Animal Crossing: New Horizons Fireworks Guide

While the first part of Animal Crossing: New Horizons' summer update added swimming and diving, the second part of the update brought with it a very different kind of summer activity: fireworks! Every Sunday in August, there will be a fireworks show on your island, hosted by Jolly Redd. You can even use your bells on raffle tickets that can then be used for a chance at winning special festive prizes. Below is what you need to know, including how to set up a custom fireworks design.

For more on New Horizons' second summer update, check out our guide to dream islands and dream addresses. If you're still catching up on the first summer update, see our guide to how to swim and dive and our list of all the sea creatures you can now catch.

When And Where Are The Fireworks Shows?

The fireworks shows take place every Sunday in August beginning at 7 PM your time--this applies to both Northern and Southern Hemisphere islands. You don't have to be there right at 7 PM to enjoy the festivities, but the show will end at midnight, so make sure you stop by before then! Fireworks shows are hosted in the plaza outside Resident Services by Jolly Redd, the one Animal Crossing character who's sure to have a good fireworks hookup, as well as Isabelle. But while the plaza is the epicenter, you'll be able to view the fireworks from any location on your island that has a good view of the sky.

In 2020, there are five Sundays in August. That means that there will be five fireworks shows throughout the month:

• August 2
• August 9
• August 16
• August 23
• August 30

What Happens During A Fireworks Show?

The main event for the fireworks show is, of course, fireworks! You can even include some of your own custom designs as fireworks (details below). There's also a raffle hosted by Redd; read on to see how Redd's Raffle works and a list of all the prizes you can get.

Like with any good summer festival, your villagers will be hanging around the plaza and may even give you fireworks-related presents, like sparklers, to use during the show. Make sure to speak to Isabelle, too--she'll give you a bopper headwear item. The possible boppers are:

• Bulb bopper
• Heart bopper
• Flower bopper
• Star bopper

You can get multiple boppers in a single night by visiting friends' islands and talking to their Isabelles. If you're worried about collecting all of them, this is the easiest way to do it.

How To Set Up Custom Fireworks

Ahead of the fireworks show, you'll be able to add some of your own custom designs to the fireworks lineup. Simply speak to Isabelle and she'll let you pick up to 10 slots for your own designs; you'll see the designs you picked in the fireworks show in between regular fireworks. You can continue to update the designs throughout the show, so don't stress if you didn't play your game before 7 PM.

Redd's Raffle: How To Enter And Prizes

Jolly Redd, purveyor of fine and not-so-fine arts, hosts a raffle in your plaza during the fireworks show. Through the raffle, you can get a number of exclusive items, including fireworks and balloons, that you can only get during the fireworks shows.

To enter into the raffle, click on the raffle box by Redd. It costs 500 bells each time you'd like to enter, and there are 12 prizes you can win in total. You'll get one of each prize first before Redd begins to recycle the prizes, and while the prizes are numbered, what you get is totally random after the first 12.

The prizes are:

1. Red sparkler
2. Blue sparkler
3. Fountain firework
4. Bubble blower
5. Uchiwa fan
6. Pinwheel
7. Tweeter
8. Blue balloon
9. Red balloon
10. Yellow balloon
11. Green balloon
12. Pink balloon

Prizes 1 through 4 are consumables, while 5 through 7 are holdable items similar to tools. The fountain firework will turn into "used fountain firework" when you, well, use it; you can dispose of it in any trash bin item, including the one by Redd's stand in the plaza. Balloons can be placed as furniture or held; if you hold them, you'll end up tripping a lot, just like with King Tut's mask.