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As fireworks become increasingly popular,
many of us are using them to celebrate other events
such as birthdays. To display successfully for a birthday,
first consider the audience and the venue, and consult
the appropriate sections (eg. noisy, quiet, garden
displays etc) for general advice. Below we'll give
you some more tips specific to birthdays.
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A birthday celebration doesn't stop with just the
fireworks themselves. Here are some ideas to create
a more balanced evening:
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Indoor pyro items can add to the fun. Try party
poppers, crackers (homemade ones can be customised
for Birthdays) and of course indoor sparklers
and indoor fountains. Indoor sparklers can be
put in the cake, or in the corks of bottles
such as champagne. Never use outdoor sparklers
indoors! Ice fountains are surprisingly
effective mini-fountains that you can use indoors.
Of course, always check to make sure that any
item you buy is suitable for indoor use.
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Table top confetti bombs are great, a pop then
a cloud of confetti. Just watch it doesn't get
in the jelly!
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Light sticks provide up to eight hours of light
and are fun indoors with the disco as well as
outside during the display. They make a good
"lucky dip" or "pass the parcel"
prize. Other glow products include coloured
necklaces, jewelry and badges!
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Don't forget sparklers for when you retire
to the garden - everyone loves them before a
display!
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Like weddings,
birthdays provide an excellent
occasion (excuse?) to use fireworks!
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With birthdays it is always nice to customise the
display. There are a few ways you can do this with
fireworks, here are some suggestions:
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Lancework: Lancework
or fire writing is normally expensive but you
can cut costs and still make an impact by having
just the age made up, eg "21" or "30"
or "50" etc rather than the full-blown
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY". This is an excellent
way to include a customised firework. Lancework
is often best fired at the very end of the display,
and it is quiet in operation too, so even if
you are restricted to a quiet display it will
work really well.
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21 gun salutes:
Replacing the "21" here with the age
being celebrated, find a cake or candle with
the same number of shots. Obviously this will
only work for popular combinations such as 9,
19, 25 and so on. Fire this item in isolation
and announce it first, so guests understand
the point of it. Rocket pods or volleys are
another possibility here.
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Of course, even a "normal" display can
captivate an audience so don't worry if you don't
have the time or inclination to take any of these
extra steps - your fireworks will do a good job on
their own.
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Parties mean alcohol! Drink and fireworks are
a very dangerous combination. All firers MUST
remain sober when using fireworks. If you like
your tipple, don't panic, you can make up for
it afterwards and the buzz of pulling off a
safe display will make your post-firing drink
feel soooo much better. If the guests
have been drinking - and they no doubt will
- it is important to have someone marshal the
crowd too (in a private display this just means
someone to keep everyone at the required safety
distance).
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Our on-line safety
section has extensive help on setting up and letting
off your fireworks. A few other pointers though for
birthday parties:
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Keep the display fairly short (eg. five minutes)
to make it high impact. Longer displays can
get boring, bear in mind many guests may have
other priorities such as getting back to the
food or drink.
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Keep the firework area supervised at all times,
vital at a party if people are nipping out into
the garden for a smoke, or children are running
around. Guests must not be allowed near the
fireworks.
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Do not be hassled or pressured - by others
or yourself - into taking short cuts or risks.
Do not be afraid to tell the guests to move
to the required safety distance and do not start
your display until it is safe to do so.
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If guests bring fireworks - and some will -
don't feel obliged to use these. Having to make
last minute additions if you have planned your
display can cause problems. We recommend that
you specifically say on your invitations "For
safety reasons please do not bring any of your
own fireworks to our party - bring a bottle
instead".
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Check the area is safe after the display and
all the fireworks have gone off.
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We've said it before and we'll repeat it: Firers
must not drink until after the display.
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Fan cakes
and SIBS give big effects with minimum setting up.
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We hope that you have found the information in this section useful
and wish you a safe and enjoyable display. Don't forget to read our extensive
safety section for help setting up and firing
your display.
If you have found this guide useful and are not yet a member of
our site, please consider supporting us by joining!
It doesn't cost very much, will give you full access to our reviews and more,
and your membership fee helps us to keep this site running.
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