Lier (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Lier allows fireworks without a permit, banned elsewhere in Antwerp. Mayor Rik Verwaest (N-VA) cites New Year’s Eve police pressure and ineffective bans, keeping celebrations legal under strict safety rules.
As VRT News reported, fireworks are banned all year in Lier, in the province of Antwerp, Belgium. The city has strict rules for all types of fireworks. This includes firecrackers, thunderbolts, smoke canisters, and sky lanterns. City officials say the rules keep streets and squares safer for everyone. Fireworks are not allowed in public areas except in very limited cases.
What makes Lier the only Antwerp allowing fireworks without a permit?
Officials mentioned that the only exception is on New Year’s Eve. Residents can set off fireworks between midnight and 1 a.m. Even then, safety rules are strict. Fireworks are banned on the Grote Markt, Zimmerplein, Eikelstraat, all sidewalks, and all roads. People must stay at least 10 meters away from any building. Minors are not allowed to use fireworks. Lier is one of the few cities where fireworks are still allowed without a permit.
“Imagine if cocaine were available everywhere, then you wouldn’t be able to prevent people from snorting it in a dark corner.”
Rik Verwaest (N-VA), mayor of Lier
In most other municipalities, fireworks are either completely banned or residents must ask for special permission. Lier, often called the city of Pallieter, has decided to take a different approach. The city allows people to use fireworks freely while keeping safety rules in place for public areas.
Mayor Rik Verwaest (N-VA) says the city has deliberately avoided a total ban.
“Our decision is based on reality: fireworks are freely available in Belgium,”
Verwaest explains.
“So it’s unrealistic to expect the police to be able to prevent every single bang.”
Verwaest calls it a
“gap in the law.” “As a local government, we have no say in this matter. That’s the federal government’s job. An analogy: imagine if cocaine were available everywhere, you wouldn’t be able to prevent people from snorting it in a dark corner.”
He points out that New Year’s Eve is the busiest night for the police, which makes strict enforcement difficult.
“Our officers are overwhelmed by traffic accidents, fights, and drunk drivers. You can’t expect them to be able to handle every firework.”
Verwaest also says that bans in nearby municipalities have not stopped the nuisance. People often go to other places where fireworks are still permitted.
“In places with a total ban, you still hear just as many bangs during New Year’s. Such a ban often remains a dead letter. Anyone who thinks such a ban works perfectly, I invite you to go outside in your own municipality during New Year’s.”
The fireworks regulations in Lier are reflective of changes happening across Flanders. In 2019, the Flemish Government proposed a ban on all private use of fireworks with exceptions by local authorities, but the Flemish Government’s proposal was rejected by the Constitutional Court. Following the rejection of the proposed legislation, many municipalities have implemented bans and restrictions on the sale or use of fireworks during the New Year’s celebration, while some municipalities still permit some use of fireworks during designated periods.
A survey conducted in December 2023 found that approximately one-half (50%) of the total number of municipalities in Flanders continue to allow fireworks on New Year’s Eve. However, only a total of 23% of the municipalities located in the province of Antwerp do so with no restrictions and most municipalities require a permit for commercial use of fireworks during the New Year or the use of private fireworks.
