Dos and don’ts for fireworks on Victoria Day
Preparing your long weekend celebrations? While Victoria Day is one of the only two days you can light fireworks in Vaughan without a permit, it is important to use them safely and responsibly.
If you plan to use fireworks on Monday, May 18, follow these safety guidelines from Vaughan Fire and Rescue Service:
DO
Read and follow firework label directions.
Buy your fireworks from a licensed vendor – only use legal fireworks.
Always have an adult supervise fireworks activities.
Operate fireworks outdoors and in an open area on your own property – at least 30 metres by 30 metres. Make sure the area is clear of all obstructions, such as overhead wires and trees.
Keep the audience (particularly children and pets) a safe distance away from the launch site, preferably upwind.
Have water available nearby, such as a garden hose and bucket.
Wear eye protection and non-flammable clothing.
Ignite the fireworks from a bucket of sand.
- Dispose of fireworks responsibly – soak them in a container of water overnight, wrap the soaked fireworks in a plastic bag to keep them from drying out, and dispose of them in small quantities in the garbage bin.
DO NOT
Reignite a firework that did not go off properly the first time.
Experiment or make your own fireworks.
Give fireworks or sparklers to anyone under 18 years old.
Fireworks cannot be set off after 11 p.m. on Victoria Day and Canada Day. You can only light them on your property. Setting off fireworks in a park, roadway, sidewalk or any other public property is illegal. Fireworks must not be set off from any window, doorway, balcony, terrace or deck in a multi-residential property, or any common area of the property. Any person violating the Fireworks and Pyrotechnics By-law 089-2022 (PDF) may be fined $200 for each offence. If a minor violates the by-law, parents or guardians may be fined for the offence. Fireworks must not be set off where the discharge, smoke or fallout can land on another person or their property or where it creates a threat of injury or fire.
To report firework misuse, call Service Vaughan at 905-832-2281. To learn more about fireworks safety, visit vaughan.ca/fireworks.
For updates and news as they happen, subscribe to Vaughan News and follow the official corporate channels on X, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
