1. Apply for your permit
Cracker Night fireworks are permit-only. Apply for a Type 2 (Shop Goods) fireworks permit through Service Tasmania — you must be 18+ and you need permission from the landowner where you intend to fire.
Consumer fireworks · Tasmania
Cracker Night 2027
Saturday 29 May 2027
Tasmania is one of the last two places in Australia — with the Northern Territory — where the public can legally buy and fire consumer fireworks. Here is everything you need for Cracker Night 2027 — the date, the permit, the safety rules and where to buy.
Cracker Night 2027
Saturday 29 May 2027
Permit type
Type 2 (Shop Goods)
Apply through
Service Tasmania
Minimum age
18+
Dates, windows and permit conditions are set by the Tasmanian regulator and can change year to year. Treat the details on this page as a planning guide and confirm the current requirements with Service Tasmania before you buy.
Why Tasmania is different
One of Australia's last two cracker nights
Most of Australia banned consumer fireworks decades ago. Only Tasmania's Cracker Night and the Northern Territory's Territory Day survive — and Tasmania keeps its tradition with a permit system wrapped around it.
Cracker Night in Tasmania lands on the Saturday of the May long weekend, and for one evening permit holders can fire consumer fireworks on their own or a landowner’s property. It is a genuinely Tasmanian institution: cold night, a bonfire, sausages, and the whole street out on the lawn.
The trade-off for keeping it is taking it seriously. Fireworks are only sold to permit holders, only by licensed retailers, and only in a short window before the night. Get the permit, respect the distances, warn the neighbours — and it stays legal for the next generation.
Step by step
How to do Cracker Night 2027 properly
Six steps from permit application to clean-up. Start the first one early — it is the one that catches people out.
2. Lodge it early
Applications close well before the night. Based on how previous years have run, expect a cut-off around Friday 7 May 2027 — confirm the current date with Service Tasmania and lodge with weeks to spare, not days.
3. Pick your firing window
Permits are issued for a set window on the night — typically a 45 minutes slot such as 7:00pm – 7:45pm or 7:45pm – 8:30pm. Your permit, not the neighbours' patience, sets your legal firing time.
4. Buy from a licensed seller
Consumer fireworks can only be sold by licensed retailers to valid permit holders, in the days immediately before Cracker Night. Bring your permit and ID.
5. Set up safely
Choose flat, clear ground away from buildings, trees, fences, vehicles, livestock and dry grass. Keep water and a torch handy, and brief everyone before you light anything.
6. Clean up
Soak spent fireworks in water before disposal, and never revisit a dud. Sweep debris — including anything that landed on a neighbour's property.
Where to buy
Tas Crackers — our consumer fireworks business
MaxFX handles the professional side of fireworks in Tasmania. For consumer fireworks — the ones you fire yourself on Cracker Night — head to our sister business Tas Crackers, Tasmania’s only locally owned cracker night supplier.
Tas Crackers stocks family packs, fountains, candles, single-shot items and bigger sets for rural blocks, with staff who actually know what suits a small suburban yard versus a paddock. They also publish permit help and current-season shop locations.
Safety
Cracker Night safety basics
Almost every Cracker Night injury comes from the same handful of mistakes. Don't make them.
Only the permit holder lights fireworks — adults only, and never after drinking
Keep well back from buildings, roads, vehicles and spectators; more distance is always better
Set fireworks on flat, stable ground and never in the hand or in glass
Never lean over a firework, and never return to one that failed to fire
Keep water, a hose or a bucket within arm's reach at all times
Warn neighbours in advance — especially those with dogs, horses or livestock
Your permit lists the conditions that legally apply to you, including firing times and separation distances from buildings, roads, spectators, livestock and wildlife areas. Read it, and set up to the largest distance you can manage rather than the minimum.
FAQ
Consumer fireworks in Tasmania — your questions
When is Cracker Night 2027 in Tasmania?
Cracker Night 2027 is expected on Saturday 29 May 2027. Tasmania traditionally holds Cracker Night on the Saturday of the Queen's/King's Birthday long weekend in May, and permit windows are issued for that evening. Always confirm the current year's date and firing times on your permit before you buy.
Are fireworks legal in Tasmania?
Tasmania is one of only two places in Australia — alongside the Northern Territory and its Territory Day — where members of the public can still legally buy and discharge consumer fireworks — but only with a valid fireworks permit, only on the approved night, and only within the window your permit specifies. Buying, holding or firing consumer fireworks without a permit is an offence.
Where can I buy fireworks in Tasmania?
Only licensed retailers can sell consumer fireworks, and only to permit holders in the days before Cracker Night. Our sister business Tas Crackers — Tasmania's only locally owned consumer fireworks supplier — runs shops and pop-ups around the state each Cracker Night season.
How much do I need to spend for a good backyard display?
A modest family setup with a handful of fountains, candles and a couple of larger items goes a long way in a suburban yard. Bigger rural blocks with more clearance can safely run larger items, which is where budgets climb. Tas Crackers builds packs at several price points so you are not guessing.
Can I hire professionals instead of doing it myself?
Yes — and for anything in front of a crowd, you should. MaxFX fires licensed professional displays year-round for events, weddings, sporting clubs and councils, with permits, insurance and exclusion zones handled. That is a different licence class to a consumer Cracker Night permit.
What about pets and livestock?
Bring pets indoors before dusk with curtains closed and background noise on, and check that horses and livestock are in a safe, fenced area away from your firing site. Give your neighbours notice so they can do the same.
Want a professional display instead?
If your Cracker Night is a public event, a club fundraiser or anything with a crowd, we'll fire it for you — licensed, insured and permitted.