Fireworks competitions have been fairly routine in the rest of the world, but not in the United States. That could change after this weekend.

Earlier this year, Coney Island contacted longtime partner Rozzi Fireworks, the prominent local fireworks company, about the possibility of holding the first fireworks competition within American borders. The result? The inaugural Fire Up the Night International Fireworks Challenge this Saturday night.

“We’ve competed in Montreal, which is probably the most well known (competition), but we’ve been to Spain and France for it, as well,” said Nancy Rozzi, president and co-owner of Rozzi Fireworks. “Coney Island (workers) read about (these fireworks competitions) and thought it’d be a great thing for their park. We had a limited budget, so we sent some inquiries out to people we knew, to see who was interested.”

The three competitors eventually settled on were Alonzo Fireworks of Albany, N.Y., Sirius Pyrotechnics of Montreal, Canada, and Lux Pirotecnia of Mexico City, Mexico.

Each competitor will be judged according to predetermined criteria such as presentation, structure, scale, colors, originality and musical synchronization.

“A show is broken down into scenes, and you have a piece of music to go with each scene,” Rozzi said. “For the presentation and structure part, it’s about how well all the songs flow together.”

Rozzi also said that ethnic heritage could play a part, particularly in the originality component.

“When were in Montreal, we saw a Spanish show that utilized tango dancers,” she said. “The dancers were on stage in shadow, there was a piece of music hitting every note, and the fireworks were used to express that music.”

The competition will be judged by a five-person panel and an audience vote. During the late afternoon/evening hours leading up to the 9 p.m. competition, patrons will enjoy all the usual Coney rides and games, as well as live music, a magic show, fire spinning and dancing, and a party in the Sunlite Pool, which will include international craft beers for the adults and Dr. Pepper (the event’s main sponsor) for the kids. After the competition and the winner receives their trophy, Rozzi Fireworks will close out the evening with a massive, pyrotechnic finale.

“The Coney Island connection is very strong,” Rozzi said. “(Rozzi) is a family business, and when we originally came (to Cincinnati), it was because Coney gave us a contract for 10 nights, which is a rare thing in fireworks. Now, we’re members of the fifth generation. We both would like this to become an annual event. We hope next year, we’ll be able to do two nights instead of one.”