Polish cities and national parks appeal for firework-free New Year’s Eve

A number of Polish cities and national parks have issued an appeal to residents and tourists to refrain from using fireworks this New Year’s Eve in order to protect domestic animals as well as avoid awakening wild animals from their winter slumber.

Both the Tatra National Park, where the popular mountain resort of Zakopane is located, and the Bieszczady National Park in the southeast are calling for the protection of wildlife hibernating in their forests.

“The noise causes animals to experience extreme terror and even panic attacks, which can prove dangerous to their health and life,” said Tatra National Park director, Szymon Ziobrowski. “It has happened before that animals spooked [by noises], such as chamois, have suffered fatal accidents when fleeing.”

Zakopane is a popular destination for revellers ringing in the new year, as well as hosting Polish state TV’s New Year’s Eve concert. Setting off fireworks, which cause noise that distresses animals as well as endangering to birds, is banned in the city, and there will be no official fireworks show.

“We encourage all residents and tourists to refrain from using firecrackers, flares and other pyrotechnic materials out of concern for the safety and animals in the city and the Tatra National Park,” said the city in a statement.

During celebrations in 2018, a bear was awoken and began to wander in the forests, reports Radio Eska. He could not find food, lost a lot of energy and did not survive the winter.

In order to promote its annual campaign, Tatra National Park invites artists to design posters with the main slogan of the initiative “Don’t use fireworks on New Year’s Eve” (Nie strzelaj w Sylwestra). The author of this year’s graphic, which depicts a marmot wearing a nightcap and shouting through a megaphone, is Polish illustrator Aleksandra Czudżak.

The Bieszczady National Park also made a similar appeal “on behalf of the animals”.

“The rumble and blast of firecrackers cause great stress to animals, both wild and domestic. Let’s welcome the New Year in respect for all the inhabitants of our planet,” they said in a Facebook post.

Cities including Warsaw and Łódź are also asking residents to ring in the new year without pyrotechnics.

“We are aware of the many negative effects of fireworks displays, so we join the ‘Don’t use fireworks on New Year’s Eve’ campaign and encourage everyone to do so. Fireworks only make us – the people – happy, but this moment of pleasure is not worth it,” said Łódź’s deputy mayor, Adam Pustelnik, quoted by regional news service Lodz.pl.

Warsaw, in turn, has completely abandoned organising a New Year’s Eve celebration in face of an energy crisis and stubbornly high inflation, following in the footsteps of Wrocław.

This year, nothing is being offered to Varsovians for New Year’s Eve. “This is already such a tradition, unfortunately, because during the pandemic New Year’s Eve parties were not held either,” said city hall spokeswoman Monika Beuth, as quoted by private broadcaster TVN24. “We have an energy crisis, so we are cutting our spending, first and foremost on entertainment.”

The spokeswoman also called for an end to fireworks, noting that the loud explosions this year will be stressful not only for animals but also for refugees from Ukraine.

“This year, fireworks and shooting in a very special way can evoke bad associations in our Ukrainian guests, of whom we have around 100,000 in Warsaw,” she noted, adding that this particularly concerns children.

Main photo credit:  Денис Нагайцев / Pexels 

Alicja Ptak

Alicja Ptak is senior editor at Notes from Poland and a multimedia journalist. She previously worked for Reuters.