Forget Christmas – now’s the time to start planning your NYE fireworks

At this time of year, everyone is busy preparing for Christmas. Winding down at work, shopping for presents, cleaning and decorating the house and planning Christmas parties. In all the Christmas chaos, it’s easy to neglect the planning for the next big day of the year, which happens just a week later – New Year’s Eve!

It wouldn’t be NYE without fireworks, of course. Whether you’re planning your own display or you’ll be heading out to an organised event, here’s what you need to be doing right now to get ready for the big night…

Buy your fireworks

It’s important not to leave it too late to buy your NYE fireworks, particularly if you have certain products in mind. Fireworks are much in demand at this time of year and some of the most popular pyrotechnics and best value bundles are bound to sell out quickly. If you get them ordered now, you can avoid the mad rush just before Christmas and you’ll know you’re all set for NYE.

Find somewhere dry and safe to store fireworks

Ordered your fireworks? If you’ll be storing them for a few weeks until New Year’s Eve, you’ll need somewhere appropriate to store them. It needs to be dry and away from anything flammable, as well as any source of ignition. Fireworks should also be kept away from children and anyone under 18, so keeping them in a locked shed or cabinet could be a very sensible idea.

Get your equipment ready

If you’re setting off the fireworks yourself, you’ll need a few key pieces of equipment to make sure you can manage everything safely. It’s a good idea to get hold of:

  • A good torch – head torches or wall mounted ones are recommended, as they keep your hands free
  • Gloves and other PPE – to stay safe when lighting fireworks, some good gloves are essential. Optional extras of personal protective equipment (PPE) may also be worth looking into.
  • Portfires and lighters – a long-tipped lighter can help to keep your hands away from sparks, but the best way to light fireworks is with portfires. These are tubes of pyrotechnic powder which burn for a few minutes before setting off the firework and you can light them with an ordinary lighter. However, a wind-proof lighter (as well as a spare) would be a smart purchase.

Sort out your venue

If you’re setting off fireworks in your back garden, now is the time to think about how you will use the space. You need to leave enough space between the firing zone and where the audience will stand, as well as thinking about the ‘fallout’ zone.

Inform your neighbours

A simple knock or note through the door to let your neighbours know you’ll be having a NYE display goes a long way to preventing complaints and bad feeling – you can even invite them along!

Find a local display

If you’re not setting off your own fireworks, now is a good time to research what displays will be happening locally and snap up tickets before they sell out.