Budapest (Hungary), August 28: Hungary marked its national holiday Saturday with an airshow and grand fireworks over the Danube River with a delay of seven days, as the original celebration had been cancelled due to thunderstorm warning by the Hungarian Meteorological Service (OMSZ).
Tens of thousands of people started to gather on the Danube bank and the Margit Bridge at around 7:30 p.m. when three Gripen fighter jets of the Hungarian Defense Forces passed over the city in tandem.
According to the Hungarian Tourism Agency, the fireworks show was called the Game of Fire and Light to honor the the most important events of Hungarian history after the founding of the state and Saint Stephen, Hungary's first King.
The 35-minute spectacular show cost 1.65 billion forints (4 million U.S. dollars), making it the most expensive fireworks of Europe, according to local press.
The fireworks scheduled originally for Aug. 20 were canceled because of the thunderstorm warning of the OMSZ. In the end, there was no storm. The president and deputy chairman of the organization were sacked on Monday by Minister of Technology and Industry Laszlo Palkovics.
Source: Xinhua