Fireworks

[Sillysallysausage]

We moved house this January and love it here but don't yet know the neighbours very well. We've always held a family fireworks party for my 12 year old - her birthday is Nov 5th. It's only once a year, the fireworks are for maybe 20 mins between 8 and 8.30 and we have maybe 15 family members in the house.
Where we used to live all the neighbours were on a WhatsApp group so we used to message them a week or so beforehand and let people know so they could get pets indoors / go out / watch them too.
But I'm aware that a lot of people hate fireworks and we don't have a WhatsApp group here. How would you warn neighbours so that they don't end up annoyed at us?
We are not noisy neighbours generally. And the neighbours are all friendly if you see them in the street. Would a note through the door be overkill? Should I just try and engineer meeting them.in the street to mention it?
WWYD?

You want to come to East Sussex, there are organised displays every weekend from beginning of September to middle of November!

You have just summoned up a lot of what is horrible about life in the UK now: the determination by so many people to do whatever they want to do and to hell with everybody and everything else and all the negative consequences of their actions.

What a depressing post.

Agree

No, me neither. Round here there are fireworks going off in various back gardens from 2 weeks before to two weeks after bonfire night. We always have our pets in by the time it’s dark anyway just in case.
I must be boring though because I’ve never understood the love for fireworks 🤷🏻‍♀️

We do a little display using quiet fireworks (there is no such thing as completely silent ones even if they are marketed as such).

I think if you're doing it on Nov 5th then people will be expecting fireworks to go off somewhere nearby whether it's an organised event or in the garden.

Why are people ok with organised events but not small garden fireworks? They're generally much more noisy and far bigger fireworks than people have in their garden. We can clearly hear the ones from a few miles away. We also live in an area with pheasant shooting so it's basically like the sounds of fireworks all season!

It's irrelevant if it's 5th of November. You can do this every single day of the year if you want as long as it not during night time (ie: after 11 pm).
If someone has a problem, they can fuck right off. Tell them to call the police or something. I am sure they will laugh right in their faces.

You all must live in very different neighbours to me. In the lead up to Nov 5th our area Facebook page is full of "I have X if anyone wants it for the bonfire" "I can collect & store wood" and working out a vague schedule of which house is setting off when (so that they fallow on from each other and people can watch both)

Thanks everyone. To clear a few things up. Yes the garden is big enough, no there are no farms nearby, and no we"re not going to cancel. I don't personally think it's unreasonable to have fireworks on Nov 5th at that time. We love it and this year in particular we have a family member who is not likely to be here for another. So it wasn't really a should we do it post. More of a how can we do it to be as reasonable as possible. I think maybe notes through the doors would work. Just wasn't sure if it was a bit too formal.

A friend's dog died one year because of a heart attack brought on by fireworks near his home. Another friend has to drug their dog up to his eyeballs just to get him through the fear of the fireworks.
I'm aware none of these are your problems I'm just saying that they can cause a lot of fright.
However at least you're asking whether to notify people. Yes please do however you can just so if they do have frightened animals or children they can do something about it.
Having said that they do sell silent ones now.....
I'm not entirely opposed to fireworks but I do wish they could just be on the 5th or the 31st Dec and that is it. Not all the days in-between them.

Just do it.

I can’t believe how many people are saying not to. It’s fireworks night. It’ll be fine.

I’m surprised at so many people saying this is ok. It’s utterly selfish and unnecessary. I don’t mind noise in the slightest but you have to be truly entitled to think this wont impact people with small children and pets. It’s awful behaviour imo and about time fireworks were banned from public sale. Go to a bloody organised display of you want to see them.

My god.

it’s fireworks. On fireworks night.

What kind of property …. Detached? Terraced?

Fireworks, on 5th November, are more of a tradition in the UK than the Divali fireworks and these go on for more than one night!
Anyone who objects to either are being mean (and I’m saying this as someone who hates unorganised ones)!

It's literally bonfire night, fireworks are to be expected
No need for a note, most would presume fireworks on 5th November...

Firework Bingo has begun early this year … keep you eye out for:

Ex-Forces
PTSD
Panda (or other animal) dying at the Zoo
Horse Stampede
Scared Dog
Missing Cat
Up early for work and they keep me awake
Crying Toddler
White Noise doesn’t worked
Scared Dementia patients
Quiet Fireworks
Selfish

It’s the same argument, on loop, every year …

Why do you need to warn them? Its nov 5th i doubt you'll be the only ones letting off fireworks surely its to be expected on this date. The ppl I cant stand is the ones round near me that have been letting them off non stop since the start of sept and will continue to do so into February. Plus the ones in my area they are using professional display ones so they are extra loud honestly sounds like Beirut sometimes around our area. Personally I dont see the point in fireworks u might aswell set fire to your money and watch that go up in flames but each to their own.

Just out of interest, do you make sure your cats never go in the neighbours’ gardens or is the expectation of consideration a one-way street?

In your shoes I would use https://www.fireworkscrazy.co.uk/product-category/low-noise-fireworks/ low noise fireworks and would put a note through neighbouring doors letting them know you will be having fireworks but will be using the low noise ones to minimise disruption.

This is a fear I have for my dog. I have two dogs, one that doesn't even raise an eyebrow and one that can't stop shaking and his heart rate goes through the roof. I spend the nights with the TV on full blast and all curtains closed holding him tightly. He then refuses to go outside for days afterwards as he is terrified.

I moved in April to a new village, and I have no idea if fireworks happen here. In my last village there was a couple of neighbours who were almost in a competition to light the loudest and biggest firework. They made me jump let alone the dog!!

I used to love fireworks, but due to my boy, I now hate them with a passion.

What I find slightly ironic, is how cat owners suddenly become champions of wildlife rights and feelings over fireworks, yet it's estimated that domestic cats kill between 40-70 million birds and over 160 -275 million animals per year in the UK. They're concerned about the wildlife being scared around fireworks night, but where is the concern throughout the rest of the year for those birds and animals killed by their pets- collectively cats are doing far more to decimate native wildlife than fireworks, yet people are happy to contribute to the figures above so that they can satisfy their desire for a pet...

And how often do they consider their neighbours- eg go and knock on their neighbours doors to apologize for their pet shitting in their garden and offer to clear up their pet's crap?!

Perhaps we need to all have some tolerance, or live what you preach...

And if each cat owner in the area would like to drop a note through my door to let me know where to return their cat shit to I'll be able to oblige, then I'll be able to let them know if I'm planning fireworks at the same time!
PS not planning any, but it's mad how entitled and one sided some people's perspective on consideration is...

maybe try looking after an incredibly distressed, shaking crying animal all caused by extremely loud fireworks set off by incredibly selfish people then come back here to comment. It is selfish if you are causing immense distress to animals.

You absolutely can and should desensitise your animals to loud noises.

Surely you'd be expecting them anyway on Bonfire Night like the OP is planning to do?