How Do I Keep Children Safe Around Fireworks on Bonfire Night?

Q: Are sparklers safe for older children?

Sparklers should never be given to a child under five, and an adult should never hold a baby while holding a sparkler. Older children using a sparkler should wear gloves, hold it at arm's length, and put it straight into a bucket of cold water when finished.

How do I keep children safe around fireworks? Choose an organised public display if you can, keep children supervised and at a safe distance at all times, and let adults alone handle, light and clear away every firework. Bonfire Night falls on Thursday 5 November 2026, so this is the week to agree the plan before the first rocket goes up, not while children are already excited, cold and crowding towards the action.

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) puts it plainly: the safest place to enjoy fireworks is at a professionally organised public display, where trained operators run the show and the audience stays behind a barrier. Injury figures support that advice, with far fewer people hurt at large public displays than at smaller family or private parties. That one choice removes most of the risk before you have even left the house.

The safest choice is an organised display

At an organised display, your job is supervision, not firework handling. Stand only in the designated viewing area, keep children where you can see them and hold younger children’s hands in the crowd, and agree a meeting point in case anyone gets separated. Tell children before you arrive that they must not pick up anything from the ground, including fireworks that look spent. A firework that failed to go off properly can still be dangerous, and it is not a souvenir.

Noise is the other thing to plan for. Fireworks are loud by design, and some children find the sudden bangs frightening even when they are enjoying the colours. Warn children about the noise in advance, stay towards the back of the crowd if a child is noise sensitive, and consider a display that advertises quieter fireworks. If a display does not look well organised, or the crowd is pressing too close to the firing area, trust your instincts and leave. No display is worth a child being hurt.

How do I keep children safe around fireworks at home?

How do I keep children safe around fireworks if the celebration is in your own garden? The rule that matters most is also the simplest: only adults should set up the display, light the fireworks and dispose of them afterwards. Children and young people should watch and enjoy fireworks from a safe distance, and they should not be asked to help at any stage. That includes holding the box, carrying fireworks to the firing point and fetching the next one. RoSPA is explicit that alcohol and fireworks do not mix, so the person lighting fireworks should stay sober.

Plan the display before dark. Check the safety distance printed on each firework against the size of your garden, because not every garden is suitable for every type of firework. Buy only fireworks that carry the CE marking or the UKCA mark, keep them in a closed box until use, and use them one at a time. Light each firework at arm’s length with a taper and stand well back. Never return to a firework once it has been lit, never put fireworks in pockets, never throw them, and direct rocket fireworks well away from spectators. Keep naked flames, including cigarettes, away from fireworks.

Have a small kit ready before you start: a torch, a bucket of water, a bucket of soft earth or sand to stand fireworks in, and eye protection and gloves for the adult doing the lighting. When the display is over, make sure the fire is out and the surroundings are safe before anyone leaves, and soak spent fireworks in water before disposing of them. Children stay behind the viewing line until everything is cold and cleared away.

Bonfires need their own boundary

A bonfire is a separate hazard from the fireworks, and it needs its own plan. Choose a site well away from buildings, trees, fences and sheds, and away from where children will be playing. Cordon off the area around the fire, nominate one responsible adult to manage it, and keep children and pets away from the bonfire area at all times.

Never pour petrol, paraffin or methylated spirit onto a fire to light it or revive it. Use suitable firelighters instead, because liquid fuel can flare up without warning. Avoid loose clothing near the fire and tie back long hair. When the night is over, make sure the fire is fully extinguished before leaving. A bonfire that looks finished can still hold enough heat to burn a curious hand the next morning.

A short word on sparklers

Sparklers are often treated as the safe option for children, but they are not covered in detail here because they have their own guide on this site. In short, sparklers should never be given to a child under five, an adult should never hold a baby while holding a sparkler, and anyone holding one should wear gloves, keep it at arm’s length and drop it straight into a bucket of cold water when it is finished. Read the full sparkler guide linked below before handing one to any child.

Neighbours, pets and the night itself

Fireworks do not only affect your own family. Warn neighbours in advance, especially anyone elderly or with a condition that makes sudden noise distressing, and keep pets indoors with curtains drawn and a safe hiding place available. Keep the display to a reasonable length and finish in good time. The legal cut off is covered below, but a shorter, earlier display is kinder to neighbours and easier on tired children, who are more likely to wander, trip or lose concentration as the night goes on.

Talk to children about the plan in plain language before the event. Three sentences cover most of it: we watch from behind the line, we never touch a firework, and if anything worries us we tell an adult straight away. Children who know the rules in advance are far easier to supervise than children hearing them for the first time in the dark.

The law in brief

The law gives parents a useful backstop, and it is worth knowing the basics. In England and Wales, you cannot buy adult fireworks (category 2 and 3) if you are under 18, and category 4 fireworks are for professionals only. It is against the law for anyone under 18 to possess adult fireworks in a public place, and it is against the law to set off or throw fireworks, including sparklers, in the street or other public places.

There is also a curfew. You must not set off fireworks between 11pm and 7am, except on Bonfire Night, when the cut off is midnight, and on New Year’s Eve, Diwali and Chinese New Year, when the cut off is 1am. Registered sellers can sell fireworks for private use from 15 October to 10 November, from 26 to 31 December, and for three days before Diwali and Chinese New Year. Selling or using fireworks illegally can lead to an unlimited fine and up to six months in prison, and you could also get an on the spot fine of £90. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own fireworks rules, so check with your local council if you are outside England and Wales.

If a child is burned

Even with the best plan, it helps to know the first response before you need it. The British Burn Association sequence is cool, call, cover. Cool the burn under cool running water for at least 20 minutes, as soon as possible and within three hours of it happening. Remove clothing and jewellery near the burn unless they are stuck to it. Cover the burn loosely with cling film laid over it, not wrapped tightly around a limb. Do not apply ice, butter or toothpaste, and do not burst blisters.

Call NHS 111 if you are not sure what to do, or if the child is under five. Call 999 or go to A&E if the burn is very large or deep, is on the face, hands, feet or genitals, or was caused by a chemical or electricity. Keep the rest of the child warm with blankets while you cool the burn. The full step by step guide, including the signs that a burn needs medical attention, is linked below.

Bonfire Night should be a night children remember for the colours in the sky, not for a fright or an injury. An organised display, a clear viewing line, adults alone handling the fireworks, and a bonfire with a boundary around it will cover almost every risk a family is likely to meet. Agree the plan on Monday, and Thursday night can stay what it should be: exciting, loud, and safe.

Frequently asked questions

How do I keep children safe around fireworks?

How do I keep children safe around fireworks? Choose an organised public display where possible, supervise children at a safe distance, and let adults alone set up, light and clear away fireworks. At home, follow the Firework Code: buy CE or UKCA marked fireworks, use them one at a time, light at arm’s length with a taper, stand well back, never return to a lit firework, and make sure everything is out and safe before leaving.

Is an organised display really safer than fireworks at home?

Yes. RoSPA states that the safest place to enjoy fireworks is at a professionally organised public display, and injury figures show far fewer people are injured at large public displays than at smaller family or private parties. Trained operators, a firing area separated from the crowd, and a planned display remove the risks that cause most home accidents.

Can children help to light fireworks?

No. Only adults should deal with setting up displays, lighting fireworks and disposing of them. Children and young people should be supervised and should watch from a safe distance. They should not be asked to help at any stage, including carrying fireworks or fetching the next one.

What time must fireworks stop on Bonfire Night?

In England and Wales, fireworks must not be set off between 11pm and 7am, except on Bonfire Night, when the cut off is midnight. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own rules, so check with your local council. Even where the law allows fireworks until midnight, an earlier finish is kinder to neighbours, pets and tired children.

What should I do if my child gets a burn from a firework?

Cool the burn under cool running water for at least 20 minutes, cover it loosely with cling film, and do not apply ice, butter or toothpaste. Call NHS 111 if you are unsure or the child is under five, and call 999 or go to A&E if the burn is very large or deep, on the face, hands, feet or genitals, or caused by a chemical or electricity.

Are sparklers safe for older children?

Sparklers need the same care as any firework. They should never be given to a child under five, and an adult should never hold a baby while holding a sparkler. Older children using a sparkler should wear gloves, hold it at arm’s length, and put it straight into a bucket of cold water when finished. See the full sparkler safety guide linked below for the complete rules.