Whether 2026 is going to be a good or bad year is something that nobody knows, what is clear is how it will start: at the rhythm of twelve bells, with grapespending (more or less) the ‘La Pedroche’ dress and among fireworks, the peculiar “pack” with which Spain has celebrated every New Year’s Eve for years. Of those ingredients, there is one, however, that takes time. on the tightrope: pyrotechnics.
Maybe we like to welcome the new year with fireworks and firecrackers, but… Does that justify the risk they pose or the inconvenience they cause to people who are sensitive to noise and pets? In Vitoria-Gasteiz they have chosen a Solomonic solution.
New Year’s Eve between fireworks. Christmas has certain traditions that are inherent to the holidays. Here and in most of the West. There are the trees, the LED lights in the streets, the tinsel, the nougats, the gifts, Santa Claus, the after-dinner debates…and the firecrackers and fireworks with which every New Year’s Eve the cities say goodbye to the outgoing year and welcome the incoming one.
The problem is that pyrotechnics are not seen with the same eyes now as they were a few decades ago. As the world has become aware of the impact it has on noise-sensitive people and pets, a series of questions have arisen: Is it worth it? Is the use of an article that is ultimately purely recreational justified if it causes discomfort to part of the population?
There are those who believe not. And he is so convinced of this that he has even launched campaigns to ban or restrict fireworks during certain celebrations, something we have seen in Swiss, Chili or (also) Spain.
The debate of debates. It is not a simple topic. In general the use of firecrackers is regulated by regulations that establish limits, but the law also leaves some room for maneuver to city councils. And that, at times like Christmas, when pyrotechnics are so ingrained, is a problem.
A quick Google search shows that there are cities who bet on great showspromoted by the city councils, while others have chosen to emphasize in recent days the prohibition of its neighbors from using fireworks, firecrackers, rockets and other pyrotechnics in the streets without permission.
One of the most notable cases is that of Vigo, which two weeks ago launched a side in which it emphasizes that it will not allow “the use of pyrotechnic devices on roads and public spaces, unless express municipal authorization is available.” The measure angered the sectoralthough in reality Vigo It is not the only location that a bill has been published to regulate the use of firecrackers on the 31st.
The Solomonic solution of Vitoria. With that background it is interesting the solution which Vitoria-Gasteiz has opted for. There the authorities will allow the launching of firecrackers to welcome the new year, although with an important “but.” Whoever wants to say goodbye to 2025 in style should do so by looking at the clock, between the exact moment when 12 bells ring and a quarter past twelve in the morning. If you get carried away with your enthusiasm and continue setting off firecrackers after those 15 minutes, you will risk a fine.
Why’s that? Because the Consistory has published a side in which a 15-minute window opens (the first in 2026) to celebrate the change of year with pyrotechnics. Once this brief ‘truce’ is over, people will no longer be able to go out into the streets and squares to set off firecrackers. What’s more, the City Council warns that starting at 12:15 a.m. on January 1, police officers can apply article 30 of the municipal ordinance against Noise and Vibrations, which contemplates the possibility of filing complaints and opening disciplinary proceedings.
The side in question, published on Friday the 26thclarifies that its objective is to “combine” two apparently opposite realities: the “legitimate celebration of the New Year” and the prohibition of causing excessive noise in the streets. For this reason, the City Council warns that it will “tolerate” the use of firecrackers, fireworks, rockets and flares on public roads “coinciding with the beginning of the New Year.” And in case there are any doubts, clarify that this margin will be limited between 00:00 and 00:15 h.
A rule, a request. The City Council does not stop there. Although it gives carte blanche to use fireworks in public spaces for a quarter of an hour, the side asks also to neighbors to act responsibly and try to take their celebrations away from hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, centers where there are animals and of course gas stations, gas and fuel depots or certain public facilities, such as police stations.
Another thing is that the measure works. Gasteiz Today remember that the truce of the first 15 minutes of the year is not exactly new. It has been in use for some time now, which has not prevented noises from being heard all night.
Images | Alberto Cabello (Flickr), AFA Hirigintza / DFA Urbanismo (Flickr) and Shaury Nash (Flickr)
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