Local authorities
Christmas and New Year, directed by Celesta
From the opening of the Christmas market to the midnight countdown, Celesta writes and produces the local authorities’ end-of-year shows: fireworks displays, drone light shows, video mapping on building façades and stage effects, all designed for a December night and for the audience who come to experience it.
- Free quote
- Registered F4-T2 pyrotechnicians and drone pilots
- Prefecture application processed
- France and abroad
The one evening when The whole town comes out in December
In December, life in a village turns inwards. The days grow shorter, the squares empty as night falls, and community gatherings become few and far between. The end-of-year show is often the only time of the season when residents come out together, in the same place at the same time.
Celesta is a provider of end-of-year entertainment for local authorities: the company writes, produces and manages Christmas market, Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve shows, from the initial artistic concept right through to a prefecture declaration. Fireworks display, light drone show, video mapping and stage effects act as building blocks that are assembled according to the venue, the expected audience size and the approved budget.
A rural parish lighting up its Christmas tree and a city centre bringing together ten thousand people on its quay are subject to different constraints. Our production processes are tailored to each of them.
In the field
Our end-of-year events recent
A selection of recent events, designed and produced for local authorities and public organisers.
Three events in December, three different audiences
The end-of-year festivities are often treated as a single event. In reality, there are three separate occasions, and they do not attract the same audience, nor do they take place at the same time or last for the same duration. The format of the show is entirely determined by this.
Throughout December, on several evenings
The highlight of your Christmas market
A Christmas market thrives on the number of visitors it attracts. The huts, the lights and the ice rink set the scene, but they don’t give people a reason to come on a specific evening. That’s what a show does: it sets a date, a time and a reason to go, which can be announced a month in advance.
When organising entertainment for a Christmas market, we favour short, repeated performances: light mapping projected onto the town hall façade, drone sequences above the square, cold flames and ground effects that do not require any pyrotechnic safety perimeter. This is also the key selling point that persuades high-street retailers to contribute to the funding: the show brings people back to the square at a time when the shops are still open.
- Facade mapping
- Drone light show
- Ground effects
- Without a safety perimeter
Around 20 December
Family Evening
It gets dark before 5 pm: the show can start as late as 6 or 7 pm, in complete darkness, with the children still on their feet. That’s the big difference compared to 14 July, when you have to wait until 10 pm and some of the families have already gone home.
The time slot makes all the difference: the crowd swells, families stay put, and the show coincides with the switching on of the Christmas lights or Father Christmas’s arrival. The format is scaled down, because the audience is standing and it’s cold.
- Shooting at 6 pm
- 8 to 12 minutes
- Suitable for families
On the night of 31 December
The midnight countdown
New Year’s Eve brings together a predominantly adult, late-arriving and densely packed crowd at a single gathering point. The show isn’t announced in advance: it begins precisely on the twelfth chime, to the second, following a shot list timed to the timecode and synchronised with the countdown broadcast over the PA system.
The challenge lies elsewhere: crowd management, securing perimeters late into the night, and coordination with the municipal police and the emergency services. The format remains short, but it must be immediately understandable – nobody watches an introduction at midnight.
- Midnight on the dot
- 6 to 10 minutes
- Adult audience
Five languages for one December night
Fireworks displays
The climax
Fireworks displays and pyrotechnic displays set to music
In December, fireworks are handled differently to how they are in summer. The cold air carries the sound further, so the sizes of the fireworks are chosen accordingly, and the humidity means the products have to be prepared differently. Our pyrotechnicians write out each sequence in timecode, set to a soundtrack that you approve.
Products in category F4 – Decree No. 2010-455 of 4 May 2010, implemented by an operator holding an F4-T2 certificate.
Drone light show
Lighting without noise
The drone show – no explosions, no fallout
This is the solution for historic town centres, squares lined with houses, and venues where it would be impossible to maintain a safe pyrotechnic zone on a Christmas market evening. The display forms a Christmas tree, a star, the town’s coat of arms or the year’s date in the sky.
In December, the main constraint shifts to the weather: wind and frost are the deciding factors. We apply for overflight permits from the DGAC and set the cancellation thresholds at the planning stage, so that the decision does not have to be made in a rush that very evening.
Registered drone pilots; flight clearance applications processed by the DGAC.
Video mapping
Heritage as décor
The town hall façade becomes a screen
Light mapping is the ideal form of entertainment for the end of the year: it takes place early, is repeated over several evenings, requires no safety perimeter and works even on overcast nights. The façade of the town hall, a church or a belfry becomes the canvas for a story designed specifically for the local community.
We scan the façade using a laser, record the film based on its actual geometry, and the content remains your property: it can be replayed the following year, with a new sequence added.
Stage effects
On the ground, in contact with
Cold flames, snow and ground effects
These are the effects that take place right in the middle of the audience, just a few metres away: cold flames with no heat or smoke, theatrical water jets, artificial snow, and the cascade-style lighting of the Christmas tree. They do not require a safety zone and can be set off just as easily on a pedestrianised street as inside a market hall.
It is often the only option for a local authority whose space is too confined to accommodate a fireworks display, and it makes for an excellent opening act before a drone show or a light show.
The hybrid format
A single story
Drones, fire and light shows in a single performance
This has been the standard format for the past two seasons at major French end-of-year events: light shows set the scene on the façade, drones take to the skies, and fireworks bring the show to a close. Each element comes into its own where it is at its best, and the evening takes on a sense of progression that fireworks alone can no longer provide.
Bringing these disciplines together in a single production requires mastery of all three. This is the case at Celesta, and it is what avoids having to coordinate three service providers who do not share the same timecode or the same production control room.
What December dominates the show
An end-of-year show is not just a 14 July celebration moved forward by five months. Three constraints specific to December determine the format, the time slot and the contingency plan, and it is better to sort these out at the planning stage rather than just a fortnight before the event.
It gets dark at 5 pm
That’s the advantage of this time of year. The venue is completely dark by 5.30 pm: the show can finish before dinner, with the children, without keeping the audience until 10 pm. On the other hand, set-up takes place during the day in a space already occupied by the Christmas market, which requires precise coordination with your technical teams.
Wind, rain and frost
The main risk in December isn’t drought; it’s the day’s weather. The wind determines the flight limits for drones, humidity requires extra protection for pyrotechnic products, and frost slows down set-up. We set out the cancellation thresholds and the decision-making time in the contract, so that no one has to make last-minute decisions in front of the audience.
An audience standing up, and feeling the cold
This is the constraint that is most often overlooked. At 3 degrees, the attention span of a standing audience rarely lasts more than twelve minutes. A successful end-of-year show is short, packed with action and announced at the right time: it’s better to have eight minutes of a captive audience than twenty minutes in front of a crowd that’s gradually leaving.
From the approved budget at the final round of applause
A December event isn’t decided in December. It is tied to the local authority’s budget cycle, and it is this time lag that surprises event organisers the most: by the time the matter becomes urgent, the budget allocation has already been finalised eight months earlier.
01
The approved budget
March-April. The initial budget sets the funding allocation for the year’s festivities.
02
The framing
June to September. The site, the gauge, the time slot and the weather thresholds have been finalised.
03
Writing
October. The soundtrack, script and storyboard are submitted to you for approval.
04
Authorisations
November. Prefecture declaration, designated areas, overflight authorisations.
05
That very evening
December. Set-up during the day, rehearsals, production control, then dismantling overnight.
Method
A single point of contact, from intention to production control
At the end of the year, three disciplines often come together in the same venue on the same evening: pyrotechnics, drone operations and projection. At Celesta, these three disciplines are handled in-house. A single point of contact oversees the creative, technical and safety aspects, which eliminates coordination issues on the night itself and simplifies communication with your teams.
- Small, medium and large local authorities
- Measures that can be scaled up or down in line with the approved budget
- Unique creations, never duplicated
Why local authorities choose us their end-of-year celebrations
01
Logistical self-sufficiency that ensures December deadlines are met
December sees all our services concentrated into three weeks, and this is when the supply chain comes under pressure. Celesta’s ICPE-licensed storage facility affords us a rare degree of autonomy: the products are in stock, transported by our teams and set off by our pyrotechnicians. This organisational structure ensures both timely delivery and compliance with regulatory requirements, from the application for authorisation through to adherence to the boundaries agreed with the prefecture and the civil protection services. Based in Aigremont, in the Yvelines, and with a presence in Normandy, the company operates both in France and internationally.
02
Writing rooted in your local area
An end-of-year show reflects on the year that is drawing to a close, and it does so in front of the residents of a specific town. Our productions incorporate local history, the town’s architectural heritage and its visual identity: a drone display featuring the town’s coat of arms, a projection mapping show based on the actual geometry of your town hall, and a soundtrack that references an event from the past year. The content produced remains your property and can be replayed the following season.
Compliance and implementation
- ICPE-licensed storage facility
- F4-T2 Pyrotechnicians
- DGAC-compliant drones
- Compliance with prefectural regulations
- Aigremont and Normandy
Market indicators
End-of-year budget and timetable in common
Before launching an end-of-year project, event organisers need three key points of reference: how much to budget for, who is funding it, and when to start the process. Here is what we are seeing in the French market, and how Celesta is adapting to it.
8 à 9
Time between the vote and the performance: The initial budget is finalised in the spring, and the performance takes place in December. The planning process therefore begins in June, not in October.
01
Who is funding the show?
At the end of the year, the organising committee is often larger than it is on 14 July. It brings together the local council, the inter-municipal authority, the tourist office, the festival committee and, very frequently, the town centre traders’ association, which sees the event as a direct driver of footfall. This round-table discussion determines both the decision-making timetable and the amount of funding available.
Involve retailers at an early stage
02
When to launch the project
The planning process must begin in June, based on the budget approved in the spring. Waiting until the start of the new academic year would mean cramming the creative writing, technical design and submissions into eight weeks, at precisely the time when service providers in the sector are in greatest demand. A commission placed in September is still feasible, but one placed in November is no longer viable.
Shooting in June, order by October
03
If the weather takes a turn for the worse
In December, the main risks come from wind and frost, not drought. The flight altitude for drones, the protection of pyrotechnic devices and the decision-making time are all determined at the planning stage. It is better to plan for a scaled-down operation that can still go ahead – whether that involves mapping alone or ground effects – than to announce a complete cancellation to residents the day before.
Thresholds and the time at which a decision is to be made, as set out in the contract
Figures of the order of magnitude observed on the French market, provided as a guide only and not as a Celesta price list.
The price depends on
- The website
- The gauge
- The duration
- The number of evenings
- The standard of creative writing
Get your local authority ready for the end of the year with Celesta
Whether it’s a Christmas market, a Christmas party or a New Year’s Eve event: send us details of your venue, capacity and budget, and our teams will provide you with a tailored proposal and quote. Ideally, planning should begin in the spring for a show in December.
- Free quote
- Quick reply
- Support from start to finish
Questions frequent
What budget should be set aside for a local authority end-of-year show?
In the French market, prices range from 2,500 to 5,000 euros for a municipality with fewer than 5,000 inhabitants, from 5,000 to 20,000 euros for a medium-sized town or a multi-municipal authority, and between 20,000 and 50,000 euros for a large city. A drone show on its own costs around twice as much as a fireworks display of equivalent scale. The price then depends on the venue, the audience capacity, the duration, the number of evenings and the level of artistic creativity.
Can we set off a fireworks display on 31 December?
Yes. A New Year’s Eve pyrotechnic show is subject to the same regulations as those for 14 July: a prefecture declaration must be submitted, safety perimeters must be approved, and the show must be carried out by an operator holding an F4-T2 certificate. The challenge on 31 December lies elsewhere: in managing a late-arriving crowd and in the precision of the timing, synchronised to the second with the midnight countdown. Some local authorities opt for a display at 8 pm for families, followed by a short sequence at midnight.
How can you organise a Christmas market without imposing a security perimeter?
Three elements can be used without a pyrotechnic exclusion zone: video mapping projected onto a façade, ground-based stage effects – cold flames, jets, artificial snow – and, depending on the set-up, a sequence of light drones. These formats are performed early on, last a few minutes and can be repeated on several consecutive evenings, making them particularly well-suited to livening up a Christmas market in a pedestrianised street or inside a market hall.
Drones or a fireworks display for a December evening?
The site usually determines the choice. For a historic town centre square lined with residential buildings, light drones avoid the noise and fallout of fireworks, and do not require a large safety perimeter. For a large open-air gathering, fireworks retain their impact whilst remaining less expensive. In December, wind is the limiting factor for drones and humidity for the fire display: in both cases, the decision thresholds are determined at the planning stage. The hybrid format – projection mapping followed by drones and then the fire display – remains the most striking.
When should you start planning an end-of-year show?
In the spring, as soon as the initial budget has been voted through, and by June at the latest for the planning phase. Eight to nine months elapse between the vote and the evening of the performance, covering the creative writing, technical design, any consultations and prefecture declarations, including fly-over permits where drones are involved in the production. A commission placed in September is still feasible; by November, however, the regulatory timetable no longer allows for it.
Who is responsible for authorisations?
Celesta’s teams prepare the regulatory documentation and submit it to the prefecture: a declaration for a pyrotechnic show, safety perimeter plans, and overflight authorisations from the DGAC for drones. Your departments are kept informed at every stage and receive the documents to be attached to the municipal by-law.
What happens if the weather prevents the show from going ahead?
The cancellation thresholds and the time of decision are set out at the planning stage and then reiterated in the contract. Depending on the circumstances, the event may go ahead in a scaled-down format – projection mapping only, ground-level effects – or be rescheduled to a fallback date agreed in advance. What matters is that the decision is not taken at short notice when the venue is already full.