Firework sales for the New Year festivities began officially at midnight on Friday night, one day earlier than normal because they may not be sold on a Sunday.

Sales normally run from December 29 to 31 in the Netherlands.

The rules for fireworks have become tougher over the years. Buyers are now required to buy safety glasses and fuses and cannot purchase more than 25 kilos of fireworks per person. This is also the maximum weight of explosives allowable in a private car.

The type of fireworks which consumers are allowed to set off has also been limited to types F1 and F2, which means no Chinese firecrackers, Roman candles or rockets.

Firework fans looking for more powerful explosives head to Belgium where the rules are not as strict.

In some 19 local authorities, including the big cities of Amsterdam and Rotterdam, consumer fireworks have been banned altogether although the ban is largely ignored.  Hundreds of other towns and villages have brought in firework free zones near pensioner homes, schools and petting zoos.

Fireworks may only be set off officially between 6 pm on December 31 and 2 am on January 1 but again, this is widely ignored.

In total 1,213 people went or were taken to hospital A&E departments or out-of-hours clinics with firework-related injuries during the 2024 New Year’s Eve festivities, according injury research group VeiligheidNL.

Plastic surgeons and eye specialists have called repeatedly for a total ban on fireworks.

Last year Dutch buyers spent some €105 million on fireworks in the Netherlands, down slightly on the record €110 million in 2022.