The success and impact of a fireworks display doesn’t just depend on the type and quality of the fireworks you choose, although this is important. The way you structure your display also makes a big difference, so this is something you should pay just as much attention to.

Advice for beginners

If you’ve never planned a fireworks display before, the idea of structuring and pacing a display may be quite alien to you. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, it might be a good idea to get advice from an expert. Better still, get a professional fireworks organiser to plan the display for you.

If you’d like to try it yourself, we have some handy tips on structure and pacing to help you plan a professional-looking display.

Structuring your display

Just like a good story, your fireworks display should have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Splitting the display into three parts like this also makes it easier to plan.

The beginning of your display

The way you begin your display is up to you, but it must have a very clear beginning. Some people prefer to start with a loud, impressive opening to get everyone’s attention, whilst others like to start slowly and build up to a crescendo. Fountains and strobes are good for quiet beginnings, whilst explosive cakes will really let people know that the display has started.

As a compromise, you could mix both opening techniques, with a big bang to start the display and then a selection of ‘quieter’ fireworks to allow you to start building up the display gradually.

The middle of your display

This is the part of the display which requires plenty of content (i.e. lots of fireworks) but also lots of variety. Your spectators will get bored if one effect goes on for too long, so limit each to no more than a minute. To add interest, you could pair different types of fireworks together for interesting effects, with different heights, colours and sounds. If you’re a fireworks novice, this might be something to speak to an expert about. You might even be able to use computer software to experiment and see what different effects used together will look like.

Just like the start of a display, it’s your choice whether you continue to build the display gradually towards a climactic finish, or whether you have several ‘rise and fall’ sections. However, it is best to avoid a huge barrage of all your best fireworks, because you’ll never be able to match it at the end.

The end of your display

This is arguably the most crucial part of your display to get right, because it is the climax of the evening and expectation will be very high. It’s important to finish on a high, because people will remember a good ending. For a truly memorable finish, wheel out some of your biggest and best fireworks, bringing out the big display rockets and cake barrages. Aim to be loud, to fill the sky as much as possible and generally, to be bigger and bolder than any other part of your display.

Pacing tips

With a better idea of what should go in each section of your display, it’s now time to think about pacing. If you fire off your expensive fireworks too quickly, you won’t get the full effect of each and the display will be really short – which can lead to a disappointed audience feeling very short-changed. However, if you try to drag out your display to make it last longer, you could end up with big gaps and a bored audience. Fireworks are supposed to be exciting, after all!

Here are some tips to remember about pacing a fireworks display:

• Gaps are your worst enemy. A pause of more than a few seconds will kill the excitement of your display, ruin the pacing and generally make you look like an amateur. You might even end up losing your audience, as they start to head home believing that the display is finished. It can be hard to pinpoint the timing of your fireworks unless you use a professional display organiser, so try to compensate for this by building a few overlaps into your display. Make sure you consider the placement of each set of fireworks and know exactly how long each takes to fire.
• Let each effect have its moment. Although we ideally want to avoid gaps in fireworks displays, you also want each firework effect to be fully appreciated. So, build in some overlaps but make sure you don’t rush – let each effect play out fully, listen to the ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ of the audience and then move on to the next. This will also ensure you get full value, and your money’s worth, from each and every firework.
• Save your best fireworks to the end. You don’t want your display to peak too early, so save your loudest and most impressive fireworks for the ending of your display. Just as importantly, make sure you plan this properly so that the climax is as exciting as it should be.
• Don’t linger too long on one effect. An effect may be really impressive, but it will soon lose its lustre if it goes on too long. Consider the attention span of your spectators, which may include young children. Avoid lingering on any one effect for more than a minute, and team fireworks together to create more interesting effects.
• Carry on! If you’ve planned out the structure of your display but you forget to fire something at the right time, just carry on – your spectators won’t notice if there’s a change in the order. However, they will notice if there’s an awkward pause in proceedings.

Hopefully, this guide should help you to plan a professional display, one with perfect pacing and a sound structure. If you need help, don’t be afraid to ask for expert advice or bring in a professional – the team at 1^st Galaxy Fireworks would be happy to help.