Arnhem bans New Year's fireworks from next year

Arnhem will ban consumer fireworks from New Year’s next year. Instead, the city will provide a professional fireworks and light show. According to responsible alderman Marco van der Wel (Environment), the coronavirus years have shown that New Year’s “can be celebrated well without massive consumer fireworks,” which were banned during the pandemic.

Arnhem joins a handful of Dutch municipalities that have implemented general fireworks bans. Apeldoorn was the first to do so in 2019, followed by Nijmegen and Rotterdam, among others. The coronavirus pandemic put the topic in the background because over the past two New Year’s, people weren’t allowed outside in groups around midnight. Several municipalities have put the fireworks ban back on the agenda this year. The Tweede Kamer, the lower house of the Dutch parliament, is also discussing the ban again.

According to Arnhem, it couldn’t arrange a ban on consumer fireworks for this New Year’s. “Fireworks dealers have already bought their stock. There are not enough enforces available for this year either. And organizing a good, professional fireworks show also takes time,” said alderman Van der Wel.

The municipality said that setting off fireworks on the streets is unsafe, causes too much nuisance, and causes air pollution. Setting off firecrackers en masse is not sustainable and frightens animals.