Buzz
As the new year dawns, one of the most eagerly awaited events is the annual New Year’s Eve fireworks display. These pyrotechnic shows have become a beloved global tradition, with people delighting in the vibrant colors and captivating shapes that light up the night sky.
The booming sounds of fireworks also excite many. However, in recent years, the environmental and safety concerns surrounding these explosives have stirred much debate. Studies have shown that fireworks can cause injuries and trauma to both people and animals.
In light of this, some individuals have started to imagine alternative visual spectacles that are less harmful yet still visually stunning. In this article, we’ll explore 10 of the most extreme alternatives and evaluate whether they are truly a safer and better choice.
10. A Swarm of Illuminated Drones
Drones are often hailed as the future of outdoor entertainment, replacing traditional fireworks. From the United States to China, drones are taking center stage in aerial light shows. While it’s hard to imagine these small machines capturing the spotlight of a massive explosion in the sky, we must broaden our horizons.
To mark its 50th anniversary, tech giant Intel decided to launch 2,018 drones into the skies above its California headquarters, setting the world record for the most unmanned aerial vehicles flown simultaneously. Over the eight-minute performance, drones illuminated the sky with vibrant colors, creating stunning images—from the Intel logo to a breathtaking depiction of the Earth—perfectly synchronized with the background music.
These drones were controlled by a single pilot. Specially designed for such performances, Intel has already staged similar events and plans to expand the scale of its aerial shows in the future. While a few drones in the sky might not be awe-inspiring, imagine thousands of them, each glowing and dancing to the rhythm—it’s sure to change anyone's perspective.
9. A Fire-Breathing Spectacle
For years, the British company Arcadia has been known for creating extraordinary spectacles for thousands of attendees. At the renowned Glastonbury music festival in England, Arcadia often showcases one of the next New Year’s alternatives on this list: a massive fire-breathing creature.
The centerpiece of the event is a 50-ton, 15-meter-tall (49 ft) mechanical spider. Positioned in the middle of the crowd, it shoots lasers and enormous fireballs into the sky. Arcadia constructed the towering metal spider using repurposed military vehicle parts, including aircraft components. The performance can accommodate up to 50,000 people and provides a perfect view from any angle. Biodiesel is the primary fuel used for the pyrotechnic effects.
While the spider is Arcadia’s most iconic creation, it is far from the only one. Another creation, the Afterburner, is built from recycled materials and features a rocket-like vertical structure with flamethrowers at the top and a DJ booth at the center. Both the Arcadia Spider and the Afterburner have been showcased in numerous events worldwide, from the Americas to Asia.
If a fire-breathing creature doesn’t appeal to you as a way to ring in the New Year, there are still other thrilling flame-throwing alternatives. For instance, some places use drones equipped with flamethrowers for everything from cleaning power lines to roasting turkeys. Regardless of the option, we must agree that watching a machine shoot flames into the sky on New Year’s Eve would certainly be a spectacular sight.
8. Explosive Hot-Air Balloons
Numerous ideas have been proposed to reduce the noise of fireworks. One potential solution could be launching fireworks into the sky without firing them, avoiding the roaring sound of the rockets as they ascend. However, the explosive finale would still remain.
A possible approach to this could involve loading fireworks into the basket of a hot-air balloon. While it may sound unconventional or risky, some people already practice this method every year.
Since the 19th century, the people of Myanmar have celebrated the Taunggyi Fire Balloon Festival, an enormous pyrotechnic event. Various teams attach numerous fireworks to intricately decorated hot-air balloons and release them into the air. Once airborne, the fireworks create a stunning display of fire, smoke, and vivid colors.
However, this tradition is not without its dangers. The hot-air balloons take time to gain altitude, often gliding perilously close to the crowds below before lifting off. At times, they even fail to rise altogether.
During the 2012 festival, a hot-air balloon filled with fireworks crashed into the crowd, and moments later, the entire load exploded, showering spectators with sparkling fireballs.
In other incidents, the fireworks load of a hot-air balloon can detach mid-flight and fall. During the 2018 celebration, ignited fireworks separated from the balloon and plummeted toward the crowd, injuring nine people, two of whom were hospitalized. It seems that the allure of fireworks will always come with its inherent risks.
7. Skybound Movie Projections
There are a few ways to tackle a cloudy sky on New Year's Eve. If the clouds obscure your view of the lights, perhaps you could project the lights onto the clouds, turning them into a screen.
Projecting images onto clouds has long been a challenge for engineers and inventors. In 2015, British artist Dave Lynch launched a project where he managed to project an image of a horse galloping across the sky in Nottingham. Using a special laser projector, called a zoopraxiscope, mounted on a small plane, he flew over the area, using the clouds as a canvas.
A few years prior, a team of Japanese experts developed a method to project images directly onto clouds from the ground. Daikin Industries and teamLab, the two companies behind the innovation, experimented with custom projectors in cloudy skies, and their efforts paid off. They successfully displayed full-color animations on natural clouds, including a concert featuring Japan’s virtual idol, Hatsune Miku.
On a January night in 2014, London residents witnessed what appeared to be the glowing outline of an airplane moving through the clouds. In reality, it was a laser projection celebrating the 80th anniversary of Air France.
Curb and CMT Events, the companies behind the projection, used powerful lasers to project an airplane in the sky, along with the airline’s name and a celebratory hashtag. If you can ring in the New Year by projecting your name onto the clouds, even Batman would be impressed.
6. Synthetic Northern Lights
Natural auroras are truly an awe-inspiring visual spectacle, but they are usually visible only in high-latitude regions near the poles and at specific times during the year, depending on solar activity. This makes them a rare occurrence for New Year’s celebrations unless everyone travels to the polar regions. However, this was true until recently—now, we have the ability to create auroras whenever we wish.
The HAARP program in Alaska operates a facility with 180 transmission antennas capable of emitting high-intensity radio waves directly into the ionosphere, the upper layer of Earth's atmosphere. These powerful waves accelerate the electrons in that region, and their collisions produce the characteristic glow that forms auroras.
Over the years, the HAARP program has created several artificial auroras, some of which lasted up to an hour. While these auroras are smaller due to the antenna's capabilities, they are still visible to the naked eye and appear in a distinct green hue.
Although the HAARP program is the most famous for generating artificial auroras, there are similar radio transmitters around the world. For instance, Russia operates a comparable program called SURA, and SuperDARN is a research initiative with antennas spanning multiple countries.
Operating an experiment at the HAARP facility costs $5,000 per hour. A radio enthusiast once paid $1,200 for a 15-minute experiment, so what’s stopping you from lighting up the sky with green auroras this New Year’s Eve?
5. Carbidschieten
If building an expensive radio antenna system in your backyard isn’t an option, then perhaps this next tradition could be the perfect alternative for you. In various provinces of the Netherlands, there is a rural custom on New Year's Eve that doesn’t involve fireworks, though it still packs plenty of noise. This century-old tradition is known as Carbidschieten (“Carbide Shooting”).
The celebration involves positioning a milk churn at an angle, supported by a frame. This creates an improvised cannon. A piece of calcium carbide is then placed inside, followed by a bit of water, and the lid is quickly replaced on the churn.
Inside, the wet carbide reacts to form acetylene gas, which is highly flammable. The gas escapes from a small hole at the bottom of the churn, and is carefully ignited with a flame. The result is a massive explosion that sends the lid flying far into the air.
On New Year’s Eve, many Carbidschieten competitions are held across the Netherlands, where the winner is determined by who can shoot the churn lid the farthest. Of course, this alternative is just as noisy and potentially dangerous as traditional fireworks. But for those who enjoy explosive sounds, it’s an ideal substitute.
4. Millions Of Helium Balloons
At first, it might seem that releasing balloons into the sky is a gentler and less destructive way to celebrate compared to setting off fireworks. For this reason, many celebrations worldwide incorporate balloon releases as part of their festivities.
However, the problem arises if we all decide to launch balloons into the air on New Year’s Eve. Within a few hours, millions of balloons would fill the sky, which could cause significant harm. In fact, some countries have already put regulations in place or outright banned the mass release of balloons.
Why is this a concern? Perhaps it's easier to understand through a real-life example.
In 1986, the city of Cleveland attempted to set a world record by launching two million helium balloons into the sky, with the aim of raising funds for charity. However, due to unfavorable weather, the number was scaled back to around 1.5 million balloons, all gathered under a net the size of a city block.
In the early afternoon, the helium-filled balloons were released between the towering buildings of the city. But as a storm approached, the balloons were enveloped by rain and descended back toward the city.
The still-inflated balloons ended up floating on the surface of Lake Erie, just off Cleveland, obstructing a search for two missing fishermen, who were later discovered dead along the shore. In other parts of Ohio, the balloons frightened racehorses, causing serious injuries to them.
As if this wasn't enough, one of Cleveland's airports had to shut down a runway due to the balloons. While helium balloons can make for a unique celebration, they’re probably not the best choice for New Year's Eve.
3. Shooting Stars
What we call 'shooting stars' are actually tiny pieces of space debris burning up as they enter Earth’s atmosphere. These can range from alien rocks to our own discarded space junk. Most of these brief flashes in the sky go unnoticed because they occur randomly. However, now we can intentionally create shooting stars for the sole purpose of entertaining us.
For several years, the Japanese company ALE has been working on a project named Sky Canvas. This initiative involves launching a satellite equipped with a thousand metallic pellets to an altitude of 500 kilometers (311 miles). As the satellite passes over a specific area, it releases the pellets, which then descend and burn up in the atmosphere.
This method allows the satellite to create multiple shooting stars that last up to 10 seconds each, appearing at precise times and locations. The pellets will be made of various materials, and when ignited in the upper atmosphere, they will produce bright colors visible from the ground.
Though each meteor will come at a hefty price of $8,100, ALE is already planning a shooting star display during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. If you think fireworks are impressive, imagine ringing in the New Year with dozens of vibrant meteors streaking across the midnight sky.
2. Lightning Rockets
What do you do if New Year's Eve is met with stormy weather? Tempestuous conditions can be a disappointment for fireworks enthusiasts, but fear not—there are still other thrilling options. However, you might want to experience this particular spectacle from a safe distance.
Scientists from the University of Florida developed a device known as a 'lightning machine.' It consists of a small 1.8-meter-tall (6 ft) rocket attached to the ground via a copper wire that extends 701 meters (2,300 ft). When the rocket is launched into the sky during a storm, the wire unfurls and moments later, a lightning bolt strikes it. Essentially, it serves as a flying lightning rod.
While natural lightning is unpredictable, scientists can now trigger lightning strikes on demand. A New Year's lightning display would definitely leave a lasting impression. However, it might be wise to leave this kind of technology to the experts, especially considering that a single lightning bolt can reach temperatures as high as 30,000 degrees Celsius (54,032 °F).
1. Skydivers With Flares
While skydiving is undoubtedly an adrenaline-pumping activity, experiencing it at night must take that excitement to the next level. Though it’s a thrilling experience for those who master the sport, it can also be quite mesmerizing for those watching from below.
Occasionally, these skydivers attach handheld magnesium flares to their boots, leaving behind a trail of bright sparks as they glide through the night sky. From the ground, these parachutists appear as glowing comets, their movements perfectly synchronized.
Skydivers with flares often make appearances at football games. For instance, during the 2018 Fourth of July celebrations in Denver, spectators were surprised by strange lights appearing among the fireworks. These lights descended like slow-moving shooting stars.
It turned out these lights were not meteors but a group of four skydivers known as the Thunderstorm. This team frequently wows crowds at Denver Broncos games held at their stadium.
Another renowned group, the US Army Golden Knights, frequently performs across various cities in the United States. Equipped with flares, they jump from airplanes, and in November 2018, they jumped over Stanford Stadium in California during the university's final home game.
Another skilled group of aviation professionals, the Red Bull Air Force, executed a night-time parachute jump. While most of the skydivers carried wind socks, one had a magnesium flare, creating a brilliant trail of light behind him.
Skydiving with flares on New Year’s Eve would undoubtedly be a unique spectacle, reserved for the seasoned experts. It might not be as extravagant as traditional fireworks, but it still offers a captivating alternative worth experiencing.
