If you’ve left it to the very last minute to plan anything for the upcoming Guy Fawkes Night on November 5^th, you have three options. You can stay in and gaze longingly out the window at everyone else’s fireworks, you can pay to go to an organised local display or you can plan your own last-minute celebrations.

Let’s go for the latter, and organise a last-minute display that can be just as good (if a little more scaled down) as a party planned months ago. Here are the essential tips you need to plan and pull off a fantastic display:

• Invite everyone before you do anything else. It’s no good scrambling to organise a display if no one comes, so tell everyone a date and time before you do anything else. Once you have some firm yeses, you can get on with your planning.

 

• Don’t panic and buy cheap fireworks. Just because the clock is ticking, this doesn’t mean you should panic and end up skimping on the fireworks. You still need quality fireworks, ones that won’t misfire (potentially injuring someone) and produce huge amounts of smoke the way cheap products do. Spend a bit more on good quality fireworks from a reputable supplier – you won’t regret it.

 

• Check last-minute availability of professional organisers. It’s a long shot this close to November 5^th, but there is a chance that a professional display organiser may be able to do something for your event, even if it’s just recommending the best fireworks to buy or offering some expert advice. If you’re a novice, speaking to an expert at reputable companies like 1^st Galaxy Fireworks is always a good idea.

 

• Use your own or someone else’s garden as a venue. All the best local venues will either be booked up by now, or you’ll need a licence or permit to hold a display. If you have enough space in your garden, or in a friend or family member’s garden that they’ll let you use, it makes sense to hold your display there. It’s free, easy for everyone to get to, and you can retire inside if the weather turns.

 

• Keep it small. As it’s a last minute display, you just won’t have the time or the space to hold a massive event with loads of expensive fireworks. Keep the guest list small and stick to a well-planned display with great quality fireworks – this will keep the event manageable and ensure everything goes off without a hitch.

 

• Don’t neglect safety. Just because you’re in a rush, you mustn’t forget about safety. In fact, health and safety is the most vital thing to research and put into practice before holding a fireworks display. Fireworks can be dangerous if safety rules aren’t followed, so make sure you leave enough space around the firing zone, understand how to safely set off fireworks, inform all spectators of the safety rules and generally be sensible about the running of your display.