Newry · Just off Junction 20 · On the border · Free parking
Fireworks are brilliant and they are explosives. Northern Ireland has some of the tightest firework rules anywhere in the UK or Ireland — here’s what that means for you before you come to see us.
Northern Ireland is different from the rest of the UK
In Northern Ireland it is an offence to buy, possess or use most categories of firework without a licence issued by the Department of Justice. That covers the great majority of what’s on this site — barrages, cakes, rockets, roman candles, fountains and selection boxes.
Still over-18s only, and still ID-checked at our counter.
How it works in practice: you apply to the Department of Justice, pay the fee, and your licence names what you may buy and when. Apply well ahead of Halloween — the processing queue gets long through October.
TODO(client): link to the official Department of Justice licence application, confirm current fees and processing times, and have this page reviewed by your solicitor before the site goes live.
We cannot hand over licensable fireworks without these. It is not us being difficult — selling without checking is a criminal offence and we would lose our licence to trade.
Eight rules. Follow them and you’ll have a brilliant night with a story that isn’t about A&E.
Work out your firing order and set everything up in daylight. Fumbling with a lighter in the dark is how accidents start.
Each firework carries its own safety distance and instructions. They are not all the same — check before you site it.
Barrages must sit flat, weighted and square. A toppled cake fires horizontally into your crowd.
Nominate a single firer. Keep spectators behind the safety distance printed on the firework.
If it doesn't go, leave it at least 30 minutes, then soak it. Never lean over a firework that hasn't fired.
They burn at hundreds of degrees. Gloves on, one at a time, spent ones straight into water.
Curtains closed, radio on. Tell your neighbours what night you're firing so they can do the same.
Buckets, a hose or an extinguisher within reach of the firing area, every single time.
We would far rather spend ten minutes talking you through a licence application or a firing order than sell you something you can’t legally use. Ring us or call in.
Licence questions
Yes. In Northern Ireland it is an offence to buy, possess or use most categories of firework without a licence from the Department of Justice. That covers barrages, cakes, rockets, roman candles, fountains and selection boxes. Category F1 items such as most sparklers and party poppers are normally exempt.
You apply to the Department of Justice, pay the fee, and your licence sets out what you may buy and when. Apply well before Halloween, because processing slows considerably through October. Bring the licence and photo ID when you collect — the named licence holder must be present.
You must be 18 or over. We check photo ID on every sale, without exception. It is a criminal offence to sell fireworks to anyone under 18, and we would lose our licence to trade. Where a firework licence is also required, the licence holder must collect in person.
