Sparks, Drones and Light: The Future of Festivity in Edinburgh

As Edinburgh’s castle crowns the midnight sky each Hogmanay with bursts of ruby and gold, the spectacle draws thousands to the heart of the city. These displays are carefully choreographed, set against the skyline of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and symbolise civic pride at its best. However, in both the city’s ancient closes and more modern neighbourhoods, fireworks have also become a source of disruption and annoyance. In recent years, their misuse has sparked antisocial behaviour and even violent clashes, prompting the city to rethink how tradition can coexist with safety and heritage.

In 2024, Edinburgh became the first city in Scotland to pilot Firework Control Zones (FCZs) under the Fireworks and Pyrotechnic Articles (Scotland) Act 2022. The initial trial covered four areas: Niddrie, Balerno, Calton Hill, and Seafield, between November 1 and 10. The aim was to reduce disorder, protect communities, and respond to mounting concerns about the impact of fireworks on pets, wildlife, and residents. Building on this, the council expanded FCZs to nine areas in 2025, including zones around Edinburgh Zoo, where staff had raised fears about animal welfare. The scheme seeks to strike a careful balance, allowing for citywide celebration while restricting use in places most vulnerable to harm.

Glasgow has taken a comparable route, implementing FCZs in areas such as Govanhill and Pollokshields for Bonfire Night 2025. These zones were developed directly from input gathered from the community, allowing residents who are most impacted by the misuse of fireworks to influence the restrictions. This community-driven approach stands in contrast to the more authoritative methods observed in other places, emphasizing a Scottish focus on conversation and local responsibility.

Across Europe, heritage cities face parallel dilemmas. The EU regulates fireworks through a standard classification system, setting age limits and restricting higher-risk categories. Germany allows adults to buy only lower-risk fireworks (F2) and limits their use to New Year’s Eve, with bans near hospitals and historic buildings. The Netherlands also confines private fireworks to a narrow window at the end of the year. At the same time, more than a dozen municipalities have opted for full bans on private use, shifting festivities to professional displays. Ireland has gone further, effectively outlawing all but sparklers for private use; professional events require strict licensing. Each of these regimes reflects the same principle: that fireworks in historic urban environments are safest when limited to controlled, seasonal bursts.

Beyond Europe, cities with historic cores often take an even stricter line. In Florence, fireworks are tightly restricted near the Duomo to protect its medieval fabric, with displays instead directed to the banks of the Arno. In Kyoto, bans cover much of the city centre, with fireworks limited to licensed festivals on the outskirts. In the United States, historic cities such as Boston and Savannah prohibit most private use, funnelling celebrations into large, organised public displays. This approach prioritises spectacle while reducing the risk of fire, injury, or damage to sensitive heritage districts.

The debate takes on added significance in Edinburgh because August once offered the Edinburgh International Festival’s closing Fireworks Concert. Running since 1982, this orchestral and pyrotechnic extravaganza lit up the Castle Esplanade and Princes Street Gardens, attracting tens of thousands of spectators. In 2023, organisers confirmed it would not return, citing the loss of sponsorship and growing environmental concerns. In contrast, the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo continues to integrate fireworks into its nightly performances in 2025, with short bursts at the end of each show and extended weekend displays. The result is a festival season that blends continuity and change, marking one tradition’s end while another adapts to modern expectations.

These shifts also raise a broader question: if fireworks are becoming increasingly complex to justify environmentally and socially, what alternatives can heritage cities offer? During lockdown, drone displays across the world created moments of collective wonder with thousands of illuminated machines painting symbols, words, and images in the night sky. Edinburgh has its precedents for innovation, from the Lux Europae light festival of 1992, which transformed the Old Town into a living artwork, to more recent projection shows during St Andrew’s Day and winter festivals. Drones and large-scale light art offer quieter, lower-emission, and more flexible spectacles, with potential to animate historic skylines without the risk of damage or distress.

Seen in this global light, Edinburgh’s expanding Firework Control Zones and the end of the International Festival’s fireworks are not anomalies but part of a broader trend. Heritage cities everywhere are grappling with the same challenge: how to safeguard communities and fragile built environments while sustaining the cultural magic of night-time spectacle. The lesson is that restrictions work best when paired with alternatives: well-organised, inclusive public events that preserve the drama without unleashing the dangers.

For Edinburgh, the path forward lies in strengthening civic displays, such as Hogmanay, refining FCZs through community input, and expanding the use of creative alternatives, including drones and projection mapping. Done well, this model can both safeguard the city’s heritage and sustain its traditions. Fireworks, after all, are at their most powerful not when fired recklessly in back lanes, but when they illuminate shared spaces, whether through sparks, drones, or light, bringing residents and visitors together in wonder, not fear.

The question now is how Edinburgh, and other heritage cities, will continue to strike that delicate balance. By blending caution with creativity, and regulation with celebration, they can ensure that night skies remain alive with spectacle, lighting up the present without dimming the legacy of the past.

Sources and Further Reading

Edinburgh Firework Control Zones (FCZs) 2025

1. City of Edinburgh Council – Firework Control Zones
   👉 edinburgh.gov.uk/firework-control-zones
2. Edinburgh Magazine – Consultation on Firework Control Zones for 2025
   👉 edinburghmagazine.com
3. The Edinburgh Reporter – Councillors Consider Citywide Fireworks Ban
   👉 theedinburghreporter.co.uk
4. City of Edinburgh Council Consultation Hub – Firework Control Zones 2025
   👉 consultationhub.edinburgh.gov.uk

Glasgow Fireworks Restrictions
5. Glasgow City Council – Firework Control Zones
👉 glasgow.gov.uk/fcz
6. Scottish Government – Firework Control Zones: Guidance for Local Authorities (2023)
👉 gov.scot/publications/firework-control-zones-guidance-local-authorities

EU Fireworks Regulations
7. European Union – Directive 2013/29/EU on Pyrotechnic Articles
👉 eur-lex.europa.eu
8. Government of the Netherlands – Fireworks Regulations
👉 government.nl/topics/fireworks
9. Government of Ireland – Fireworks Legislation
👉 gov.ie/en/publication/8b7c6-fireworks

Fireworks in Heritage Cities Worldwide
10. UNESCO – Managing Tourism in World Heritage Cities
👉 whc.unesco.org/en/tourism
11. City of Florence – Regulations on Public Events
👉 comune.fi.it
12. U.S. National Park Service – Fireworks and Historic Preservation
👉 nps.gov/subjects/historicpreservation

Edinburgh Festival Season Context
13. The Scotsman – Edinburgh International Festival Fireworks to End After 40 Years
👉 scotsman.com/arts-and-culture/edinburgh-festivals/edinburghs-festivals-2025-here-are-all-the-festivals-taking-place-in-the-capital-this-august-and-whats-happening-at-them-5244290
14. Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo – Show FAQs 2025
👉 edintattoo.co.uk/the-show/show-faqs

Alternatives: Drones and Light
15. Art Office – Lux Europae (1992)
👉 artoffice.co.uk/highlights/lux-europae-1992
16. BBC News – Drone Light Shows Replace Fireworks During Lockdown
👉 bbc.co.uk/newsround (archived feature on 2020–21 displays)
17. Perth & Kinross Council – Winter Festival Drone Show 2024
👉 pkc.gov.uk/winterfestival

Image: Pixabay