Name That Firework!
No Fourth of July celebration would be complete without fireworks – but do you know what you’re looking at? Here’s a quick cheat sheet of some popular ones.
Brocade: (at left) A spider like effect in the sky, much like fine lace. The brocade effect is generally a silver tail effect, and is brighter than the willow or tiger tail effect. Most brocade effects use glitter to produce the long brocade tails.
Chrysanthemum: (at right) A flower-like aerial pattern, usually resulting from a mortar.
Comet: (at left) A type of star that leaves a long trail of sparks as it flies through the air.
Waterfall (at right):
Glowing embers that fall slowly in the air, creating a willow or waterfall effect.
Flying Fish: (at left)
An aerial effect that looks like a swarm of objects squirming though the air. This effect usually lasts only a few seconds. The “fish” are actually a type of fuse that propels itself through the air, creating a swimming effect.
Strobe: (at right). 
A strobe is a blinking effect. When used in a shell with hundreds of strobe stars, the strobe effect looks like shimmering water in the sky. Strobes can be a variety of colors, including white, green, blue, and orange.
YOUR TURN
What’s was your favorite fireworks “where and when?” Share your faves in the comments!
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Comments
My favorite “fireworks” weren’t fireworks at all. They were laser lights. The show was called Laserium. My friend and I saw the show in the early 80s in New York. Explosions were replaced by upbeat music. After that traditional fireworks seemed mundane to me.
The most memorable fireworks I saw was in 1976 from the 18th floor huge window at a friend’s aunt’s office on Pearl Street. They were exploding before my very eyes, seemed like 10 feet away. Then we had to walk waaaay back uptown because the subways were mobbed.
Hi,
Please do not encourage a naming contest for fireworks when so much damage can result. There were at least 3or more major house fires in the Denver area. Also significant smoke damage to neighboring houses. They were all the result of inproper use and disposal of fireworks that were set off by private individuals. Why don’t you encourage celebrating the 4th of July in other ways besides using fireworks???
I absolutely love fireworks! I knew the chrysanthemum, but the other names were new to me. This is the first year that I saw the comet. Thanks for the info.
Very interesting. I loved finding out what each one is called. I love them all but my favorites are the Waterfall and the Strobe. I especially love the finales’ when all of them explodes together.