Pune: With the Diwali holiday season in full swing, local markets in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad are bustling as parents and children head to stalls for fireworks.

For many families, Diwali celebrations are incomplete without the colorful sparkle and cheer of firecrackers. Since schools recently closed for the holiday, firework stalls have been seeing increased foot traffic, with festive buyers eagerly purchasing traditional and new varieties of crackers.

This year, the demand for decorative and themed fireworks has risen. Families are buying everything from colorful sparklers to sky-shot rockets, adding a grand display to the upcoming celebrations on Narak Chaturdashi, Laxmi Pujan, and Padwa.

The price for a chain of 1,000 firecrackers is currently around 500 rupees, and a single fancy shot starts at 80 rupees, while larger sets can go up to 900 rupees.

For younger children, this season brings an assortment of new choices. While "Apatbars" (a type of mild firecracker) and toy pistols remain popular, missile guns are emerging as a favorite novelty item.

Alongside traditional fireworks like colorful sparklers, “bhuchakra” (spinning wheel crackers), and “paus” (rain-like fireworks), a new variety known as “match bombs,” designed similarly to lavangi crackers, is capturing customer interest, as reported by local vendors.

Sagar Garud, a firework stall owner, shared that although noise-making firecrackers are typically popular among traders for Diwali, there is currently a stronger preference for decorative varieties.

"This year, prices have gone up by about 10%, yet demand remains high," he said.

Customer Balkrishna noted, “For Diwali, we prefer decorative fireworks. Since our children are young, we opted for 'Apatbars' rather than loud crackers. There’s a great selection available for kids this year.”