Every year, more and more municipalities are deciding to abandon the beloved Dutch tradition of setting off as many fireworks as possible to welcome the new year.
Wanna know if you’ll be able to see some sparkles this New Year’s Eve? Let’s find out. 👇
Complete bans
You might be used to the sky being brighter at midnight than it is at midday on New Year’s Eve.
According to RTL, that definitely won’t be happening in the following Dutch municipalities, which are instituting a complete fireworks ban this year:
- Alkmaar
- Amersfoort
- Amsterdam
- Apeldoorn
- Arnhem
- Bloemendaal
- Eindhoven
- Haarlem
- Heemstede
- Heumen
- Mook en Middelaar
- Nijmegen
- Rotterdam
- Schiedam
- Soest
- Tilburg
- Utrecht
- Utrechtse Heuvelrug
- Zutphen
While most of these municipalities have already known peace for the past few years, the ban is a novelty for Alkmaar, Utrecht and Zutphen.
Partial bans
Don’t live in one of the municipalities mentioned above? It may not be time to start buying earplugs just yet.
About 100 other municipalities will designate fireworks-free zones on NYE, where setting off fireworks will be prohibited. You can find out if (and where) this applies to your hometown on your municipal website.
READ MORE | The New Year’s Dive at Scheveningen: How the Dutch start their year (well, the crazy ones)
Although these bans might devastate the 13-year-old boy population, they are usually based on noble reasons, mainly concerning the protection of animals and vulnerable populations.
That’s why fireworks-free zones in municipalities without complete bans are mostly located near care centres, hospitals, and parks.
Does a firework ban apply where you live? How do you feel about that? Let us know in the comments!
The Hague is still not in the list.