There will no big firework show on the Erasmus bridge in Rotterdam this year because the city council has withdrawn funding and a crowdfunding effort did not raise enough money.

The show attracts tens of thousands of visitors every year and was set up as an alternative to consumer fireworks, which have been banned in the city since 2020.

Last year Rotterdam council said it would no longer support the show financially because of it had been forced to make spending cuts. And a crowdfunding effort, initiated by the local VVD party, only generated €28,000, local broadcaster Rijnmond reported. The shows cost some €1.2 million in total.

These New Year celebrations are set to be the last at which consumers can legally buy and set off fireworks nationwide. Several cities have already introduced bans or firework free zones, but these are widely ignored.

The ban has been introduced following pressure from doctors, the emergency services and some politicians. Hundreds of people are injured and millions of euros of damage is done to property during the end of year firework frenzy.

Klaas Rohde from the organising body told Rijnmond the council’s actions are bizarre. “I will keep on trying to get hold of them, even though they have said they won’t do it,” he said.

“They really are taking a risk,” he said. “Lots of local authorities are now setting up firework shows to reduce the likelihood of trouble.”

A survey by Ipsos at the end of last year showed that 57% of the population would vote in favour of a ban in a referendum. Some 60% of respondents to the RTL panel also supported a ban, along with 64% of participants in the EenVandaag survey.