A record amount of fireworks were purchased this year. According to the Interest Association Pyrotechniek Nederland (BPN), the fireworks dealers had a turnover of 110 million euros.
The sales record so far was between 2019 and 2020, when fireworks worth 77 million euros were launched. The next two years there was a ban on fireworks due to the corona pandemic.
According to a spokesperson for the BPN, 10% of the increase in turnover is due to inflation and the higher price of fireworks. “The rest is really because much more has been sold. The enthusiasm for fireworks is very big this year.”
The industry had previously expected sales to amount to around €85 million. This is because one and a half to two times more orders were placed in presale than in 2019. Orders could be placed as early as mid-November, and in the last three days it was possible to buy fireworks in stores.
The fireworks industry believes that fireworks enthusiasts are so excited this year because they were able to buy fireworks again after two new years with a nationwide ban. This year, boxes with “a full fireworks display”, the so-called cakes, are especially popular.
Fireworks may be lit between December 31st, 6.00pm and January 1st, 2.00am
A quarter of the fireworks sold are so-called F1 fireworks, or prank and prank fireworks such as sparklers and peas. The rest are F2 fireworks: decorative fireworks such as cakes, compound boxes, ground flowers, and fountains. Since 2020, there has been a ban on explosive fireworks such as firecrackers and loose flares, also known as category F3 fireworks.
Fireworks can be activated between December 31, 6:00 PM and January 1, 2:00 AM. In twelve municipalities there is a ban on New Year’s Eve, but fireworks can be sold there. According to the BPN spokesperson, this has been happening aplenty. “In those municipalities, sales were no less than in municipalities without a lighting ban”.
