Norway celebrates New Year’s Eve by firing fireworks up in the air at midnight, just like most countries around the world. But in contrast to many other countries, sale of fireworks in strictly regulated, and you need to know where and when to look in order to be able to buy fireworks in Norway.
That said, it’s not particularly difficult to be able to buy fireworks in Norway if you know when and where to buy it, so let’s get you prepared!
Fireworks is typically sold from pop-up stores run out of shipping containers outside of grocery stores or shopping malls in Norway. These pop up from December 27, and will be selling fireworks until December 31. A few stores like Europris or Thansen will also sell fireworks from their stores in this time period.
You’re not going to have any problems finding a shipping container that sells firework in this time period, because they seem to pop up everywhere. You have a pretty high chance of success if you just head for your closest grocery store.
Why fireworks is sold from shipping containers in Norway
One of the big reasons why the vendors sell fireworks from shipping containers is because they need to be kept in a sealed environment that will not catch fire if the fireworks explode. Shipping containers fill this requirement, and are additionally very cheap and easy to transport.
This makes it very convenient to put up a shipping container to sell firework from outside of a grocery store instead of having to deal with all the hassle of selling it from the actual inside of the store.
These shipping containers are typically run by businesses that have specialized in selling fireworks, so they have their permits ready in good time before New Year’s Eve.
It takes some effort to get a license to sell fireworks in Norway, and many stores don’t think it’s really worth the hassle of this when it comes to the fact that they can only legally sell it for 4 days prior to New Year’s Eve.
When to legally buy fireworks in Norway
It’s only legal to sell fireworks between December 27 and December 31, so you will only be able to buy fireworks in this time period.
If anyone sell fireworks in Norway outside of these dates, they are likely to get a pretty heavy fine and get their goods confiscated.
It’s also worth mentioning that there is an age limit to buying fireworks. Regular firework has an age limit of 18 years, while sparklers have an age limit of 12 years.
Be prepared to have your ID ready when buying fireworks, because they can legally refuse you if you can’t prove to be over 18 years old.
Skyockets and toy fireworks are completely banned in Norway
Norway also has pretty strict laws to what type of fireworks you can buy and use. The government implemented a ban to firework skyrockets in 2008 due to the amount of eye injuries that resulted from them.
These types of fireworks are now completely banned, and you will not be able to buy them at all in Norway. You might even get fined for firing one up if you somehow get your hands on one.
Learn more about the laws and regulations regarding fireworks in Norway here.
Toy fireworks are any type of fireworks that are aimed at children. These are also completely banned now, and the only fireworks that can be operated by children are the ones with sparklers instead of any explosive in them. As mentioned above, these can be used by anyone over the age of 12.
The type of fireworks most people use in Norway is the type called a repeater. These are typically fired in sequence, and gives the person who fires it plenty of time to move away from the actual fireworks before it starts.