Nov 5th & Guy Fawkes

The mainstay of all fireworks companies. November the 5th or Guy Fawkes Season is really what Fireworks are known for in the UK.  It is a time we look forward to (and slightly dread!) as we hope for dry weather and fair winds. It is also a time that unlike no other time in the year, thousands of local groups/schools/communities/local authorities come together to organise amazing local Fireworks events.

The "Typical" November Fireworks Show

Typically November shows are approx 10-15 minutes in length. The larger shows may be 20, but they are now less common, simply due to cost.

So how does it work?

Simply put, we work to your budget, requirements and venue constraints. We will guide you as to what we can do for a given location, taking into account any risk factors. We will then present you with options tailored just for you.

How much does it cost?

All things being equal this price table below will guide you roughly on prices. The top row is duration in minutes, the vertical axis is show scale/impact. There are MANY variables not taken fully into account and this should be used as a ROUGH guide to budget with only. We do show another example that is cheaper below.

Lets explain more about the show scale/impact. There are two key points to remember. Firstly show scale is directly related to the number of distinct firing sites. For example we might have all the fireworks in one position on a low impact show, but a medium or high would have multiple usually 3+ locations fireworks are fired from, Left + Middle + Right across a field for example. This gives the show more width, larger sky space and so a higher impact.
The second element is the amount (and type) of actual pyrotechnic content each show has. A high impact show has physically larger fireworks, each containing more gunpowder. The effects are thus larger and more sky filling. Much of this is dictated by space at a particular venue. Large calibre shows require much further spectator distance, not just for safety but also to actually see the display! As with every venue/location there may be limiting factors which prevent for example a high or medium show scale show being possible, and the only option due to spectator distances would be a low/small scale show.

What is also important to mention is whilst the low scale/impact shows are smaller in terms of pyrotechnic materials, often the audience are also much closer, so it must be stressed that these shows are still fantastic and very popular with our customers. In fact the vast majority of our November shows are on the 'low' end of the spectrum for both space and budget constraints.

Other costs that may also need to be accounted for are additional costs in creating a Pyro-musical, and any audio hire that may be required. These days Medium and High impact/scale shows are almost always Pyro-musicals, and so the design time is included with the cost. At the lower end, this is not always the case, but we can still provide this and any audio systems that are required to support it.

Sadly the days of a £500 or even full show for £1000 are long gone and care should be taken towards anyone who claims to offer this. A large display such as our competition show would cost somewhere in the region of £15,000 as can be seen from the table above. It's a high impact 10 minute show - however this is a little extreme for most occasions, and needs a huge area to fit it in.

Pyro-musicals

Medium/High impact/scale shows include design time for creating a Pyro-musical. If you wanted a Low/smaller scale Pyro-musical event this would be an additional cost of around £400-800 depending on length. PA system could would have to be added separetly.

A "large scale" local round table type display sized for an audience of approx 2000-3000 you should be budgeting at least £6000 for a 15 minute show, plus hire of PA system etc. You'll see this doesn't quite fit within the table above as often they sit half way between a small/medium sized event.

Low noise

We are of course only to familiar with the "silent firework" myth. Lets get this out there now, they don't exist! What do exist are low noise fireworks. One must remember that the effect/noise from a firework is directly related, so low noise fireworks are much less spectacular than their noisier counterparts. Any show hoping to achieve a big wow factor will miss the mark by some distance if only being able to use low noise pyrotechnic materials. We have run low noise and traditional shows on the same events on the same night and the almost instinctive amazement from the audience with low noise just isn't there. That being said they do serve a purpose for sensitive venues, and some fireworks are better than none, so when faced with this as the only option it's best give us a call to discuss.

Firework Alternatives (Kind of)

So in 2022 we invested in a significant amount of Laser and Lighting equipment. This turned out to be a maser stroke as the record breaking hot dry summer prevented the use of fireworks at many venues and we were able to offer an alternative. Lets be realistic - are lights and lasers really an alternative for a fireworks show? No, but it is pretty cool in its own right and we had a fantastic response from the audiences so far, you can read more about our amazing lasers here.

Get in touch with us!

We need to chat! If you are considering a fireworks display for your celebration or event get in touch by email or give us a call. We love fireworks and would talk about them all day given the chance! Let us know your budget, expectations and requirements and we will guide you on your merry way to an awesome fireworks display designed just for you by us. We are always more than happy to help.