Looking to offer clients an explosive way to really go out with a bang?
In the 2019 movie “Poms”, cremation fireworks feature in the story as an option for final arrangements. The movie has popularized the practice somewhat, which is gaining traction here in the US, though it still doesn’t yet have the popularity as it enjoys elsewhere in the world, particularly in the UK.
Human ashes aren’t combustible, obviously… but cremains can be built into actual fireworks assembled by a trained pyrotechnics company then launched into the night sky to be dispersed in as flamboyant a display as the family wishes.
How it Works
- The funeral directors’ role lies in facilitating traditional cremation, and thereafter, separating the required quantity of ashes into a provided receptacle to be sent to the pyrotechnics company handling the actual display.
- The pyrotechnics company then builds a number of fireworks according to the size of the clients’ purchased package. The company also oversees arrangements of the location and scheduling for the fireworks display, along with coordinationof the display with any memorial services:
- Often a memorial service is held beforehand, with the fireworks display following. Duration of the display itself can be from 2-9 minutes or longer, depending on the company and fireworks package purchased.
Displays and Pricing
The tradition has become well-established in other parts of the world. For one of the main cremation fireworks providers, Heavenly Stars Fireworks in the UK, in business for more than 15 years, has gotten the practice down to a science. Display Packages are available in tiered price ranges from about 750 pounds to over 12,000. Costs increase with the size, duration and complexity of display. This is the largest manufacturer of such fireworks in the UK, but it’s one of multiple options in a country where the practice is widespread and considerably more popular. There are even videos on the Heavenly Stars website of all fireworks packages, clearly illustrating what you can expect from each for its cost.
Heavenly Stars’ different available packages incorporate cremains ash volume accordingly, beginning around 200 grams (for American readers, that’s about 7/8 of a cup) with options all the way up to the full measure of ashes. Heavenly Stars can coordinate and oversee displays, but they also offer options for packages families can send off themselves.
In the US, the practice is still developing, and only a handful of businesses are offering the fireworks option. Where available, though, a relatively uniform (and considerably smaller) quantity of about 3 tablespoons of cremains is incorporated into the whole arrangement. Displays are managed exclusively by the companies that build the fireworks.
Especially for clients planning life celebrations, a memorial fireworks display makes a unique option and on American soil, there’s an especially unique association: The 2007 funeral memorial of American author Hunter S. Thompson, whose famous wishes were for his ashes to be shot out of a cannon. Thompson got his wish, with the final flourish of the fireworks an added benefit. His funeral is credited with being the first American’s to include a fireworks display.
Local regulations dictate availability. Noise, pollution, fire hazards and other regional considerations apply.
