Fireworks Screensaver
Fireworks is a free, in-browser screensaver of an endless fireworks display — shells launch from the bottom of the screen, arc upward and burst into showers of colored sparks that fade as they fall. Every shell is simulated with real launch and gravity physics, and periodic grand finales fill the sky. It runs full-screen with no download, and ESC exits.
How the Fireworks screensaver works
Each firework starts as a rocket launched from the bottom of the screen with a strong upward velocity and a little sideways drift. Gravity pulls on it every frame, so it climbs, slows and arcs over exactly like a real shell. When the rocket reaches the top of its arc — the moment its upward speed bleeds away — it detonates.
The burst replaces the rocket with a cloud of spark particles, each fired off in a random direction at a random speed so they spread into a sphere. The Burst size control sets how many sparks each shell throws, from a modest 30 up to a dense 200. Every spark inherits the shell's hue with a little variation, so each burst reads as one coherent color.
After bursting, the sparks obey physics too: gravity drags them downward while air drag bleeds off their speed each frame, so they slow, droop and rain down. Each spark also has a short lifespan and fades out as it dies. With Smoke trails on, the screen isn't fully cleared between frames but washed with a faint dark layer, so every spark smears into a glowing tail.
The Launch rate control sets how often new shells go up, and the Colors palette chooses the hue range — full Rainbow, warm reds and oranges, cool blues and purples, or pure gold. When Grand finales is on, the screensaver opens a brief window every sixteen seconds where shells launch in pairs, packing the sky.
A worked example
With the defaults — Launch rate 4, Burst size 90, Gravity 4, Rainbow palette, Grand finales on and Smoke trails on — shells go up steadily and burst into 90-spark rainbow showers that trail downward, with a double-barreled finale every sixteen seconds. For a golden New Year's feel, set the Colors palette to Gold; for huge, dense bursts, push Burst size to 200 and raise the Launch rate.
Settings & tips
- Switch the Colors palette to Gold for a classic New Year's display, or Cool for icy blue-and-purple bursts.
- Raise Burst size toward 200 for big, dense explosions; lower it for delicate, sparse showers.
- Keep Smoke trails on for glowing comet-tails, and turn Grand finales on so the sky packs out every sixteen seconds.
Frequently asked questions
- Is the Fireworks screensaver free?
- Yes. It runs free in your browser with no download or account. Open the page, let it fill the screen, and press ESC to exit.
- Are there grand finales?
- Yes. With the Grand finales toggle on, the screensaver opens a short window every sixteen seconds where shells launch in pairs to pack the sky with bursts.
- Can I change the firework colors?
- Yes. The Colors palette offers Rainbow, Warm, Cool and Gold, each setting the range of hues the shells and sparks are drawn from.
- Why do the sparks slow down and fall?
- Each spark is simulated with gravity pulling it down and air drag bleeding off its speed, so it spreads, slows and rains downward before fading out.
- How do I make bigger explosions?
- Raise the Burst size control, which sets how many sparks each shell releases. You can go from 30 for delicate bursts up to 200 for dense ones.