YOUR OWN SHOW

This page was written as a guide for putting on your own firework display.  Although without a license you can't buy professional display fireworks, consumer fireworks can be used to create a show almost as good as professional ones.  Consumer fireworks have been increasing in size, quality, variety, and safety over the years, making them (in my opinion) just as spectacular as professional fireworks.  They can provide a fantastic crowd pleasing display, all for a reasonable price and high level of safety.  Over the last few years of putting on such shows I've learned lot of  information and tips, which I've listed below.  Hopefully you'll find it useful for planning a consumer firework display of your own.
 

CHOOSING A LOCATION

  A good location to shoot the fireworks is the most important part of your display.  You need an area large enough to accommodate all of your fireworks, along with a safe viewing area for spectators AT LEAST 50 feet from the fireworks.  Set up a marker like neon flagging tape or a spray painted line on the ground for the spectators to stand behind.  Be sure to have them gather upwind of the fireworks to prevent smoke and sparks from being blown towards them.

  The actual firing location must be free of materials such as buildings, dry grass, brush, gasoline cans, or anything else that will burn.  The last thing you want during your display is an unexpected fire.  It should be on level ground, free of objects that could be tripped over while approaching or retreating from a firework.

  City streets are not good fireworks shooting locations.  They’re not very big, which means there isn’t a lot of space to light off a large number of fireworks safely.  Also, you don’t want your fireworks to interfere with road traffic.

  Cul-de-sacs are great for small shows and lighting off single fireworks, but generally are not good locations for larger displays.  Cul-de-sacs have a diameter of about 70 feet, meaning if fireworks were ignited in the center, they’d only be around 35 feet from houses, yards, and parked cars. 

  Parking lots are good locations, but they present a couple of problems.  First, you would have to get permission from the owner or the city in order to use them, and second, you’d have to try to get the lights turned off.  Parking lots are packed with bright lights, which will completely ruin the effects of night fireworks. 

  Bulldozed lots work great – they’re free of brush, and are relatively flat and free of stumps and other things you might trip over.  Of course, you’d need to get permission from the owner.

  And if all else fails, you can use fields of GREEN, HEALTHY grass because it’s not a fire hazard.  If you choose to use a grassy lot, make sure there are no layers of dead grass underneath the live grass that could catch fire.  If in doubt, set up sprinklers in the area or find some way of dousing it to get rid of any possibility of a fire. 

 
WHAT TO GET

  The types of fireworks you buy should be appropriate for the area in which you will be firing off your display.  In confined areas, such as driveways, only ground fireworks should be used.  But in larger areas, such as fields, a much greater variety can and should be used.  Variety is what makes fireworks shows interesting.  You should always buy many different items rather than lots of just a few.  Believe me, watching the same fountain lit off five times can get BORING.  You want the audience to be excited by the show, not sitting there and counting the stars in the sky.  There are a great many types of aerial fireworks, including reloadable shells, rockets, and repeaters.  Some items may not be legal in your area, and if that’s the case, I advise you NOT to use them.  Although it’s highly unlikely that anyone would be able to tell the difference between an illegal firework* and a legal one, you don’t want to take the chance of being caught by the police.  If you MUST light off illegal fireworks, do during the evening – no one will ever know.

  *By illegal fireworks, I DO NOT mean “M-80s”, “Blockbusters”, and things like that.  They’re classified as high explosives – just like dynamite – and are not considered fireworks.  See this page for more info.   

 
PLANNING THE SHOW

  You should plan your show out ahead of time before you actually light off the fireworks.  This includes what you’re going to buy, where you’re doing the show, and what supplies you might need.  Take a good look at all your fireworks, and try to get a rough idea of the order in which you will light them off.  If you’re going to have multiple firing areas or multiple fireworks performing at once, you should plan out your show on paper.  I always make many sketches of my show setup from several different angles, because there’s usually anywhere from 5-8 different groups of fireworks shooting off at once.

  A good technique is to set off the fireworks in small ordered groups.  A group might consist of two fountains, a repeater, a reloadable shell, and a helicopter.  You can choose whatever you like.  It’s best to ignite smaller fireworks first, followed later by larger ones.  Your largest/loudest firework should be saved for last.  Also, try combining the effects of different fireworks.  Take strobes and firecrackers, for example. Strobes make lots of light, but little sound, whereas firecrackers make a hell of a lot of sound, but not much light.  Try igniting both off at the same time so you’ll get light and noise at the same time.  Music is also a great idea.  Either use an electric stereo you can bring outside, or invite a teenager to come over – the average teen owns a car/truck with a ridiculously LOUD sound system, perfect for blasting music.  There’s no way you can synchronize the music to the fireworks like the pros do unless you’re using an electrical ignition system.  If your show is large, it’s good to have an assistant to help – whether that be handing you the next firework, getting you more lemonade, or pushing back the spectators.

  PREPARING THE SHOW

  It’s best to set up the display during daylight hours, well before the evening.  The fireworks should be placed according to how far they might travel.  Novelties, fountains, and firecrackers can be placed closer to the spectators, whereas aerial items should be placed farther away.  Have all reloadable launch tubes, roman candle holders, mine/bottle rocket racks in place.  No one wants you to fumble around for these items in the dark at the last minute.  

You should have a source of water for safety.  I like to use huge toy squirt guns (the ones that carry about two gallons of water).  If you can’t use that, have a bucket of sand that could be used to smother any possible fires.  Have a flashlight that can be used for quickly locating the fuses, and WEAR SAFETY GLASSES.  You might look stupid (like the guy on the right!), but not as stupid as you’d look with a missing eye.  Take every precaution you can to protect your sight.  Try to wear long sleeves and pants to prevent the chances of being burned by sparks (obviously in hot areas this wouldn't be very comfortable).  


IGNITION!

This is it – the moment you’ve been waiting for.  Hopefully there’s no wind or rain at this time, and if there is, you should consider postponing the show.  Have a RELIABLE ignition source on hand.  Matches, cigarette lighters, and “punks” aren’t usually a good way to light fireworks.  Punks constantly go out, and the flames of matches/lighters are easily extinguished in even the slightest bit of wind.  The best method is to use some time of propane or butane torch.  Their scorching blue flames don’t provide much light, but will ignite any fuse in a single pass – unlike a match, which you have to hold under the fuse for several seconds.

  Most of all – Have fun!

  CLEAN UP

  After the show is complete, you need to start picking up the used fireworks.  If any fireworks failed to ignite, leave them alone for about ten minutes, then blast them with water or pour on sand.  Extinguish anything that might be still smoldering.  A good thing to do is fill a five-gallon bucket with water, and dump the used fireworks in that.  Never burn used fireworks.  There might be small amounts of powder still inside the tubes which could unexpectedly ignite.

  Pyro Universe