Fireworks are selfishness with a fuse
Anyone who spends hundreds of Swiss francs for a few minutes of noise isn’t just buying themselves a spectacle. The whole area gets noise, fear, dust and litter for free.
I’m looking forward to Saturday. Not to the drought, and certainly not to the risk of forest fires. No, I’m looking forward to a national holiday with far fewer rockets, batteries and bangers. I’m delighted.
Setting off fireworks on 1 August is practically banned everywhere in Switzerland (website in German). The ban applies in virtually all municipalities in the canton of Zurich. Even sparklers have to stay in their box.
Anyone who violates this rule risks a fine of at least 100 Swiss francs, according to the cantonal police. The amount can also be much higher: if someone causes a fire, they also have to pay for firefighting and any damage.
Source: Taljat David/Shutterstock.com
The ban’s justified by the serious fire risk. But it’s not the only good reason to leave fireworks in their box. The drought just highlights something we tend to ignore on other national holidays: private fireworks aren’t really private.
You might buy the rocket, but I end up with the bill
You pay for the fireworks, light them and watch them go off. A few hundred Swiss francs go up in smoke in just a few minutes. You can do that with your own money.
But the consequences don’t stay on your property. The whole area hears the bang, from dogs cowering under tables to wild animals in fields and people who don’t associate explosions with celebration. And you can’t keep the smoke and debris to yourself either.
Source: Sidde/Pexels
Fireworks enthusiasts see a ban as paternalistic. I think it’s the opposite: otherwise, a select few dictate that everyone else has to listen to their noise and breathe in their mess. If you can only enjoy yourself by imposing yourself on everyone around you, it’s not a private experience.
The Federal Office for the Environment(page in German) warns that sudden firework noise frightens domestic, farm and wild animals and that noise and pollutants can be harmful to the health of both humans and animals.
Nevertheless, so far, it’s primarily the people forced to put up with the fireworks who are expected to take action. They close their windows, calm their animals or leave the area for a few hours. Meanwhile, those lighting the fireworks don’t have to do anything. I think it’s ridiculous.
In a 2018 Galaxus article, Raphael told the story of a friend who’d fled to Switzerland to escape a war. Every 1 August, she’d travel as far away as possible. The sound of explosions triggered memories of the war.
Eight years later, we’re still debating whether these people should have to put up with the noise or whether fireworks enthusiasts can do without it. For me, the answer’s simple.
A volcano doesn’t get an ecological free pass
According to the Federal Office for the Environment, Switzerland uses between 1,000 and 2,000 tonnes of fireworks every year. Only a quarter of this is pyrotechnics. The rest is packaging made of wood, cardboard, plastic or clay.
Ignited fireworks release around 200 to 400 tonnes of particulate matter each year. This corresponds to two to three per cent of total Switzerland’s particulate matter emissions. Some of this then enters soil and waterways.
Source: Achim Wagner/Shutterstock.com
The statistics don’t differentiate between private and official fireworks displays, so a ban on private fireworks wouldn’t reduce pollution to zero. But that isn’t a valid counterargument. We don’t have to eliminate every other emission before reducing one that’s particularly unnecessary.
This is why I’m only partially convinced by quiet fireworks. A volcano doesn’t get an ecological free pass just because it doesn’t erupt. It still burns pyrotechnic materials and leaves behind waste. A quiet alternative without pollutants and residues is an idea worth discussing. I think reclassifying pyrotechnics as harmless because they make less noise is too convenient.
Even if summer isn’t as dry and the fire risk is lower, that doesn’t mean there’s no danger. According to the Swiss Council for Accident Prevention(page in German), around 230 employees are injured every year while handling fireworks.
Accident insurance statistics don’t include children and people not in work. Burns to the hands and fingers and hearing damage are particularly common among those affected. This is another element of a supposedly harmless tradition.
Tradition’s no excuse
People say that fireworks are just part of 1 August. Personally, I think tradition’s a convenient argument. A custom doesn’t automatically gain value just because we repeat it for long enough. If other people are the ones having to deal with most of the consequences, it should stop.
The national holiday loses neither its meaning nor its joy if there are no explosions in the garden. Patriotism can’t be measured in decibels. Children can marvel without us frightening animals, disturbing people or releasing pollutants into the air.
Fireworks don’t have nearly as much support as their noise might suggest. In a representative YouGov survey(page in German) from 2024, 60 per cent of respondents opposed private fireworks on 1 August.
This means that fireworks enthusiasts aren’t a silent majority. They’re just a vocal minority.
Big shows are the sensible compromise
I don’t want to ban fireworks from every sky. Large, professionally organised shows are welcome, as far as I’m concerned.
They too are neither clean nor harmless. But notice is given, and they take place at a designated location and for a limited time. Many people share one spectacle instead of building their own launch pad in every other garden.
The surrounding area can prepare for it. Authorities can impose regulations, and experts handle the ignition.
Source: Simona Weber/Shutterstock
This isn’t a perfect compromise, but it’s a reasonable one. My concern isn’t ecological purity; it’s proportionality. An infrequent, organised event for a large group is very different to hundreds of uncoordinated private displays for an audience that hasn’t been consulted.
Yes, I want a ban
The Swiss Federal Council rejected the fireworks initiative, arguing, among other things, that cantons and municipalities can already restrict fireworks (page in German). I think the current patchwork of regulations proves the opposite. Protection from private fireworks shouldn’t depend on the weather or the postcode.
On 29 November, Switzerland will vote on the popular «Fireworks restrictions» initiative, which aims to ban the sale and use of fireworks that make noise (page in German). The cantons could grant exceptions for events of national importance. Quieter types of fireworks, such as Bengal lights or volcanoes, are exempt from the ban.
I’ll be voting «yes». In fact, the initiative doesn’t go far enough for me in terms of private fireworks. I’m not won over by a volcano quietly spewing pollutants into the air. There should be a total ban on private pyrotechnics. Large shows can remain as infrequent, planned, permitted exceptions.
Saturday will be an unintentional dress rehearsal. Switzerland won’t fall apart just because nobody’s allowed to blow up a few hundred Swiss francs in a car park. The sky might be a little darker, but the night will be quieter.
If you feel patronised by this, keep in mind that nobody’s making you take part in someone else’s event. You just can’t force it on everyone else.
How far do you think a fireworks ban should go? Only on loud fireworks, on all private pyrotechnics or not at all? Let us know in the comments.
I get paid to play with toys all day.
This is a subjective opinion of the editorial team. It doesn't necessarily reflect the position of the company.
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