A New Guide: Keeping Your Pets Calm
This is the one I'd been meaning to write for about three years. Every Bonfire Night, we have the same conversations in-store. Every New Year's Eve too. Someone's collie is pacing, someone's cat has been under the bed since breakfast, and the owner wants to know if there's something they can actually do about it. Turns out there is, quite a lot actually, but a lot of what's online is either fluff or generic pet-shop marketing.
Everyone in the office has a dog. Boris, Wilma and Millie are in at Galactic HQ with us day in, day out, so fireworks-and-pets is a conversation we have every single November without fail. The guide is the version we wish someone had handed us years ago.
The full guide is here. A few things worth pulling out:
- Start desensitisation two weeks before a display. Play firework sound clips at low volume, build up gradually, keep it positive with treats. The RSPCA recommends this pattern and it works if you commit to it.
- Build the safe space before the night, not on the night. A dark corner, familiar blankets, their favourite toy, curtains drawn, telly or radio on at normal volume. Cats want somewhere high and enclosed. Dogs want somewhere low and surrounded.
- Low-noise fireworks exist and they work. Our low-noise collection has 40+ products that put on a full show without the sharp salutes. Good for your neighbours too.
The guide covers dogs, cats, small animals, horses, ID-tagging before fireworks season, what to do if your animal goes into distress, and the signs it's time to call a vet. It's the kind of page I'd want to send my own mum (who has three dogs, all of whom hate November).
Summer Is Right Around the Corner
Two bank holidays are almost on us: Monday 04/05/2026 and Monday 25/05/2026. Long weekends with people round, warm evenings and a garden that's finally dry enough for a proper set-up. If you haven't had a look yet, our Best Garden Fireworks for Summer 2026 guide covers what actually suits a garden display. Safe distances in metres, the kit that makes sense for smaller spaces, and why compound cakes tend to beat single pieces when your audience is sat ten metres away on the patio.
If you're thinking about pets (yours or the neighbours'), the garden guide pairs nicely with the pets guide above. Low-noise cakes and roman candles can carry a 20-minute display on their own without any sharp bangs.
Quick note: FREE Delivery is live.
Any product tagged Free Delivery in your basket and shipping is on us, applied automatically at checkout. No code, no faff. Look for the badge on the product page.
Wedding Season Is Open
April to October is the bulk of the wedding calendar and we get more "is this allowed at our venue?" emails through this window than at any other point in the year. We've rebuilt our Wedding Fireworks page to answer the ones that come in every week:
- Venue permission. Most outdoor venues want written consent and a minimum safe distance agreed before the day. We list a standard request template you can send.
- Indoor-safe options. Indoor fireworks, ice fountains and sparkler sticks all work inside a marquee or barn.
- Budgets start at around £150. That'll get you a tidy outdoor send-off at the end of the night. From there it scales up to full professionally-fired displays.
- What to send your venue and insurer. We cover exactly what they need and why.
If you're in the planning phase, have a read before you commit to a venue. We've had couples assume it was a given and then get told no the week before. Much better to get it in writing early.
Why We're Backing the BFA This Month
Quick one on the industry side, because I think it matters. Galactic is an Associate Member of the British Fireworks Association, the trade body that represents UK importers, manufacturers and retailers of consumer fireworks. On 08/04/2026, the BFA sent a formal response to DCMS Minister Stephanie Dearden, pushing back on parts of the Government's current fireworks consultation.
I'll try not to rant. We think consumer fireworks should remain accessible to people who use them responsibly, and we already operate on the stricter side of what the regulations require of us. The BFA's response makes the case with far more data than I could fit into a newsletter, and if the subject interests you it's worth a read.
What's Coming Next
The May update will have the first 2026 stock arrivals and teasers. Primed, Brothers, Celtic and Cube all have products landing over the next few months, and I'll pull the best ones into a proper video round-up.
