on the life of Roman slave rebel Spartacus. Meanwhile, to the south of the city, the historic Kolomenskoye estate was converted into a magical kingdom for children.
#Moscow’s Circle of Light Festival wins two Guinness World Records titles. Over five million people attended this year’s festival #Russiahttps://t.co/0ZVOdc3j4V pic.twitter.com/WVxbFdf4pl
— JuliaPoems (@JJ56123) September 25, 2018
“Fairytale masks and mysterious animals will come alive before … [visitors’] very eyes, while trees will grow golden fruit, Cinderella’s carriage will turn into a pumpkin and Ole Lukoje will invite them to enter a world of dreams,” organizers said.
The eclectic mix of technology and art made this year’s Circle of Light the largest iteration of the event since it began eight years ago, according to the director of Moscow’s sports ministry, Nikolai Gulyayev.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IG2sEWEXo88
“We promise to be back next year with an even more interesting and unforgettable show,” he said.
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