Is it legal to set off fireworks rockets on New Year's Eve?

The European Union harmonized consumer fireworks with a 2013 directive that Spain transposed into Royal Decree 989/2015. Products are grouped into four categories: F1, very low hazard, from age 12; F2 from age 16; F3, which includes most stick rockets, from age 18; and F4, reserved for licensed professionals. Any legal product carries the CE mark, its category, and instructions in the country's language. Buying from authorized retailers and respecting the age limit is the first condition for being allowed to launch them on New Year's Eve.

National rules set what can be sold, but municipalities regulate where and when it can be used. Many local ordinances ban fireworks in historic centers, near hospitals, in parks or at night, and some cities, including several in the Netherlands and Germany, have banned private fireworks on New Year's Eve because of the number of injuries and the noise. Conversely, regions with a fireworks tradition, such as the Valencian Community in Spain, recognize their festive use and only require safety distances. Before buying, it's worth checking the local ordinance, since the fine falls on whoever sets them off, not whoever sells them.

Rockets are the item responsible for the most fires and eye injuries, because they rise with no control and come down still burning, far from the launch point. They should be fired from a tube or a bottle anchored in the ground, never from your hand or a balcony, in calm wind and away from dry vegetation and airfields. It's worth protecting your ears, keeping children at a distance, and not approaching one that failed to go off. Pets suffer especially from the noise; many communities are already switching to powder-free light shows.