Bonfire Night is very nearly here, and we’re all looking forward to marvelling at fireworks and warming ourselves around roaring bonfires. If you’re organising a display, here’s your last-minute checklist of crucial things to remember:

1. Inform everyone. Not only do you need to invite people to attend your event, but you also need to inform neighbouring residents and the local authorities (police, fire ambulance, the local council etc.)
2. Sort out car parking. Unless you have a dedicated car park with enough space in it, give attendees information about car parking and have stewards to direct people arriving by car, you’re going to have chaos on your hands. This will not only annoy the people attending your fireworks display, but it will infuriate local residents and business owners.
3. Get some stewards. Having a team of reliable assistants is crucial to pulling off a successful and safe fireworks display. You need stewards to help people with parking, to manage the display and bonfire, to solve problems and to dispense important safety information.
4. Come up with an emergency plan. With fire and fireworks, there is always the chance that something will go wrong, no matter how much you plan. This is why you need emergency plans for all kinds of scenarios ready, and road-tested, on the remote chance that you might need to put them into action.
5. Check that your fireworks are stored safely. If you’ve invested in good quality fireworks, you will want to protect them from the elements and ensure that they are stored safely. It’s always worth checking that your fireworks are still as you left them, and that they’re in good condition.
6. Keep an eye on the weather. You can’t change the weather, but you can be ready for rain and wind. If it’s going to pour down, you need to work out whether there’s a window in which you can set at least a few of your fireworks off or whether it makes sense to cancel the event. You can also provide umbrellas, canopies, gazebos and other shelter for your attendees if you have some idea what the weather is going to do.
7. Think about clean-up. Once the lights and sparkles have ended and the bonfire is put out, you’re going to need to clean-up the site and restore it to the condition it was in before your display. You’ll need a clean-up team, and you might need some specialist equipment. It’s easy to forget about this vital part of planning a fireworks display in the excitement of the event itself, but it’s your responsibility as an event organiser. If you neglect clean-up and leave the site a mess, it’s unlikely you’ll be allowed to organise next year’s display.

If there’s anything on this list that you haven’t considered, you still have a few days to do something about it. Remember – safe fireworks are fun fireworks!