What do you do with leftover fireworks after the 4th?

[Tina Chen]

#5514

Alright so I ended up with a few extra cakes and a bunch of roman candles that didn’t make it into the show this year. Never fails – I always buy more than I need just in case things go wrong, and then I’m stuck with leftovers.

What do you guys do with extras? Save them for New Year’s? Trade with friends? Or do you just say screw it and light whatever’s left the next night?

I’m leaning toward saving mine for a Labor Day BBQ. Seems like a good excuse for a mini-show. But I’ve also heard you shouldn’t store opened cases too long in hot weather. Any truth to that?

[Michael]

#5516

I usually just save mine for New Year’s. Works out nicely since by then I’ve forgotten what I had, so it’s like a surprise show lol. But yeah, storing them properly is key – keep them in a cool dry place, not in a hot garage or shed. Had a batch lose some pop after sitting in a hot storage locker for a couple months.

[Tina Chen]

#5519

Good point about the heat. I think I’ll keep my extras in the basement where it stays cooler. Maybe I’ll save a few for Labor Day and a couple for NYE. Spread the fun out through the year lol.

[Steve Kline]

#5545

Ive actually started doing this thing where I intentionally buy a little extra and set aside a “rainy day” stash for like random weekends through the summer. No joke sometimes the best shows are the ones you do on a random Saturday in August when theres nothing going on and you just feel like lighting stuff up.

Just make sure your storage is solid if youre keeping them for months. I keep mine in a plastic ammo box with a silica pack in the basement. Stays cool and dry. Had some cakes get damp one time from storage in the garage and the lift was super weak – shells barely popped. Total waste of good fireworks.

Honestly Tina you should def save at least a couple for Labor Day. Theres something nice about having a small show when the summer is winding down.

[Danny Roth]

#5581

Late to this convo but honestly I just light em all. I had like 3 cakes left over after the 4th and a bunch of rockets. Went out on the 5th with some buddies and shot the rest. Kinda nice actually, no pressure to put on a “show” — just relaxing and lighting stuff. Weather was good too. Save em if you can store em right but honestly I say just have another mini-party lol.

[Mike Brenner]

#5691

Late to this convo but honestly I just light em all. I had like 6 cakes left over after the 4th this year so I invited some buddies over the next weekend and we did a mini “encore” show. Was honestly more fun than the actual 4th cause it was just a small group hanging out instead of the whole neighborhood chaos.

That said, Tina’s right about storage. I ruined a whole case of 200g cakes one year leaving them in a hot shed from July to Labor Day. The tubes got all swollen and half of em didn’t even fire. Learned my lesson.

[Danny Roth]

#5701

I do the same thing honestly. Buy extra just in case and then end up with a pile of leftovers lol. My trick is I keep a separate bin in the basement labeled NYE stash so I don’t accidentally light everything at Labor Day. But the heat thing is real – I lost a case of cakes last year that sat in my garage through August. The lift charges were super weak. Now I keep everything in the basement with a dehumidifier running.

[Michael]

#5702

Yeah the storage thing is important and a lot of people overlook it. We actually covered this in the Fireworks Guide section on the site – there’s a whole post about proper storage conditions for consumer fireworks. Temperature and humidity matter way more than most folks realize. One summer in a hot garage can kill your cakes.

[Ron Butler]

#5712

I know this is an older thread but figured I’d chime in since I just went through this myself. Tina I’d def save em for Labor Day if you can store em right. I split my leftovers — kept a couple cakes in the basement for Labor Day and just lit the rest on the 5th with some neighbors. Best of both worlds. The basement storage trick is legit, just make sure it’s dry down there. I tossed a couple silica packs in my plastic tote like Steve mentioned and no issues so far.

[Danny Roth]

#5753

I usually save mine for New Year’s or just random weekend bonfires with friends. But honestly half the time I end up giving them away to neighbors with kids lol. Sparklers and fountains are perfect for that — the kids love em and I don’t feel like I’m wasting my good cakes on a random Saturday.

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