Dutch hospitals brace for final year of consumer fireworks as national ban looms
Hospitals, doctors, and police in the Netherlands are preparing for what may be the last year residents can legally set off consumer fireworks, Omroep Zeeland reports.
The Dutch Senate approved a nationwide ban on consumer fireworks, set to take effect at New Year’s Eve 2026, but enforcement concerns persist.
Emergency physicians report that New Year’s celebrations already put significant pressure on hospital emergency departments. Menno Gaakeer, an emergency doctor at Adrz hospital in Goes, said the hospital scales up staff on New Year’s Eve, with ophthalmologists and plastic surgeons on call. “Almost half of the fireworks victims are bystanders, many of them children,” Gaakeer told Omroep Zeeland. He added that the ban is “very good” but cautioned that illegal fireworks must be addressed more strictly.
During the 2024-2025 New Year’s Eve, Adrz treated ten patients with hand, eye, and facial injuries, half of them minors. One of the most serious cases involved a 13-year-old boy from Kamperland who lost part of his hand after lighting a Cobra-6 firework.
“We also see the excesses of people who ‘celebrate,’ like alcohol overuse or injuries from violent incidents. A fireworks ban will not reduce that,” Gaakeer added.
The national ban, approved by the Senate on July 1, 2025, was initiated by MPs Jesse Klaver of GroenLinks-PvdA and Esther Ouwehand of the Partij voor de Dieren. State Secretary Thierry Aartsen (VVD) must issue a General Administrative Order and set conditions for organized firework shows before the law takes effect. Aartsen has confirmed this cannot be completed in time for the upcoming New Year’s Eve.
Ouwehand called the Senate’s approval “fantastic news for both animals and people. We fought hard for this, even since our party was founded over 20 years ago. Here’s to a joyful New Year’s celebration for everyone.” Klaver said the law is “an important step to make New Year’s Eve a party for everyone once again.”
Public opinion largely supports the ban, according to a survey by Ipsos I&O for Binnenlands Bestuur. Sixty-two percent of respondents view the ban positively or very positively, though 83 percent said it will only be effective if authorities enforce it rigorously. About 83 percent of those surveyed intend to comply with the ban once it begins, while 10 percent plan to ignore it.
Safety remains the primary reason supporters back the ban. “Many people emphasize that the fireworks ban will contribute to general safety around New Year’s, for both people and animals,” said Ipsos I&O researcher Dionne van Lint. Yet 58 percent of respondents doubted the law could be effectively enforced nationwide.
