A Day in the Life of a Pyrotechnician

Well, when it comes to the life of a pyrotechnician, let’s start with what is consistent — and that’s that no day is ever the same. A lot of people say that about their job, but nothing is ever the same, even when we fire at places like Legoland Windsor, where we do 5–6 shows across 3 weekends. The days are still very different, moving the firing sites some days not others, adjusting for the wind and weather.

What are we likely to encounter doing this job?

Well, this is easier to answer, everything!

How Does Weather Affect a Fireworks Display?

Where am I likely to work?

We’ve worked on all types of fireworks shows, ranging from customer’s back gardens (moving pot plants and garden gnomes) to being strapped hanging from the side of some of the world’s most iconic structures.

However, our most common location is a large muddy field in November. You might get lucky and score a car park or a playground, but generally it’ll be a wet field.

What time will we start and get finished?

Again, this always changes. It vastly depends on the show and the conditions. But we have worked on a setup day for a show and worked for 1 hour and still got paid the full rate. We’ve also worked for near 24 hours on a show day. With that said, you can often expect to finish late, as fireworks look best when it’s dark out.

Don’t we just turn up and set the fireworks off?

Technically we do, but there is a little more to professional fireworks than throwing a few boxes in the ground and sticking in a little rocket tube. Most shows will have some sort of mortar racking and tubes, which will need setting up. Then, if it’s electrically fired, it all needs wiring in.

Chase sequences and dainty firework patterns are produced by strapping smaller single shot fireworks on to boards or frames at angles and spread out to their various positions. Then it will all need testing and possibly adjusting.

Will I get to light some fireworks?

Probably not! Whilst setting off fireworks is sometimes done by hand, the delay fuse is cut shorter — giving us a better control over timing. If it’s your first time out, you won’t be prepared for this. But more than likely, it will be fired electrically — which is a lot safer as everyone can be at a distance from the fireworks at ignition time. Finally, you get to stand back and watch the show, where you’ll be under it spotting for potential problems.