
You might think that a home fireworks show isn’t something you can DIY, but you’d be wrong. In many states, you can buy consumer-grade, aerial fireworks to put on a show that’s just as dazzling as any professional pyrotechnics display.
You just need enough space to set aerial fireworks off safely, and some lumber to build fireworks racks. With your spectators back at a safe distance, and yourself swaddled in safety gear, you can set off as many fireworks as you want, as long as it’s not too windy. You can even light multiple cakes for a stunning grand finale. Here’s how.
Go Shopping
The very first step towards hosting a home fireworks show is to buy your fireworks! You can buy fireworks online all year round, so there’s no need to wait for those seasonal tents to go up around town if you want to host a fireworks display outside of the regular fireworks season. Just make sure there aren’t any burn warnings in effect in your area before you go lighting off fireworks.
Make sure you plan your fireworks display before you go shopping. You may want to ask the vendor for help choosing the fireworks that will give you the kind of display you want. Learn about the different kinds of displays that are available. Common displays include chrysanthemums, peonies, dahlias, crossettes, fish, and falling leaves.
Most aerial fireworks will last about 30 seconds, so don’t skimp. If you can’t afford to buy enough aerial fireworks to fill up your entire desired showtime, consider starting off with some ground displays, since these typically last longer. You can buy fountains that will shoot colorful sparks for one to three minutes, for example.
You can also stretch out an aerial display with bottle rockets and roman candles. Light off a package or two of each in ones and twos for aerial tableaus that will set the stage for your big finale. Plan to spend at least one-third, but preferably half, of your entire fireworks budget on the finale. Most people choose one or more large cakes for the finale, but 200- and 300-gram cakes are often just as colorful and loud as the monster 500-gram versions, and a lot cheaper, so they’ll better fit your budget.
Build Your Fireworks Racks
You shouldn’t hold fireworks in your hand to light them – that’s a good way to lose a hand! And you don’t want to set them down on the ground unanchored, either – they could fall over or otherwise malfunction and fire sparks at you and your guests instead of the sky.
However, it’s easy to build fireworks racks to keep your pyrotechnics safely anchored to the ground while you’re setting them off. Cut a piece of eight-foot-long plywood into two-foot-wide strips, and screw some pieces of two-by-fours or two-by-twos to the bottom so that it’s easier to grab and pick up the plywood. The eight feet of length should give you plenty of room to line up your fireworks in firing order. Then you can attach them to the wood by driving screws through the plastic on the bottom, or directly through the clay plug at the bottom of the tube. Or, if you’re unsure about driving screws through your firework tubes, you can build a mortar rack out of two-by-twos and one-by-fours.
Have Safety Equipment on Hand
As the person who will be lighting the fireworks, you need to be outfitted for safety. That means covering your entire body, from the neck down with 100 percent cotton clothing. Cotton doesn’t melt like synthetic fabrics when exposed to heat, so if you get some sparks on your cotton shirt or jeans, you can usually just brush them away with minimal damage to the fabric and no damage to the skin. However, sparks on synthetic fabric will cause that fabric to melt and stick to your skin, leaving you with much more severe burns.
In addition to long cotton sleeves and jeans, you also need work boots and socks, goggles, gloves, and a hat. A baseball cap turned around will cover the back of your neck, but a hard hat or a cotton hat with a brim will also work.
Make sure you have safety equipment for your audience too. Have first aid for burns on the hand, as well as plenty of water or fire extinguishers to put out any fires that may break out.
Set Up Your Staging Area
You need a lot of space for a home fireworks display staging area. Spectators should be kept upwind of the firing line and at a distance that’s at least one-and-a-half times the height of the highest aerial, you plan to light. If the highest aerial goes up to a height of 120 feet, you need to keep spectators at a distance of 180 feet from the firing line.
You also need to make sure there’s nothing in the fallout zone that could catch on fire, like trees, shrubs, or structures. Power lines are also a no-go. Make sure there’s enough space in the fallout area for sparks and debris to fall safely to the ground. Figure out what the break or width of the display is on your largest display, and make sure your fallout zone is at least that large.
Hosting a home fireworks display can be a lot of fun for all ages! Just make sure you do it safely, and your home fireworks shows could end up becoming a family tradition.