How to host the ultimate fireworks party with your PC

We’re going to show you how you can use your PC to prepare for a great fireworks party, and make it a 5th of November to remember, remember! First things first, before you even think about equipment, you want to make sure you have an audience for your show. Obviously, you could just text your friends, or put something in the post, but there’s a much easier way.

Put the date of your party in the Windows Calendar (find Windows Calendar in the Search menu). If you’ve not already created your own personal calendar with this year’s events, then click on File > New Calendar.

To add a new event, scroll to the appropriate area on the left, select a date and time, and select New Appointment from the menu above. From here you can give the event a name and a location.

Now you need to add your friends to your contact list. In the top menu click on View > Contacts and, in the window that pops up, create your new contacts. Make sure you add their email addresses, so that you can send your invite out to them.

Once this is done, add Attendees to the Participants list and click Invite. This will attach your calendar to the email, so that when your friends open it, the event will be added to their Windows Calendar.

If you’ve got 2007 Microsoft Office software, you can download some great-looking templates that will make your invitation really stand out. If you go to Microsoft Office templates and search for either ‘party’ or ‘celebration’ you’ll find a few to choose from. Download the template (usually a Microsoft Word document) and simply change the bits of text you need to, like the name of the party and where it’s being held. Then just attach this to your invitation email by clicking on Insert in the top menu and selecting File attachment from the drop down.

Party poppers

Before people start turning up, you’ll want to get prepared. As usual in Britain, one of your first considerations is the weather – November rain and fireworks do not mix well. However, if you use the AccuWeather.com gadget from Live Gallery, you can try to pick the best looking day within the appropriate week.

When it comes to purchasing fireworks, buyers have until fairly recently been subject to a bit of a lottery. Forgetting quality issues, you also have to choose from some pretty random – and boastful – firework names that don’t necessarily translate to the actual display at the point of ignition! At the Fireworks Gallery you can see the pyrotechnic missiles in action, by watching the streaming videos, before you buy.

You must also be confident that any fireworks you buy are safe to use. The Fireworks Safety Code explains what sort of fireworks to look for, and how to prepare your display safely. While you’re thinking along those lines, make sure family pets are looked after by checking out the Blue Cross Code.

Sights and sounds

Ready? Not quite. No party – as visually impressive as it might be – is complete without a good selection of tunes. The panel to the right shows a selection of speakers that you can put in your back garden to pump out the sounds. You’ll need to couple these speakers with a media extender such as an Xbox 360 or Phillips Streamium to access all the songs stored on your PC. Obviously, if you’re really clever you’ll arrange the music to complement the display!

Also, as you will be displaying such a visual feast, all your friends will be taking photo after photo of the evening; make sure you get them downloaded to your computer ready to share over the internet, and you can tag them in Windows Photo Gallery so that you know which party they’re from, and who’s taken them.

Until then, get yourself in the party mood by downloading a 3D fireworks screensaver complete with explosive sounds at Really Slick.