Provider chosen for Prague’s New Year’s Day videomapping at National Museum, rogue fireworks show unlikely

The New Year’s Day videomapping on Prague’s National Museum will be provided by Art 4 Promotion at a cost less than 2 million CZK.

A campaign to raise funds for a privately backed fireworks show has fallen flat, and that show will likely not happen.

This
was the second selection procedure for the videomapping. An earlier
one that ended in October was unsuccessful, as the only entry did not
meet the criteria. In the second tender, the city removed the
obligation that the video firm would ensure safety, which the city
will now be responsible for.

“The company [Art 4 Promotion] will perform video mapping for the
price of 1,990,000 CZK excluding VAT. The selected contractor met all
the requirements and their creative design met the objectives of the
capital,” Hofman said.

This
estimated cost of the videomapping is slightly more than the 2019
fireworks show, which cost 1.7 million CZK and lasted 11 minutes.

The
previous City Hall administration considered silent fireworks to
reduce stress on animals. Experts said this was not realistic given
the size of the show.

Officials previously said they believe the videomapping will be popular with the public. “It is a helpful step not only for all citizens of the metropolis who are sensitive to excessive noise, but also for animals that face unnecessary stress every year. I believe that everyone will enjoy the new form of New Year celebrations, and I am glad that we unanimously agreed on it,” Prague City Councilor Jan Chabr (United Force for Prague) said.

They
announced a bank account number that people could contribute to in
order to support the rival show, but less than 40,000 CZK has been
raised, while the show in total would cost 1 million CZK to 3 million
CZK.

The
Facebook page for Ohňostroj pro Praha said the size of the show
would be decided by how much people contributed, but the amount
raised so far is less than 5% of the minimum needed.

Martin
Peter, designer and choreographer of the last five New Year’s Day
fireworks shows in Prague, said fireworks have a long history, and he
wants to see the art form preserved. “Already during the time of
[Emperor] Rudolph II. we were the real European cradle of fireworks,
and Prague fireworks have been connecting people for many decades,”
he said in October.