It’s nearly Christmas, which means a couple of weeks of well-earned rest, delicious food and time with family and friends. However, for many lucky people, Christmas also means fireworks!

This time of year is a very special one, marked by parties and all sorts of other celebrations. What better way to celebrate Christmas than with a festive firework display? It’s the perfect way to round off a house party or even an office Christmas party.

If you’re going to plan a fabulous festive fireworks display, you’ll need to start shopping for fireworks. Make sure you buy great quality products in line with all recognised safety standards, and use our guide to the 12 best fireworks of Christmas to make your selection:

1. Sparklers

Whether it’s bonfire night, Christmas or New Year, no fireworks display is complete without some sparklers. These hand-held mini fireworks emitting a stream of sparks that look particularly amazing in motion (which is why writing your name in the air with fireworks is so fun!) are especially popular with children and young people. Make sure you have some at your display but also ensure that everyone knows how to use their sparklers safely, and keep a close eye on young children with sparklers.

 

2. Fountains

Fountain fireworks produce beautiful effects, with showers of sparks falling to the ground in a perfectly shaped fountain. These fireworks are also a good option for people who don’t like the loud bangs of other fireworks, as fountains allow you to enjoy the gorgeous visual effects of fireworks without all the ruckus. How long your fountain will last depends on what type you get – some can last for many minutes.

 

3. Catherine Wheels

Catherine Wheels (named after poor St Catherine, who was martyred on a spinning wheel according to popular legend) are great fun, producing all sorts of colours, sparks, crackles and whistles as they spin. You can enjoy these spinning coils on their own, or pair a Catherine Wheel with other fireworks for interesting effects.

 

4. Screech rockets

Commonly known as a small rocket or a garden firework, these rockets are a crucial part of most displays. As you’d expect, they produce a loud and very satisfying screeching sound as they ascend, and most finish with a loud bang. Some screech rockets, however, play tricks on audiences and are silent when they finish screeching, which only makes the big bang of a bigger rocket later on even more surprising!

 

5. Roman candles

Roman candles are not only amongst the most popular fireworks, but also the most versatile. They can produce a variety of different effects as they explode, from big starbursts in a range of colours to a bangs, flashes, coloured balls and stars. Roman candles are particularly good when teamed up with other fireworks – this is how you get the most interesting effects, after all.

 

6. Mines

These fireworks have the element of surprise on their side, making them particularly entertaining for audiences. Mines often start as a ground level fountain and suddenly build up to a spectacular explosion of aerial effects, including stars and plumes. If you want to keep your guests on their toes with a creative Christmas fireworks display, make sure you have one or two mines in your shopping basket.

 

7. Cakes

Cake fireworks are amongst the easiest to use, especially considering the wide range of different effects you get in one firework. From a single fuse, cake fireworks fire a quick succession of Roman candles into the sky, creating a colourful and vibrant display. There are lots of different cake fireworks available too, so you should be able to make your display just that little bit different to other displays you’ve seen before.

 

8. Single ignition barrages

If you really want to go to town with your Christmas fireworks, make sure you get a single ignition barrage. This is essentially a very large cake, which is lit on just a single fuse but which produces practically a whole firework display. Setting off one of these fireworks is like having a short choreographed display, as it releases a barrage of light and sound which works together perfectly and lights up the sky often for several minutes. If you’re worried about planning the aesthetics element of your display, a single ignition barrage firework may be the way to go.

 

9. Shot tubes

These are essentially Roman candles which fire a single shot of huge starbursts, colours and crackles, but with a beautiful glittering tail left behind. If you’re tired of rockets, single shot tubes can be an exciting, punchy alternative.

 

1. Missiles

Missiles are great fun, as they line up in rows ready for launch and then go off with a piercing whistle into the sky. Just like with rockets, you won’t be disappointed with the sound or visual effects as each delivers its payload. Missiles can produce a short frenzy of sound and colour, so they’re a good way to inject some extra excitement into your display.

 

1. Multi shots

There are lots of different types of multi-shots, which are basically fireworks which deliver more than one shot into the sky. This enables them to last a bit longer, cover a wider area and add a bit of visual ‘texture’ to your display, and you only need to light them once!

 

2. Rockets

Last but by no means least, we come to the daddy of all fireworks. You may be able to do without a couple of the other fireworks in your Christmas fireworks display, but you absolutely can’t miss out the rocket. These fireworks are the backbone of any decent display. Loud, extremely exciting and really impressive, rockets power into the sky and explode with a ground-shaking boom. Some can travel up to 60 metres into the sky, whilst you can also buy excitingly named ‘thunder rockets’ which do exactly what they say on the tin! When it comes to rockets, you really can’t have too many.

Enjoy your Christmas fireworks displays, but remember to stay safe!