Sparks in the Park
Sparks in the Park is an annual fireworks display held each year on or around Guy Fawkes Night in Cardiff, Wales.
The event takes place in Cooper's Field in Bute Park, behind Cardiff Castle. It has been running each year since 1981, and has become the biggest regular annual fireworks display in Wales, and one of the biggest in the UK, attracting around 20,000 people.[1][2]
The event is organised by local charitable and social networking group Cardiff Round Table, one of the largest branches in the UK of Round Table (club). It is a non profit event- all proceeds are distributed to charity, primarily in and around the Cardiff area.[1] Charities to have benefited from monies raised during Sparks in the Park 2009 include the Christian Lewis Trust, the Sequal Trust, Vitalise, CLIC Sargent, Round Table Childrens Wish, Barnardo's Cymru and Hospital Radio Glamorgan.
The name "Sparks in the Park" has also been adopted by Independence Day fireworks displays held in Highland, Michigan (see website below) and in Texarkana, Arkansas, and by Norwich City Council's annual displays.
History
The first Cardiff Round Table Fireworks (the name Sparks in the Park was adopted later) took place in 1981. Approximately 1,500 people turned up and the total spend on fireworks was £800.
Volunteers from Cardiff Round Table did all the catering, lighting set up, generators etc themselves. They even made and fired the actual fireworks.
Since then, the event has grown and grown. The highest ever attendance was an estimated 21,000 and the most money ever raised for charity was £45,000.
Although it has been in Coopers Field for most of it's life, prior to 2009, the event had been held for several years in Blackweir Field[3], at the north end of Bute Park, further away from the city centre. This was because of concerns that Cardiff Council had about the potential damage to Cooper's Field. Improvements made to drainage and access on the site have made it possible for the event to move back.
Various other events have also been held in Coopers Field in 2010, such as a concert by Florence and the Machine and Cardiff Mardi Gras.
2009
Turnout at the 2009 event was estimated by organisers to have increased by 15% compareed to the previous year. Attractions included a fairground and a music stage run by Red Dragon FM.[3] In 2009, £5,000 of the proceeds were distributed in the Round Table Echo Sparklers campaign, run in conjunction with local newspaper the South Wales Echo.
2010
Sparks in the Park 2010 was even bigger, with nearly a 50% increase in turnout compared to 2009. In addition, the 2010 event saw the introduction before the main fireworks of a special children's firework display.
Sparks in the Park 2010 was again supported by Cardiff Council and by Red Dragon FM, who provided music and event hosts Kam Kelly and Sally Bailey from Red Dragon's flagship "Kam and Sally at Breakfast" show. The main sponsors of Sparks in the Park 2010 were Admiral Insurance.[1]
Aims of Sparks in the Park
1. To provide a central, organised firework display for Cardiff, and thus to discourage local families from holding their own amateur displays. This is with the aim of reducing firework related injuries in the Cardiff area.
2. To raise money for good causes, primarily in and around Cardiff.
References
External links
Homepage
Other Links
- South Wales Echo- details of some of the good causes to have benefited from Sparks in the Park 2009
- Sparks in the Park Facebook Page
- Cardiff Round Table Twitter Page
- Cardiff Council Events page
- Visit Cardiff
- Charity Commission page for Cardiff Round Table No. 26
- Article from The Guardian naming Sparks in the Park as one of the UK's 10 biggest fireworks displays
Other events using the Sparks in the Park name