Fireworks are alive and well in Europe: Modern Festivals, Celebrations and Traditions in Western Countries

Fireworks are not a relic - they are a symbol of European culture

In recent years, the claim that fireworks are a "primitive relic" or a "barbaric tradition" that has come to an end in Western Europe has been frequently repeated online. The media like to adopt simplistic reports about the cancellation of fireworks in some cities - whether for ecological, animal or safety reasons. But the reality is quite different: new firework festivals are springing up in Western Europe, traditional festivals attract millions of visitors and pyrotechnics are still one of the main draws of the tourist and cultural programme of European capitals.

Why fireworks? Tradition, modernity, experience, tourism

- Firework shows are part of national holidays, city festivals, summer festivals, vintage events, sporting events and New Year's Eve celebrations.

- In Western Europe, pyrotechnics are often combined with music (pyromusicals), lighting effects, projections on buildings, drones and other innovations.

- Cities and regions use fireworks to boost tourism, support local businesses and create a social experience for families, visitors and locals.

- In many locations (e.g. Germany, the Netherlands or England), eco-friendly and 'silent' fireworks are also being developed, respecting animals and modern trends.

GERMANY

- Rhein in Flammen, Bonn: 17 May 2025 (Saturday, always the third Saturday in May)

https://www.rhein-in-flammen.com/bonn/bonn.html

World event - tradition

- Japantag - Düsseldorf 24.5. 2025

https://www.visitduesseldorf.de/en/experience/events/japan-tag-japan-day-dusseldorf-nrw

- Rhein in Flammen, Koblenz: 2 August 2025 (first Saturday in August)

https://www.rhein-in-flammen.com/spay-koblenz/landprogramm-koblenz.html

- Kölner Lichter, Cologne: July 2025, traditionally the second/third weekend in July (date to be determined, in 2024 it was 20 July)

https://www.koelner-lichter.de/

International competition

- Pyronale Berlin: 5-6 September 2025 (Friday-Saturday, traditionally the first/second weekend in September)

https://pyronale.de/programm/

International competition

- Internationaler Feuerwerkswettbewerb Herrenhausen, Hannover: May-September 2025 (note, 5 evenings during the summer, exact dates to be specified, e.g. in 2024: 25 May, 8 June, 17 August, 7 September, 21 September)

https://www.feuerwerk-hannover.de/

- Mainfest Frankfurt: 8-11 August 2025 (main fireworks usually on Sunday evening)

- New Year's Eve in Berlin, Munich, Cologne, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Stuttgart: 31 December 2025 (New Year's Eve fireworks midnight-1am)

- City festivals ("Stadtfest", "Volksfest", "Kirmes"): May-September 2025 (various weekends, fireworks always at the end - e.g. Düsseldorf Rheinkirmes 11-20 July, Stuttgart Cannstatter Volksfest 26 September-12 October)

AUSTRIA

- 31 December 2024 / 1 January 2025 Vienna, Salzburg, Innsbruck, Graz, Linz, Klagenfurt, Villach, Bregenz, etc. Silvesterpfad / New Year's Eve fireworks New Year's Eve fireworks in city centres, on waterfronts, lakesides, festive programmes (largest in Vienna - Stephansplatz, Prater, Donauinsel; at Lake Constance in Bregenz).

- 27-29 June 2025 (fireworks on 28 June) Vienna Donauinselfest The largest open-air festival in Europe, fireworks at the end of the main evening on a Danube island.

- 25-26 July 2025 Klagenfurt, Wörthersee (Carinthia) Starnacht am Wörthersee Music festival, pyromusical fireworks over the lake (26 July).

https://www.tips.at/nachrichten/oesterreich/oesterreich-welt/690141-glanz-stars-und-gaensehaut-die-starnacht-am-woerthersee-2025-begeistert-mit-show-feuerwerk-und-promi-highlights

- 2 August 2025 St. Wolfgang, St. Gilgen, Strobl (Salzkammergut) Wolfgangsee Seenachtfest Night at Wolfgangsee, a unique fireworks display on the lake surface with boat parades.

- 15 August 2025 Bregenz (Lake Constance) Lichterfest Bregenz Celebration of lights and fireworks on the lake shore, boat parades, concerts.

https://www.vorarlberg-lines.at/de/eventfahrten/erlebnisfahrten/rundfahrt-hafenfest-1

- 23 August 2025 Salzburg, surrounding lakes (Mondsee, Attersee, Traunsee, etc.) Summer Festival at the Lakes

https://attersee-attergau.salzkammergut.at/oesterreich-veranstaltung/detail/430003413/seefest-mit-klangfeuerwerk-in-unterach-am-attersee.html

FRANCE

- Fête Nationale (Bastille Day): 14 July 2025 (Monday, fireworks in Paris and all French cities)

International Competition - World Film Festival

- Festival d'Art Pyrotechnique de Cannes: July-August 2025 (several evenings: 4, 14, 21, 29 July; 7, 15 August 2025; always in the evening around 22:00, exact schedule on the festival website)

https://www.festival-pyrotechnique-cannes.com/

International Competition

- Monaco Art en Ciel: July-August 2025 (4 evenings: 6 and 20 July, 3 and 17 August 2025)

https://www.seemonaco.com/events/international-musical-fireworks-competition-685981

- Festival Pyromélodique d'Annecy ("Fête du Lac d'Annecy"): 2 August 2025 (first Saturday in August, the largest pyromusical on the lakes in Europe)

- Carcassonne: 14 July 2025 (the biggest fireworks display over the medieval city all summer, always on a public holiday and during summer festivals)

- La Rochelle, Biarritz, Marseille, Nice, Bordeaux, Lyon, Ajaccio, Bastia, Dijon, Nantes, Lille, Strasbourg...: fireworks on 14 July (Bastille Day), in many cities also during the summer festivities and on New Year's Eve (31 December)

SWITZERLAND

- 31 December 2024 / 1 January 2025 Zurich, Geneva, Basel, Lucerne, Bern, Lausanne, Lugano, etc. Silvesterzauber / Nouvel An New Year's Eve fireworks on lakes and in city centres (largest in Zurich - waterfront, Geneva - Jet d'Eau)

https://www.myvaud.ch/de/G2683/1-august-im-kanton-waadt

- 1 August 2025 The whole country - Zurich, Geneva, Lucerne, Basel, Bern, Lausanne, Zermatt, etc. Fête nationale suisse (Schweizer Nationalfeiertag) A national holiday with spectacular fireworks displays on lakes and in the mountains, festivities in every municipality, the largest on Lake Geneva, Lucerne and Basel on the Rhine

- 4-6 July 2025 (main fireworks on 4 and 5 July) Zurich Zurich Lake Festival (Zurichfest) Three-day open air festival, main fireworks on 4 and 5 July over the lake

https://the-circle-zuerich.ch/en/event/zueri-fescht/#:~:text=Every%20three%20years%20is%20the,organizer%20before%20the%20event%20starts.

- 7-10 August 2025 (fireworks 9 Aug) Geneva Fêtes de Genève The country's largest pyromusical show, an international festival on the shores of Lake Geneva.

- 9 August 2025 Lucerne Seenachtfest Lucerne Traditional summer festival with a unique fireworks display over Lake Vierwaldstätter

- 12 August 2025 Basel Basler Rheinschwimmen & Feuerwerk Swimming in the Rhine, evening fireworks in the city centre, summer festival

https://www.basel.com/de/veranstaltungen/1-august

- Summer (June-September) Locarno, Lugano, St. Moritz, Interlaken, Montreux, Ascona, Davos, etc. Regional festivals at lakes and in the mountains Fireworks at local festivals, music festivals, patron saints' festivals, vintage festivals

- 31 December 2025 Zurich, Geneva, Basel, Lucerne, etc. Silvesterzauber New Year's Eve fireworks, especially on lakes and main squares

https://geneve.evous.ch/fetes-et-festivals/le-feu-d-artifice-du-31-decembre.html

SPAIN

International Fireworks Festival

- Fallas de Valencia: 15-19 March 2025 (the biggest event in Valencia, fireworks every day and night)

https://www.visitvalencia.com/agenda-valencia/fiestas/las-fallas-de-valencia

International competition

- Concurs Internacional de Focs Artificials de Blanes: 24-27 July 2025 (fireworks every evening on the Costa Brava beach)

https://focs.blanes.cat/es/programacion/

- Concurs Internacional de Focs Artificials de Tarragona: 1-5 July 2025 (first week of July, five-star festival)

https://www.tarragona.cat/cultura/festes-i-cultura-popular/concurs-internacional-de-focs-artificials-ciutat-de-tarragona

- Semana Grande / Aste Nagusia (San Sebastián): 9-16 August 2025 (fireworks every night in San Sebastián, fireworks also in Bilbao and Santander, various dates)

https://astenagusia.donostiakultura.eus/es/

- La Mercè (Barcelona): 24-27 September 2025 (fireworks and correfoc, final pyromusical on 27 September)

- Noche de San Juan: 23-24 June 2025 (beach and urban fireworks throughout Catalonia, Valencia, Andalusia, Balearic Islands, Canary Islands...)

- Fiestas Patronales, Feria de Abril, Semana Santa: various dates March-September 2025 (different in each city, fireworks at the end of the main festivities)

- New Year's Eve: 31 December 2025 (public fireworks in the squares of all the major cities, e.g. Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, Málaga, Bilbao, Zaragoza, Granada, etc.)

NETHERLANDS

- International Fireworks Festival Scheveningen: 8-10 August 2025 (fireworks every night on the beach in Den Haag)

https://scheveningen.com/en/event/225/international-fireworks-festival-scheveningen.html

- Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, Utrecht, etc. (Oud & Nieuw): 31 December 2025 (biggest New Year's Eve fireworks in Rotterdam, Amsterdam, also on the beaches of The Hague/Scheveningen)

- Summer beach fireworks (Zandvoort, Katwijk, Noordwijk, etc.): July-August 2025 (usually every weekend in high season, exact dates on local city websites)

- Kermis, Stadsfeest: May-September 2025 (in smaller towns and villages, fireworks to open/end the festival, various dates - e.g. Tilburg Kermis 18-27 July 2025)

BELGIUM

- Belgian National Day: 21 July 2025 (Monday, fireworks in Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent, Bruges, Liege, Namur, etc.)

International competition

- International Fireworks Festival Knokke-Heist: 25-29 July 2025 (fireworks on the beach every evening, exact dates on the festival website)

https://knokkeheist.com/nl/evenement/421/internationaal-vuurwerkfestival.html

- Summer festivals, vintage festivals, city days: June-September 2025 (all regions, fireworks always at the end of the festival; e.g. Gentse Feesten 18-27 July 2025, Bruges Summer Festival August 2025)

- New Year's Eve: 31 December 2025 (Brussels, Antwerp, Ostend, Ghent, Bruges, Namur, Liège - fireworks on squares and quays)

ENGLAND (UK)

- London New Year's Eve Fireworks: 31 December 2025 (midnight, Thames Embankment, Britain's biggest fireworks display)

International competition

- British Firework Championships, Plymouth: 13-14 August 2025 (Wednesday-Thursday, two nights of competition on the seafront)

https://www.britishfireworks.co.uk/

- Leeds Castle Fireworks Spectacular: 8-9 November 2025 (Saturday-Sunday after Bonfire Night)

International Competition

- Firework Champions: 26 July to 6 September 2025 (different venue each weekend, e.g. Ragley Hall 26 July, Stanford Hall 2 August, Belvoir Castle 16 August, Eastnor Castle 23 August, Newby Hall 6 September)

https://www.fireworkchampions.co.uk/

- Bonfire Night (Guy Fawkes Night): 5 November 2025 (Wednesday, most celebrations in the week of 1-9 November, largest in London, Lewes, Sheffield, Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow, Edinburgh...)

- Coastal and urban fireworks - Bournemouth, Brighton, Blackpool, Liverpool, Bath, Bristol, Scarborough, etc.: summer 2025 (July-August, usually every Friday/Saturday during high season)

Italy

- February 3-5, 2025 Festa di Sant'Agata Catania (Sicily) One of the largest religious festivals in Italy, the city celebrates its patron saint with several fireworks displays.

- 19 March 2025 Festa di San Giuseppe Sicily, Naples, Lazio, southern Italy Celebration of St Joseph - fireworks in dozens of towns and villages, often on the night of 18-19 March.

- 7-9 May 2025 Festa di San Nicola The main and largest festival of the city of Bari. The celebration of the patron saint of St. Nicholas (San Nicola) takes place every May and is accompanied by monumental fireworks shows right on the waterfront and in the harbor. There are also maritime parades, secular and religious festivities and several evenings of pyrotechnic competitions (often between leading Italian and sometimes foreign teams).

- 24 June 2025 Festa di San Giovanni Florence, Turin, Genoa Major city festivities with fireworks over the Arno River, Po, or in the harbour.

https://www.guidatorino.com/san-giovanni-2025-torino-programma/

- 2 July 2025 Festa della Madonna della Bruna Matera (Basilicata) Traditional festival in the rock city, fireworks at the end of the procession.

- 5 July 2025 (first weekend in July) Capodanno dell'Estate Rimini (Emilia-Romagna) Celebration of the summer season - a big fireworks display on the beach.

https://riminiturismo.it/eventi/grande-spettacolo-di-fuochi-dartificio-su-tutta-la-riviera

- 12 July 2025 Palio di San Paolino Lucca (Tuscany) Medieval festival with fireworks in honour of the town's patron saint.

- 14-15 July 2025 Festa di Santa Rosalia Palermo (Sicily) Monumental fireworks display to end the feast of the patron saint of the city.

- 19 July 2025 (third Saturday in July) Festa del Redentore Venice (Veneto) World-famous fireworks over the lagoon - Venice's main festival.

https://events.veneziaunica.it/it/cosa-fare-a-venezia/eventi/festa-del-redentore-2025

- 5 August 2025 Festa della Madonna della Neve Bergamo, Lodi, other regions Fireworks in towns and villages for the Marian feast.

- 10 August 2025 La Notte di San Lorenzo All Italy 'Night of the Falling Stars', fireworks mainly on the coast and in resorts.

- 15 August 2025 Ferragosto / Fuochi d'Artificio di Ferragosto All over Italy Fireworks in all regions - town festivals and Marian pilgrimages.

https://www.houseboat.it/news/approfondimento/fuochi-d-artificio-di-ferragosto-14-e-15-agosto.html

- 2 September 2025 Festa di San Antimo Piombino (Tuscany) Patronal festival with a big fireworks display by the sea.

Autumn (September-October) Various towns and villages Sagre & Festa Patronale Local festivities - dozens of fireworks displays per month in each region.

https://castelsantangelorome.com/girandola-castel-sant-angelo/

San Trifone - Adelfia - fireworks celebration Santi Patroni San Trifone and San Nicola

- 8-11 November 2025 San Nicola:

- 6-8 December 2025 Festa di San Trifone & Festa di San Nicola Two festivities in the town of Adelfia (district of Bari, Puglia), every year with the most spectacular fireworks competition in southern Italy.

- Pyrotechnic "battaglia di fuochi" - the most prestigious show of pyrotechnic companies from all over Italy, often the European top. Fireworks displays take place several nights in a row (the highlight is the "notte dei fuochi" - the Night of Fireworks).

- The specific features are the daytime and nighttime fireworks ("fuochi diurni" & "fuochi notturni"): extremely loud firecrackers and colourful smoke effects during the day, monumental shows synchronised with music in the evening and night.

The event attracts firework fans from all over Europe, it is filmed by TV stations and there is a specialised pyrotechnic tourism around it. Adelfia is synonymous in Italy (and often on a European scale) with the ultimate pyrotechnic competition!

https://www.santrifone.it/

- 31 December 2025 Rome, Naples, Milan, Florence, Venice, other cities Capodanno (New Year's Eve) Spectacular New Year's Eve fireworks in all major and minor cities.

What do modern fireworks look like in Western Europe?

- Often a combination of pyrotechnics, music, synchronisation with orchestral pieces, lighting effects, lasers, drones and projections onto buildings.

- Increasingly, fireworks are more and more environmentally friendly (silent compositions, less smoke, recyclable materials) or combined with new technologies (e.g. pyromusicals with drones in England, Holland, Germany, France).

- In many cities you will find so-called "family-friendly" evenings (earlier start, quiet pyrotechnics without strong detonations, adapted for children and animals).

Fireworks as part of tourist identity and local economy

- Dozens of European cities and regions build their tourism offer on fireworks - whether it's summer festivals, New Year's Eve, vintage, city days or church festivals.

- Cities such as Paris, Cannes, Cologne, Berlin, Barcelona, Venice, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Brussels, Bruges, Scheveningen, Plymouth and London attract both domestic and international visitors with fireworks.

- Festivals and celebrations generate income for hotels, restaurants, transport and small businesses.

Why do the myths about "banning fireworks in the West" continue to spread?

- The media often report only on individual restrictions (for example, in the case of drought, environmental crises or reconstruction), but generalise to the whole country or continent.

- In reality, these are only a few cases out of thousands of fireworks displays across Western Europe each year.

- New festivals are created every year, cities invest in innovation, ecology and safety, but fireworks as a traditional and modern phenomenon have certainly not disappeared.

List of selected key Western European fireworks festivals 2025

- France: Fête Nationale (Paris, Marseille, Nice, Carcassonne, Strasbourg, Lyon, Bordeaux, Lille, Cannes); Cannes Pyrotechnic Festival; Annecy Pyromelodic; Carcassonne Medieval Show; summer festivals in Provence, Normandy, Bretagne...

- Germany: Rhein in Flammen (Bonn, Koblenz, Oberwesel, St. Goar, Bingen, Rüdesheim), Kölner Lichter, Pyronale Berlin, Feuerwerkswettbewerb Hannover, Volksfeste and Stadtfeste in Frankfurt, Munich, Stuttgart, Düsseldorf, Hamburg...

- Spain: Fallas de Valencia, La Mercè Barcelona, Semana Grande San Sebastián, Semana Santa Sevilla, Concurso Blanes, Tarragona Fireworks Contest, Feria de Abril, Feria de Málaga, San Juan in Catalonia, Valencia, Andalusia...

- Netherlands: International Fireworks Festival Scheveningen, Oud & Nieuw (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, Utrecht), Kermis festivals in smaller towns and summer beach fireworks...

- Belgium: National Day Brussels, International Fireworks Festival Knokke-Heist, Gentse Feesten, Bruges and Antwerp Summer Festivals, town festivals in Namur, Dinant, Spa, Bastogne, Ypres, etc.

- England: London New Year's Eve, Bonfire Night, British Firework Championships (Plymouth), Leeds Castle Fireworks, Firework Champions (Ragley Hall, Stanford Hall, Belvoir Castle, Eastnor Castle, Newby Hall), Beach Fireworks (Bournemouth, Brighton, Blackpool), Edinburgh Hogmanay...

Fireworks in Western Europe are definitely not coming to an end - on the contrary!

If you believed until now that Western Europe no longer hosts fireworks, take a look at public festival calendars, city websites, photos and videos from recent years. You'll find that pyrotechnic festivals and celebrations still have an integral place in European culture, tourism and social life.

Traditional firework displays, pyromusicals, light shows and innovations in ecology and safety go hand in hand - and Germany, France, Spain, Holland, Belgium and England are the main European firework engines.

Final note: Fireworks are alive and well in Northern and Eastern Europe

As in the developed Western countries, fireworks competitions and festivals are also held in Northern and Eastern Europe. Many of them have a long tradition, high standards and huge popularity - whether in Scandinavia, the Baltic States, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria or the Balkan countries. Here are just a few examples with specific dates for 2025:

23 June 2025 Copenhagen, Aarhus, Odense, beaches, etc. Denmark Sankt Hans Aften Summer solstice, fireworks and festivities across the country

30 April 2025 Uppsala, Lund, Stockholm, etc. Sweden Valborgsmässoafton Traditional 'Philipmas Night' with bonfires and fireworks, especially in student towns

17 May 2025 Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim, etc. Norway Grunnlovsdagen (Constitution Day) National holiday with evening fireworks in major cities

31 December 2025 Helsinki, Tampere, Turku, Oulu, etc. Finland Uudenvuodenaatto (New Year's Eve) New Year's Eve fireworks in main squares

10 August 2025 Kotka Finland Tulitaidekilpailu - Fire Art Competition The country's largest fireworks competition as part of the Kotka Maritime Festival

July 2025 Tartu Estonia Hansapäevad Medieval festival with closing fireworks

August/September 2025 Pärnu Estonia Pärnu Fireworks Festival The country's largest fireworks competition

15-17 August 2025 Riga Latvia Rīgas svētki City festival with fireworks at the end

5-7 September 2025 Vilnius Lithuania Vilnius Capital Days (Sostinės dienos) Fireworks at the end of the city festival

13 September 2025 Vilnius Lithuania Vilniaus fejerija International fireworks competition with music

22 June 2025 Kraków, Warsaw, Wrocław, etc. Poland Wianki - St. John's Night Solstice festivities with fireworks on rivers

July 2025 Ełk (Masuria) Poland Festival Ognia i Wody Fireworks festival on the Masurian Lakes

August/September 2025 Kraków Poland Krakowski Festiwal Sztucznych Ogni Fireworks festival as part of the city's festivities

31 December 2025 Warsaw, Kraków, Wrocław, Gdańsk, etc. Poland Sylwester Fireworks on main squares

20 August 2025 Budapest Hungary Szent István-nap National holiday with the largest fireworks display over the Danube in Europe

14-16 August 2025 Rădăuți Romania International Fireworks Festival Rădăuți International Pyromusical Festival (participation of teams from all over Europe)

8-10 August 2025 Oradea Romania Fireworks Festival Oradea Pyromusical show on the riverbank, European teams

6-8 June 2025 Panagyurishte Bulgaria International Fireworks Festival Panagyurishte The largest fireworks competition in Bulgaria

31 December 2025 Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, Burgas etc. Bulgaria New Year's Eve / Nova година New Year's fireworks in major cities

31 December 2025 Belgrade, Novi Sad, Niš, etc. Serbia New Year's Eve fireworks in major squares

31 December 2025 Zagreb, Split, Rijeka, Dubrovnik, etc. Croatia Nova godina New Year's Eve fireworks in public spaces

31 December 2025 Ljubljana, Maribor, Celje, Koper, Piran, etc. Slovenia New Year's Eve / Novo leto Fireworks in main squares

31 December 2025 Bratislava, Košice, Prešov, Nitra, etc. Slovakia New Year's Eve Fireworks on waterfronts and squares

As can be seen, fireworks - festivals, competitions and traditional celebrations - are an integral part of culture not only in Western Europe, but also in Northern, Eastern and all of Central Europe. Whether you're in Denmark, Norway, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Croatia or Serbia, you'll find pyrotechnic joy everywhere, bringing people together and creating an atmosphere for special events.