Firework Suppliers in North West

Fantastic Fireworks are a professional firework display company, providing spectacular firework displays for weddings, parties, corporate events, concerts and more and guarantee an awe-inspiring “WOW” factor every time. They share some of their insights on key information needed when looking to book similar providers.

What do you need to know from an organiser in order to provide a comprehensive quote?

For us to provide a comprehensive quote to a customer, ideally we need the event date, a brief explanation of the type of event they are hosting, the estimated number of guests, the potential venue and whether it's an indoor or outdoor event. We would also need confirmation that the proposed venue allows firework displays. From this information, we can use our experience and expertise to put together a suitable proposal for the event.

What advice would you give to a customer looking to hire a provider in your area of work?

Firstly it is most important to know that your supplier has a history of delivering quality displays and a quality product so ask them about their accreditation. As founder members of the BPA (British Pyrotechnists Association), you can be assured that your display will be delivered by us to current industry standards at the very least. Also, ask about the display they will deliver, is it 'off the shelf'?. We don't do 'off the shelf'; you wouldn't buy your wedding cake from a supermarket, so why would you book a firework display that wasn't designed for you. Fantastic Fireworks is a bespoke service.

Please tell us a little bit about how and why you started the business.

Fantastic Fireworks was born out of the passion for fireworks of its Managing Director in 1985 and since then has achieved a multitude of milestones in over 30 years of being right on the pulse of pyro. But where did this success come from? Our managing director takes up the story;

"My earliest recollection of fireworks was back in the early 1960s. I remember going to school one day and seeing a couple of boys showing off a 10 shilling note (50p in today’s money). They excitedly described how they’d written to Standard Fireworks to complain about a couple of dud rockets. Their 10 shilling refund set me thinking. If it’s that easy to make money maybe I should try it too! A few days later a crisp 10 shilling note arrived in the post. We’ve all done things perhaps we shouldn’t have done but I plead the innocence of youth. And the experience taught me a valuable business lesson: the customer is always right, even when he isn’t!
Back then fireworks were very much a once a year occasion and there was always a great sense of excitement when they appeared in the shops. Our Bonfire Night parties were family occasions with popcorn, toffee apples and, I later discovered, more than a little fuelled by my mother’s anti-papist sentiments.

Chemistry lessons spurred my interest and, armed with the family Encyclopaedia Britannica, I found the formula for gunpowder. My first ‘fireworks’ fizzed and sparkled with the addition of iron filings. I even managed to create a red effect with the aid of some Strontium Nitrate bought from Boots the Chemists.
My interest in fireworks continued through University with ground-breaking displays (courtesy of Wells Fireworks) at summer balls and at my wedding in 1971.
And there it would have probably ended had it not been for a chance occurrence in 1981. Working as a journalist on the Daily Mail my eye was taken by some exotic looking rockets in a shop window. I contacted the importer and on November 5, 1981, my article appeared in the Mail headlined ‘Foreign fireworks threaten UK market’.
The importer was so chuffed with the publicity that he sent me a huge consignment of rockets, cakes and shells. My New Year’s Eve party that year was the talk of the town, the seed had been sown and I thought fireworks had a future. My importer (the late Roy Jackson of Sohni-Esco) agreed to fulfil my orders and I started advertising in magazines like Private Eye. The results were encouraging and my fledgeling business was soon flying."

Please tell us about a booking you've had through Add to Event, how did it go? Would you recommend us to others?

We are new to Add to Event and hope to increase our reach with the site and are looking forward to even more successful bookings.