This is one of the essential companies at the Fallas of Valencia. For over forty years this company has been manufacturing, assembling and firing all kinds of pyrotechnic devices. This year they are offering a display for the first time in Tarragona, although their company of origin, Antonio Caballer Llorens, has obtained remarkable prizes at our competition. Zamorano Caballer has a factory of over 15,000 suqre metres. Among the prizes they‘ve been awarded the following stand out: first prize at the fireworks competition in Donostia in 1992 and second prize in 1996; first prize at the „Mascletaes“ competition in Alacant in 1996 and 1999; first prize at the competition in Valladolid in 1998 and second in 1999; first prize at the „mascletaes“ competition in Castelló in 1988, 1989, 1992 and 1995; second prize at the fireworks competition in Castelló in 1992 and second in Logroño in 1990. Some of their usual performances take place at the festivities of Xàtiva (Valencia) and at different places in the USA, Canada and France.

Holland is taking part in the international competition of Tarragona for the first time. Skylight has been watching the evolution of our competition attentively and finally, this year both their interest and ours seem to have coincided and their participation has been accepted. Skylight offers performances with a good finish and a remarkable beauty in design, which yearly amount to about 300 firings. The manager, Adrianus Bruines Boeschoten looks for the best products from the best manufacturers in order to design bright displays. The Dutch are very good at working in firing areas right by the water, so the Punta del  Miracle is the ideal place for them.

In this respect there have been several important commemorative festivities by the European rivers Rhine and Waal. Outstanding displays to enhance the beauty of important monuments like Sondenburg Castle in Vollenhove, apart from their performances in Sakura (Japan). Their displays combine  shells fired from mortars and other very special shells that leave beautiful trails in the sky. This company won the Dutch International Pyrotechnics Festival in Scheveningen in 1991, 1994, 1997, 1998 and 1999. Supplier of the Dutch Royal Family, this is one of the international companies that has dared to perform what has been considered as the first pyromusical display ever, and which was composed by Händel. Among its latest great performances we must mention the nine displays they fired in March 2002 in Japan in commemoration of the ten years since the building of a copy of the Queen of Holland‘s Palace.

This is the second time that this historic company from Zaragoza has taken part in the competition at Tarragona. Founded in 1866, it‘s one of the oldest in Spain. It is the pyrotechnic company that has fired most times at the Donostia international competition, in which they obtained first prize in 1964 and second prize on four occasions. Their speciality are candles and cylinder shells, many of which are exported, mainly to France, UK, Canada, Germany and the Netherlands. Zaragozana is today the major exporting company in Spain. They won the first prize at the competition in Burgos in 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2001; first prize in Móstoles (Madrid) in 1998, 1999 and 2000;first prize at the pyromusicals in St.Brevin Les Pins (France) in 1999; second at the Blanes competition in 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000; first prize at the Sanfermines competition in Pamplona in 2000. They also hold a first prize at the Belgian competition of Knokke and another first at the French competitions of Cannes and Capdenar. Their participation in Tarragona meant the second prize in 2000. Last year they were awarded the first prize by the public and by the critics at the Vitoria-Gasteiz competition.

This is the first time this family company from Pisa, in the nort-west of Italy, has taken part in Tarragona. In spite of their settling in the North of the country, the origins of the company are in Montrone, a suburb of Adelfi, in the area of Bari, in the Italian south-east. That is where the present director‘s grandfather, Antonio Nanna Ziclicchi, used to work as a pirotechnician. Antonio Nanna was called from Pisa to make there a specific pyrotechnic device, a fact which eventually caused the company to move there.

Tha family heve continued with the same job in Pisa, where Paola started to break new ground in a world where men are still predominant, at least at firings. In 1987 the company started to work at international level when they fired at the International Competition in Monaco and on the same year the Principality ordered their fireworks for the National Holiday. Ten years later, in 1997 they won the pyromusical fireworks competition in Toronto (Canada). In 1998 they went back to Toronto and Vancouver, in 2000 to Pamplona and Donostia and in 2001 they were in Bilbao. In 2002, apart from being in Tarragona, they are also offering displays in the prestigious international competitions of Quebec and Vancouver.

The pyrotechnic company Ricardo Caballer was born in the historic house founded in 1881 by Vicent Caballer Calatayud, of whom the present manager Ricardo Caballer Estellés is a grandson. They have a really long history of first prizes both national and international: Prize Fair of Valencia in 1905; prize of the Regional Exhibition of Valenciain 1909-1910, 1923-1924, 1927, 1931, 1932; prize of the Exhibition of Barcelona 1911-1912, 1929 and 1930; prize of first-class bursts of fireworks at the Fair of Valencia in 1943; first prize of fireworks at the So Quelo in Valencia; prize of fast strings of fireworks at the Falles of Valencia in 1949, 1950 and 1951.

During the time of Ricardo Caballer‘s management they have been awarded the following prizes: first prize of the round shells competition and competition of free shells at the Falles of Valencia in 1986; the Concha de Oro at the international competition in Donostia in 1989, 1996 and 2001; prize of the public in Donostia in 1992 and 1996; first prize at the international competition of Macau (China) in 1991; first prize of the international competition of Stockholm (Sweden) in1992 and Champion of champions in 1996; best qualification in Sakura (Japan) in 1992 and 1995; first prize at  Ottaviano (Naples) in 1994; first prize in Toronto (Canada) in 1995; first prize in Vancouver (Canada) in 1996; first prize at the fireworks competition at the Falles in 2001 and 2002.  Among Ricardo Caballer‘s most outstanding performances we find the homage to Ausiàs March in 1997 and the fact that it was the company that represented Europe at the pyrotechnic festival that closed the Olympic Games in Sydney (Australia) in 2000.

At present they hold place number two at the Champions of champions , which they got in Tarragona in 1999.