UK Fireworks Statistics 2026

Every figure on this page carries a named source, and a date wherever the source publishes one. Last updated: 25/08/2026.

The UK fireworks market

The UK imported around 6,200 tonnes of fireworks in 2024, worth roughly $31M (about £23M), a recovery from 2023 but well below the 2022 peak of around 12,000 tonnes (IndexBox, from HMRC-derived trade data, 2024).
China supplies about 98% of UK firework imports by volume, around 6,100 tonnes in 2024 (IndexBox, 2024).
Average import price reached roughly $5,000 (about £3,700) per tonne in 2024, sharply up on prior years (IndexBox, 2024).
UK firework exports are negligible: about 20 tonnes in 2024, mainly to Germany (IndexBox, 2024).

Adult consumer fireworks are categories F2 and F3 (F1 is the low-hazard indoor category, sale age 16); F4 is professional-only (Commons Library briefing SN05704, updated 19/01/2026).
Curfew: no fireworks 11pm to 7am, extended to midnight on 5 November and 1am after New Year's Eve, Diwali and Chinese New Year (Fireworks Regulations 2004).
Maximum noise limit for consumer fireworks: 120 dB (Fireworks Regulations 2004).
Sale to under-18s is illegal; breaches carry a fine of up to £5,000 and/or up to six months' imprisonment (Commons Library, 19/01/2026).
Retail sale outside the four seasonal windows requires a special retail licence under Regulation 9 of the Fireworks Regulations 2004, granted by the local authority (Commons Library SN05704). Galactic Fireworks holds one and sells year-round.

Around 2,000 A&E attendances a year in England are linked to fireworks during the Bonfire Night season (NHS Digital, 2018/19, the most recent comparable published figure).
116 hospital admissions for firework injuries in 2020/21, of which 21 were children aged 14 or under (NHS HES data via Commons Library).
Scotland recorded 264 fireworks-related fire incidents in 2024/25, up 43% on 185 the year before (Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, 2025).
Most firework injuries affect the eyes, head or hands, and most happen at private or family displays rather than organised events (RoSPA and NHS England safety guidance, accessed 24/08/2026; neither publishes a dated series for this).
Most of those injuries are avoidable: they come from misuse or unmarked, non-compliant product, not from properly labelled fireworks used as instructed. See our safety guidance and noise levels guide before your display.

Only 14% of Britons planned to attend a public display, and organised events cost an average of £444 per minute to stage, according to RIFT analysis (late 2023). That's a press-released figure with no published methodology; we've kept it in with that caveat stated, not presented as settled research.
Major public displays have been cancelled across London (Blackheath, Carshalton), Manchester and elsewhere, mostly on cost grounds (Time Out / local press, 2024-25).
Most households never went to an organised event in the first place. Bonfire Night, Diwali and New Year get celebrated at home, in the garden, with garden displays. That's the market Galactic serves.

The Government opened a UK-wide consultation, "Fireworks and pyrotechnics in the UK", on 16/07/2026, closing 07/10/2026, run by the Office for Product Safety and Standards. It explicitly states a ban is not considered proportionate (gov.uk, 16/07/2026).
Patricia Ferguson MP's Private Member's Fireworks Bill was introduced in 2026; clause text is not yet published (Hansard / BFA, June 2026).
The British Fireworks Association supports enforcement against anti-social misuse and opposes blanket restrictions (BFA, 2026).