Crowdsourcing holiday fireworks?

May 22, 2007 8:49 AM

On holidays in your part of the world, do people gather to do mass-launchings of small fireworks?

It was Victoria Day yesterday here in Toronto (as it was elsewhere across our fair Dominion), which meant Victoria Day fireworks. Thousands of people lined the beaches that make up the city's eastern waterfront to watch the main event.

Now, I've always known fireworks to be a fairly one-sided event. People set off a few store-bought ones in their backyard, then gather along waterfronts to watch the real thing.

But down along the Beaches last night, the neatest thing happened: hundreds of people amongst the crowd brought their own backyard fireworks, and for the 45 minutes or so before the main fireworks, set them off along the beach in a steady, nonstop, miles-long stream of flares. The popping lights stretched off along the horizon - a full fireworks show, laid on its side - and it just went on... and on... and on.

It was magnificent, probably more fun than the main event. I'd seen people doing something similar on the Beaches in previous years, but never so loud or so long.

So my question is: to MeFites in general - do they crowdsource holiday fireworks in your part of the world too, with the store-bought fireworks coming out of the backyard and into the public square?

And to any Torontonians who might be here: is it just me, or is this growing from year to year? And how long before they outlaw it?

posted by bicyclefish to society & culture (31 comments total)

I live in Texas. It doesn't require that there be a holiday nearby to blow shit up. (Just that there be no fire risk...)
posted by SpecialK at 8:54 AM on May 22, 2007

Remember, remember the 5th of November.

It happens every year on Guy Fawke's night in the UK. There are organised displays, but a lot of people have small, ad-hoc displays in their back yard.
posted by afx237vi at 8:56 AM on May 22, 2007

I saw that last 4th of July here in the States. It was my first summer on a lake, and along with the bottle rockets, there were a few homes who had long, impressive displays before the town sponsored show.
posted by saffry at 9:01 AM on May 22, 2007

Oh, and when I lived in Portland -- even though flying fireworks were illegal, if you could get access to the roof of a tall building in downtown Portland, you could see the most amazing light show all around you all evening -- literally everywhere you looked, every second, there was an airburst firework going off. THAT was an amazing way to watch fireworks.
posted by SpecialK at 9:01 AM on May 22, 2007

They do this in Lincoln Park (and probably elsewhere) in Washington DC on July 4, but not in the other parts of the U.S. where I've lived.
posted by exogenous at 9:03 AM on May 22, 2007

They do this at New Years in Italy...
posted by wyzewoman at 9:03 AM on May 22, 2007

It's done here in Wisconsin, but it's also illegal (at least in Milwaukee and most of the bigger cities).
posted by drezdn at 9:10 AM on May 22, 2007

When I lived in Prague, the New Year's Eve celebration saw thousands of people filling Old Town to launch fireworks. It was very dangerous - drunk people launching roman candles into crouds of people, and even some revelers dancing around larger fireworks in the center of the square.
posted by mammary16 at 9:11 AM on May 22, 2007

I live in Kansas, and we only do fireworks for the 4th of July (and sometimes New Year's)... Our town puts on an official fireworks display for the 4th of July, but it's a tiny town and the official display doesn't last long, so everyone gathers near a flood control dike that runs through town and shoots off their own fireworks... Private fireworks displays are illegal in the city limits without a permit, but no one bothers to get one, and the ordinance is pretty much unenforcable with so many people doing it (my husband is a police officer, and he just pretends he didn't see them or hear them)... It seems to work out okay as there have been no fires or injuries in my recent memory.
posted by amyms at 9:12 AM on May 22, 2007

It must be nice to be in the beaches. Up here in uncivilized North York, people just aim the fireworks at each other.
posted by jacquilynne at 9:23 AM on May 22, 2007

I've seen videos on YouTube, possibly even linked to from MeFi, of large-scale amateur fireworks displays in Taiwan. People would bring giant racks of fireworks into what looked like small public square areas.
posted by marionnette en chaussette at 9:45 AM on May 22, 2007

I live on the prairie in Iowa. Even though it's illegal, 'round the 4th I can see home displays going off miles away all around me. Going down to Missouri to buy fireworks is an annual pilgrimage.
posted by bricoleur at 9:52 AM on May 22, 2007

I lived in Iceland for a few years and New Years Eve in Iceland is the time to build large bonfires and let off some incredibly dangerous fireworks, quite a few of which seemed to be homemade!

A lot of them were set off by just throwing them into the bonfire, but that could have just been a by-product of too much Brennivin (the liquor known as Black Death)
posted by worker_bee at 9:57 AM on May 22, 2007

I saw this in Munich, Germany on New Year's.
posted by yarrow at 10:23 AM on May 22, 2007

Addendum about Texas: It depends on where you live. Inside many city limits, it is illegal. Some rural areas have also placed restrictions in recent years when there were "emergency" drought conditions due to the fire danger.
posted by Robert Angelo at 10:25 AM on May 22, 2007

I grew up near an ammunition plant. Not only did we see amateur fireworks displays on July 4th, we were sometimes treated to the explosive delights of nitroglycerin that was stolen off the manufacturing line.
posted by junkbox at 10:35 AM on May 22, 2007

In Bosnia, they used to do this a lot, but the war put an end to it, and - according to relatives - people don't enjoy fireworks because the "popping" sounds exactly like mortar rounds. It may be a generation or so before fireworks seem benign again.

For the first few years I lived in America, I went to a cottage in the woods to avoid them because they really traumatized me.

I was in Hungary last summer and there were fantastic fireworks displays in most towns for St Stephen's Day. One of the things I liked most about them was that they were almost entirely in green, white and red - the colors of Hungary - as opposed to the ubiquitous red, white and blue of America. Nothing against America, but the change of colors made for a different experience - you don't realize how many red, white and blue fireworks America uses until you see a display with no blue!

Last year, a sudden, torrential downpour ruined the Budapest fireworks display - some people were killed and many injured in a hysterical rush to get off the bridge from which people were viewing them.
posted by Dee Xtrovert at 10:37 AM on May 22, 2007

It's illegal here in San Francisco, but that doesn't stop anyone.

Fourth of July is particularly popular, and there are folks in my neighborhood who set off near-professional quality shows. We stand on our back porch (third floor) and watch the multiple displays, and oooh and aaah, and hope the whole neighborhood - populated as it is by wood houses - doesn't burn down. Good times.
posted by rtha at 11:05 AM on May 22, 2007

That certainly happens in at least a few places in Ashland. The other year, some group of highschoolers (I think) somehow stacked up sufficient bricks of firecrackers in one place that the resulting noise-n-smoke show lasted for a solid half hour. It was impressive.
posted by everichon at 11:20 AM on May 22, 2007

Once for The New Year and once for 4th of July. We go "all out". Someone, usually an adult (go fgure?) catches fire and it gives us something to teach the kids. Now don't go getting blown-up like Uncle Emmett did last July 4th.
posted by winks007 at 11:44 AM on May 22, 2007

And as far a legality, they are legal on the westbank of Jefferson Parish, but not on the eastbank of said parish. We still haven't figured that one out yet. They said they will arrest and they usually do. We do ours(legally) at a friends house (he's also a awesome and talented chef) out in the woods of Hammond LA.
posted by winks007 at 11:47 AM on May 22, 2007

In Madrid during New Years Eve people were lighting fireworks all night long.
posted by JJ86 at 11:48 AM on May 22, 2007

In Italy they do this like crazy at New Year's, and other festivals too. New Year's in central Naples is like Beiruit, with all the smoke and noise and craziness, plus kids up on balconies are chucking down these firecrackers at you that are huge - about the size of a flowerpot, and when they go off you can feel a blast wave coming off them.
You have to keep your wits about you, but still there are plenty of injuries and the odd death.
posted by Flashman at 11:52 AM on May 22, 2007

Here in France, we set off fireworks (feu d'artifice) for the quatorze jullet (and no French people call it Bastille day).
posted by hazyjane at 12:01 PM on May 22, 2007

Over here in our little country of Hawaii, fireworks are legal (as long as you have a permit...which, of course, doesn't stop anyone) and they are blown up everywhere for New Years Eve and 4th of July. Small temporary stores and tents (ala Christmas tree lots) sprout up all over and people spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars on fireworks to blow up.

It's great to see them go off, but by the end of the night, you cannot see 20 ft ahead of you in the valleys because of the smoke, there is always guaranteed at least 10 house fires, the for the huge percentage of the people here suffering from asthma caused by the vog (volcanic fod), these holidays are dreaded affairs!

As for legality, I'm not exactly sure but the smaller, tamer ones are legal...but everyone seems to get their hands on the big guys!
posted by lil' ears at 12:38 PM on May 22, 2007

In the exurbs of the GTA I noticed it is growing each year too. the community fireworks were on Sunday night but Monday night the neighbourhood fireworks started around 9 pm and kept going well past midnight. It was spontaneous, not organized at all - just a bunch of differing groups trying to out-do each other. Brampton during Diwali is crazy beautiful with the random fireworks. My best guess would be a collusion between the strong economy with more money to spend on frivolous things and the need for community. In the past five years I see a lot more use of our public spaces and a move away from individuals cocooning in their houses. I love the fireworks, I wish we had them in winter too. Looking at the local by-law no permit is necessary during Victoria Day (which seems to mean the whole weekend), Canada Day, Diwali and New Years. Huh, I've never seen fireworks on New Year's Eve. Even if someone gets killed on youtube I don't think they will be outlawed anytime soon.
posted by saucysault at 12:56 PM on May 22, 2007

Twice a year Long Beach, WA let's you fire off anything you like as long as it is pointed out over the water. Quite a spectacular event on July 4 and New Year's.
posted by trinity8-director at 4:06 PM on May 22, 2007

Doesnt happen every year (fire restrictions in dry summers) but in the little historic town of Virginia City (near Reno, Nevada, USA for those unaware) they have a great 4th of July fireworks display that more often than not catches an old historic building on fire, or ignites a car, or onlookers, etc. That's really the only reason people show up for the event.. to see what ends up burning down. I've seen a one of those huge blossom fireworks explode only 40-50 feet above the crowd, spraying everything and everybody with burning cinders and lighting every tree in range on fire.

Ah good times.
posted by elendil71 at 4:30 PM on May 22, 2007

I've never seen any in Australia, but I'm never in a city for New Year's, when I'd expect them to happen if ever.
posted by jacalata at 6:56 PM on May 22, 2007

In Australia there are pretty good shows put on, but sale of fireworks to the public is illegal since about 1980 I think. I remember the joy of setting off fireworks as child, but the regular routine of people doing things like packing their car full of rockets then smoking as they drove around, leaning over rockets, picking up unexploded fireworks and so on got it banned.
posted by tomble at 12:25 AM on May 23, 2007

I spent the last Chinese New year (aka Spring Festival) in Beijing, and I have never been so convinced I was going to die.

This is the country of People, and the fireworks are put up by the people, for the people. Fireworks are absolutely prohibitited in beijing, except for the one holiday week. The entire city goes nuts. There is a stand on every corner, and everything is constantly exploding, everywhere, all the time. The sort of things I saw sailing past the window of my 10th floor apartment would never be even remotely legal in US. I swear, more explosives was used up in this 1 week in Beijing alone, than in the rest of the world (outside China) combined.

Being in attendance is a highly recommended experience for the reckless, insane and suicidal. I loved it, and have crazy videos to prove it.
posted by blindcarboncopy at 9:34 AM on May 25, 2007