From July 21st until August 5th, the KLCOA conducted the “All About Fireworks” survey. The survey was intended to gather member feedback to help the Board of Directors determine the future direction of fireworks or other types of displays.
Great news! The survey had 444 total responses (413 indicated they were members and 31 indicated they were not members) and the responses were very informative. As expected, there were opinions for and against traditional fireworks, however, based on the input, we have started the planning for traditional fireworks in 2025.
As we shared previously, in 2024, for the first time ever, the KLCOA used a third-party qualified/licensed commercial vendor (Supernova Fireworks) to plan, procure setup and launch our fireworks show. This significantly eliminated complexity for the KLCOA in terms of permitting, insurance and overall liability. Only 16 responses indicated this show was not as good as past years. Additionally, overwhelming positive social media reviews were provided by the community immediately after the show.
The following points summarize the key take-aways from the survey:
1. People align with the community building nature of the event – part of KLCOA’s purpose statement:
In terms of enjoying the event, almost 65% of respondents reported that they enjoyed the fireworks with more than 45% saying that they “very much” look forward to the fireworks every year and another 19% “somewhat” enjoy the event, attending some years but not always.
2. Sixty six percent of respondents are very comfortable or comfortable with a portion of fees paying for the fireworks, but really don’t want to pay more should an alternative event be considered.
Almost 64% of respondents were not willing to pay more for an alternative show; and more than 79% were uncomfortable supporting a single event show costing in the order of $20k
3. KLCOA hosting fireworks makes it less likely that others will set off their own fireworks:
More than 80% of respondents are concerned with others setting off fireworks in the absence of KLCOA fireworks
4. It’s a traditional show for 2025:
Considering the positive and negative aspects (environment, pets and wildlife) of fireworks, more than 63% of respondents are in favour of continuing to organize a fireworks event of some kind.
Given the option, almost 54% of respondents want the KLCOA to provide a traditional fireworks show in 2025, rather than an alternative.
Given the results of the survey and recognizing that there are still approximately 30% of the respondents who do not support traditional fireworks, the KLCOA is committed to continuing to research alternatives. A potential opportunity exists to partner with U-links and other Lake Associations to identify and evaluate alternatives to traditional fireworks for Lake Associations (LA) in Haliburton County. This project will investigate the feasibility, cost-effectiveness, and community perception of alternative options such as drone or laser shows.