A Pyromusical Experience + Dinner at SM Mall of Asia

When you're looking for a magical and enchanting evening after shopping at SM Mall of Asia, you have a perfect choice. The Philippine International Pyromusical Competition (PIPC) has been held there since 2010, except in 2019 (moved to SM City Clark in Pampanga) and from 2020 to 2023 (due to COVID-19 pandemic). It has been my favorite annual fireworks show ever since I first watched it in 2016.

For the first time since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, and after missing out the 2019 edition in Pampanga due to its distant location from Metro Manila, I watched it this 2025, my first since 2018.

Editor's note: This was updated on March 16, 2025, to reflect the results of the competition.

Overview of the competition

The PIPC was initially launched in December 2005 as the World Pyro Olympics. It was held at an esplanade boardwalk behind the then-unfinished SM Mall of Asia. After the competition's last run in 2008, it was relaunched to its current name in February 2010. Two countries fire in a five- or six-week period every Saturday; the opening night begins with an exhibition number by the Philippines followed by its first competitor, the Philippines closes the competition on the final night with another exhibition after the winners have been announced.

The PIPC is organized by SM Supermalls, in coordination with Platinum Fireworks, Inc.

Who are this year's competitors?

The Philippines, as the host country, does not participate in the PIPC, but does perform an exhibition performance on the opening and closing nights. There were eight competitors from eight countries that participated:

Steyrfire - Austria
LuxFactory Fireworks - France
Polaris Fireworks - China
Rozzi Fireworks - USA
Steffes-Olig Feurwerke - Germany
Faseecom - South Korea
Pyrotex Fireworx - United Kingdom
Royal Pyrotechnie - Canada

Tickets can be found here. Please take note that I am neither promoting nor endorsing the show, and that we paid the tickets for this visit.

Full experience: February 22, 2025

The entire family tagged along with me to watch this spectacular event unfold. This was done on the second of five evenings of the competition, which ran from February 15 to March 15.

Since the venue at SM Mall of Asia is right at the seashore, there are many restaurants that are located at the so-called SM by the BAY.

Dinner first!

We reserved a slot at Giligan's, which we preferred over other choices due to its wide array of fine dining options. The meal is bundled with pre-paid tickets, which were priced at 1,000 pesos each.

A dinner to kick off the evening!

We ordered a variety of meals for our dinner, including sisig, vegetable soups, chicken meals, and more, with a halo-halo and leche flan dessert to wrap up our meal.

Competition proper

The competition started at 19:30 with the singing of the Philippine National Anthem and the opening remarks of the hosts. The presentation of the judges then followed after the competition criteria was introduced.

Diners and guests get ready for the fireworks displays!

Each competitor performs a fireworks display of up to 15-20 minutes. These are blasted off a piece of reclaimed land located 300 meters from the seawall of SM Mall of Asia. Before each competitor's introduction, the national anthems of each origin countries are played before the performances.

LuxFactory Fireworks of France shows off a spectacular debut!

The main show itself started at 19:43 when LuxFactory Fireworks from France started blowing off their fireworks. I saw in subsequent social media posts that this firm is a "debutante" at the PIPC. France was previously represented by Brezac Artifices in 2019 and three other firms since the competition's inception in 2010.

Take a look at some pictures of LuxFactory:

After that, the competition takes a break and guest performers then took to the central stage (which we were far away from our restaurant). Guest performers invited by SM differ per evening; violinist Michaella Torres performed that evening.

Will Polaris Fireworks of China regain its title?

Polaris Fireworks, Co., Ltd. of Hunan, China was the second competitor of that night. While China has been at both the World Pyro Olympics from 2007 and the PIPC since 2010, Polaris first competed at the PIPC in 2015. From 2016 to 2018, it finished at the podium as the runners-up, and clinching the championship in 2019.

Their display featured a grandeur of several shapes of artistic fireworks, showing how they were competitive enough to wow us. Little did I know that they would eventually win the competition.

Take a look at some pictures of Polaris Fireworks:

The competition soon ended a little before 21:00.

My take on PIPC

Spectacular. Fun. Exciting. I have no words to say anymore, but this will truly mesmerize your evening!

Watch my short YouTube video here:

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