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Welcome to our display advice and
ideas section - the original and the best on-line
guide. The aim of this section is to give you some
general advice regarding various types of firework
displays that you might be planning. This section
is not intended to be an exhaustive guide, but rather
a general guide to stimulate your own ideas. We'll
also share information and tips based on our own experiences
that might help you.
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The rest of this page will give some general
advice and tips that are relevant to most types of
displays, starting with some common misconceptions
for those new to fireworks. If you already have a
few displays under your belt you can probably skip
this and go straight to the other sections.
To access the other sections, in which we look at
specific types of display, a new menu will have appeared
at the top of the page (look for  ).
Select the type of display that most closely matches
your planned one, and click on it for advice. Of course,
some displays may cover many of these, for example
you might be planning a noisy Guy Fawkes display,
at a pub! In this case, you should find all of the
advice sections useful.
If you are displaying to the public, please see the
Public section for important issues relating to this
type of display.
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If you are a complete beginner you'll be pleased
to know that our site has all the information you
need. If there are any terms in this section you do
not understand, try the Info
bank or the Glossary
first.
Our members
have proved time and time again that if you pick the
right fireworks, and set them off properly, you can
achieve near-professional results.
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What fireworks you should use in a display are dependent
on what type of display you are doing, and who the
display is for. In your planning stage you should
take into account the following:
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The event: What
type of firework event is it? What are you celebrating?
Your display will be more effective if some
(not necessarily all) of it is relevant to the
occasion.
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The venue: How
big is your venue? Can you use display (25m)
fireworks? Do you have space for fall out? How
will you control or marshal the crowd? Big venues
(fields etc.) with large fall out areas offer
the most scope. Smaller venues might restrict
the use of certain fireworks. Venues in built
up areas offer the most problems with fall out,
for example from large display rockets.
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The time and date:
Is it a late display? Is it out of season when
no one would expect fireworks? A late night
display well away from Nov 5th is the worst
in terms of the public's reaction to it. You
might need to make sure such a display is very
short (or quiet). Guy Fawkes displays offer
the best time to display with little constraints
on noise and duration on Nov 5th itself.
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The budget: How
much money do you have for the fireworks? Bigger
budgets offer the most flexibility, but have
you allowed some budget for safety gear, timber,
clingfilm, tape, bin bags, portfires, transport
(etc). The more fireworks you have, the more
supporting materials you will need.
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The number of firers:
How many firers do you have? A small number
of firers works best with a smaller number of
larger fireworks. A larger number of firers
can work with lots of smaller fireworks (multiple
and overlapped firing). Never over stretch your
firing capability.
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Public or private:
Will members of the public be present? If so
you have extra obligations (and expense) to
consider. Insurance is a must and can take out
a significant chunk of your budget. You will
need to have people in control of the crowd
too. Private displays are less restrictive,
but remember, if your fireworks damage someone
else's property you could still be sued.
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For displays
away from your back garden, it pays to
do a site visit first and you can then plan the layout
of your fireworks
in addition to ensuring they are appropriate for the
venue.
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There are a number of misconceptions regarding firework
displays. You'll soon "see the light" after
a few displays but you might want to consider some
of the misconceptions we worked through and learn
from our own experience:
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You should get as many
fireworks as you can for your budget:
WRONG! I still
cringe when I'm in a fireworks shop and someone
comes in asking for as many fireworks as possible
for their planned budget. Quality is the issue
here, not quantity. Get the best fireworks,
and get the best fireworks for your display.
We all started here too, and we ended up with
an excessive amount of average fireworks
rather than a smaller amount of the best
fireworks. Ten top quality, near professional
fireworks will thrill the crowd more than twenty
average ones. Our reviews will easily help you
find the best ones.
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Your display should last
as long as possible: WRONG!
It is human nature to feel worried that your
five minute display will cost £500 and
that means you are burning £100 a minute.
It is human nature to then think about stretching
this out to last half an hour instead. NO! In
firework terms, a budget of £100 a minute
is very realistic for a near professional display.
As soon as you start making your fireworks last
too long, the effect thins out, gaps creep in,
the crowd gets bored, and you've achieved much
less impact for the same money. If you really
do want to spend money on fireworks, and yes
this means burning your money in a short time,
at least get it right! Back garden displays
are the most tolerant to longer durations because
of their informal nature. But for most other
displays, and venues, shorter is better. To
even think about 10-15 mins or more, in a big
venue, look at a budget of around £1000
plus. Complete packs or kits of fireworks that
claim 30 minutes duration are all very well
but have you actually stood in the freezing
cold for half an hour watching a display that
is one firework, then a gap, then another, repeat?
It ain't as much fun as seeing a constant, busy,
engaging and loud display fired in half the
time. Half the duration = double the impact.
If you're still not convinced then consider
why most professional displays are only 5-10
mins long.
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Safety is only important
to make sure no-one gets hurt: WRONG!
Proper safety and setting up is essential in
any display. Your aim is to ensure 0% accidents.
But this is NOT the only benefit of a safe display.
A safe display means the fireworks are planned,
laid out and set up prior to firing. That means
your firers can get the right fireworks going
at the right time and your display looks better.
A safe display means lighting the fireworks
with portfires,
so you'll have less delays due to a fuse not
taking, so your display looks better. Virtually
every safety measure you can take has an added
benefit of enhancing your display too! So, never
think of firework safety as a necessary evil.
It WILL help your display look better. Include
safety in your planning (and costs) from the
beginning. See our Safety
section.
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Fireworks won't work
in the rain: WRONG!
You can easily waterproof fireworks (and this
is recommended anyway to protect from dew as
it gets dark) with bin bags or clingfilm. The
only thing that rain dampens is the audience's
resolve! Don't let the fear of bad weather worry
you in the planning stages. But, make sure you
budget for the materials needed.
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Waterproofing
fireworks might seem like a chore (it is) but it can
save
a display in the event of rain. Shortly after this
picture was taken, there was
torrential rain for the rest of the evening. Every
single firework went OK thanks
to the time spent waterproofing them first. Never
trust the English weather!
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The safety distance is
not important: WRONG!
The safety distance on a firework is there for
a reason. Observe it. This is not just a safety
issue. If there was an incident, no matter how
small, and you did not observe the correct safety
distance it could have other implications. Insurance
cover might be voided for a start.
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You should buy lots of
big, shiny rockets at £15 a time:
WRONG! There is
a place for big rockets if you have the space
for them to fall in, and they are very good
in large venues or to create spectacular aerial
effects. But the bulk of your display should
be with better value cakes and candles. A £15
cake might last 30-60 seconds. A £15 rocket
will have an effect that will rarely exceed
5 seconds. Budget carefully!
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Hopefully the above list will have given you some
things to think about! Now let's move on and think
about the general structure of the display.
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How should you start your display? How should you
end it? What order should you fire your pyro in? All
common questions asked by thousands of enthusiasts
each year.
Our experience of firework displays has shown that
an exact firing order is not as important as
you might think. As long as your display has a beginning,
rotates effects, has as few gaps as possible, and
a distinct ending, you're well on the way to pulling
off a good one. Remember that most of the spectators
are fireworks lay people. They don't know whether
cake A should have been fired before cake B. If you
accidentally fire cake C and D together, so what?
The crowd will see a better effect!
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If you gave ten different firework displayers
the same list of fireworks and asked them to
work out a firing order, you would get ten different
lists back! Concentrate on getting the general
structure of the display right. If you follow
the basic rules for the overall display, then
there are no right or wrong orders for specific
items.
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You'd be amazed at the number of displays where the
planned order goes tits-up and the crowd never
noticed! Many, many displays have some sections
where items are fired out of order but it can make
little difference in the grand scheme of things.
Let's take a look at some ways you can structure
a display in general. Here are some suggestions:
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THE BEGINNING:
Many displayers like to sock it to the crowd
with a loud opening. A couple of salute rockets
or a good cake to open the display. This has
the advantage of getting everyone's attention.
Others prefer to start quietly, and build the
display up gradually. Good quiet openers include
fountains and strobes. A cool way to mix both
opening techniques is to start with strobes
or fountains then hit 'em with some good mines.
The fountains settle the crowd down, and the
mines pack a punch that says "We're here!".
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THE MIDDLE: The
bulk of your display should be a mix of effects.
Rotate your fireworks so that no one section
or effect goes on too long. A minute or so of
one effect is long enough, then move onto something
else. Avoid huge barrages of effects in the
middle unless your finale can match or exceed
the effect. Some displayers like to build things
up, then have a quiet section, then build it
up again. Others prefer to have a steady increase
in pace as you near the end.
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THE END: I think
this is the most important part, because a blinding
ending can gloss over any slackness earlier
on. People will remember a good ending. Generally,
most displayers wheel out some bigger fireworks
for the end, fan cakes, sibs, candle fans and
so on. Big display rockets will fill the sky.
If you can, use several of each firework, and
add some noisy ones too. The end should really
rock. It should be bigger, bolder and louder
than any preceding part of your display.
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THE VERY END: You
might want something to say "That's all".
Professionals frequently fill the sky with hanging
gold willow effect, something you can replicate
with gold willow effect rockets. Or, some lancework
that says "GOODNIGHT".
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Unless you have a specific reason for doing it, try
and avoid the following in a display:
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Gaps: The scourge
of any fireworks display. Gaps break pace, ruin
impact, give the audience false signals that
the display might have ended. Avoid gaps like
the plague. With consumer fireworks, pinpoint
timing of fireworks is not possible. So, build
in some overlaps with your fireworks. Have the
next ones start before the current ones end.
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Lingering on one effect
too long: Attention spans are generally
short and even shorter if spectators are cold,
have screaming kids, or a warm inviting bar
to get back too. Keep effects rotating. Don't
have lots of same type of effects or fireworks
back to back. Mix them up a bit.
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A thin or weak ending:
Your finale must pack a punch. Beware letting
off single fireworks with long durations at
the same time as shorter ones. The bulk of your
finale will end leaving a single firework on
its own, now that can really kill an ending.
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Each season we receive a number of e-mails from
readers asking whether they need any formal training
to use fireworks, or whether we recommend training.
At time of writing, there is no legal requirement
to complete any training to use garden and display
fireworks. Whether you should attend a training course
therefore is something you need to decide based on
your own level of competence. The following might
help you decide:
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What is your previous experience with fireworks?
If you have very little experience, training
could be useful.
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How does your intended display compare to previous
ones you have done? If you are planning on firing
a huge public display but have only previously
fired small items in the back garden, training
could be useful.
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How confident do you feel using fireworks,
bearing in mind you are dealing with explosives
and that YOU might be liable for any mistakes?
If you're not sure you feel 100% confident,
training could help you.
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Training can help you familiarise yourself with fireworks
and you can also ask the professionals for their help
and advice.
Many firework retailers run one day courses for people
intending to fire garden and display fireworks. These
courses are a good place to start as they tend to
be cheaper than more in-depth courses and are limited
only to the training that applies to you as a nonprofessional.
Contact your firework supplier to see if they can
help, or refer to our Buy
Fireworks page and browse through the retailers
listed there.
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Many insurance companies now require that you
have some proven competence or training before
they will insure you for public displays. If
your insurance company requests this, be sure
to check that your course will satisfy their
requirements before booking it.
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Some companies run specialised training covering
other areas of fireworks including professional firing.
These courses are mainly intended for people within
(or getting into) the actual fireworks business.
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Please note that at the time of writing, no
amount of training, from any source, will qualify
a nonprofessional to purchase or use professional
fireworks such as aerial shells. These are only
available to professional displayers. A professional
displayer is legally defined as someone who
makes their living from fireworks, the trade
further restricts this to bonafide firework
companies with Divisional storage or above and
full insurance (and in some cases, proof of
competence or trade references).
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If you're not sure whether you need to go on a course,
try reading through our on-line safety
guide. This goes through most aspects of displaying.
If you feel unsure after reading it, you may benefit
from going on a training course, so you can learn
and try the techniques out under professional supervision.
In addition to our extensive safety guide, our members
forum is also a good place to ask for advice from
our members (who include firework professionals and
retailers).
We are often asked for advice about training to become
a professional firer, from people who want to get
into the fireworks business. The majority of these
questions come from enthusiasts who haven't yet spent
a day with a professional crew. Our advice here is
always the same: Find a local pyro crew willing to
have you along for the day, and see if you like it
first. Why? Because as fun as it looks, in real life
a professional fireworks display involves 99% lifting,
fusing, setting up, waiting, clearing up and only
1% of your time firing - and even then you're doing
a job and rarely get to enjoy the action. Particularly
on a cold winter's night!
If you
have an interest in becoming a professional displayer,
spend
a day with a pro crew first to see if you like it
- there's more to
a fireworks display than you think.
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Legislation has been fast moving in recent years.
Be sure that your display keeps within the law. For
up to date advice about laws relating to fireworks,
it is worth asking in our forum (for members) or ask
your retailer for advice. The main issues at time
of writing are:
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It is illegal to use fireworks in the street.
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It is illegal to sell fireworks to anyone under
18 years of age.
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It is illegal to possess fireworks in a public
place, if you are under 18.
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It is illegal to let off fireworks after 11pm
at night, except on November 5th (midnight),
December 31st (1am), Chinese New Year (1am,
date varies) amd Diwali (1am, date varies).
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Fireworks must now comply with a 120dB maximum
noise limit. Refer to our most recent reviews
(2004 season onwards) to see what impact this
will have on noise levels.
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Certain types of other fireworks are now banned.
These include airbombs and "nuisance"
fireworks such as screech rockets.
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It is illegal for a member of the public to
possess or use professional (category 4) fireworks.
These are restricted items for sale to, and
use by, bonafide professional display companies.
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As always, firework abuse is carried out by a minority
of yobs who have no interest in fireworks as such.
However, you can do your bit to help fireworks as
a whole. Make sure your display is justified, appropriate
for the time and venue, legal, and conducted in a
sensible and safe manner.
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Thank you for reading this basic guide to displaying.
Now you have a grounding in some of the many issues
you need to consider when planning your display.
Next, you should visit the specific sections that
relate to your display which will give you some more
suggestions and things to consider. Use the menus
at the top of each page (look for ).
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If you have read through this guide and need further
help, try these sections:
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If you're unsure what certain fireworks are,
try the Info Bank.
You can also look up firework terms in our Glossary.
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If you're ready to buy your fireworks, go to
the Review sections
to find the best fireworks, and see pictures
and video of them in action (not a member yet?
Click here).
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To find a firework supplier, or fireworks shop,
try our Buy Fireworks
page which lists a number of companies who can
help you.
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Still not sure what to buy? Not sure on your
firing order? Join our busy forum
and ask fellow members and enthusiasts what
they think (not a member yet? Click
here).
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Ready to rock and roll? Make sure your last
stop is our extensive free safety
guide.
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