Traverse City hosts international fireworks championship at Turtle Creek Stadium
Six international teams will face off at Turtle Creek Stadium over two nights, with tickets starting at $45 and some seating already sold out.
Traverse City’s late-summer calendar will get one of its biggest crowd magnets when six world-class fireworks teams take over Turtle Creek Stadium for the International Fireworks Championship on Sept. 11 and 12. The two-night event is expected to fill the ballpark, tighten parking and traffic near the stadium, and send more visitors into nearby businesses across Grand Traverse County.
The lineup reaches across Poland, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Romania and the United States. Each team earned its place by winning major fireworks competitions elsewhere, and each will have up to 15 minutes to stage a show judged on choreography, synchronization to music and the overall experience. Traverse City Tourism president Trevor Tkach said the 2026 field may be the strongest yet, pointing to the level of talent coming to town.
Tickets were still available, with single-night stadium and field seats priced from $45 to $70 and two-night stadium and field seats ranging from $100 to $140. Pit Spitters Porch tickets were $95, while high-top tables were priced at $500 and already sold out for Saturday night. Sales are online except for ADA tickets, which can be purchased by phone at (231) 947-1120. The ticket page also limits purchases to eight tickets and admits children 2 and under free.
The championship has grown quickly since its debut in 2023, when teams from Germany, Mexico, France and the United States competed and Germany won both the audience-choice and judges’-choice awards. In 2024, the event drew more than 13,000 people over two days, Saturday night sold out, and Team United Kingdom won the judges’ choice award after teams from Australia, the United Kingdom, India, the Philippines, Finland and the United States competed. The 2025 field brought teams from China, Poland, Serbia, Portugal, Canada and the United States, with Team Poland winning judges’ choice.
For Traverse City, the competition has become more than a fireworks show. It is a high-profile regional event that extends the summer tourism economy into early fall while putting Turtle Creek Stadium and the surrounding area in front of an international audience.
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