Deepavali on 8 November has passed, and the next two big nights for fireworks are New Year's Eve and Chinese New Year, which falls on Saturday 6 February 2027. Every festive season brings the same question: which fireworks can you actually buy and light? The answer changed in 2025, and two police statements a few days apart in February 2026 made it sound more confusing than it is.
What the law says
The Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) set it out most fully on 17 February 2026. Inspector-General of Police Mohd Khalid Ismail said fireworks are controlled by the Explosives Act 1957 (Act 207), the Explosives Regulations 1923 and the Minor Offences Act 1955, and that fireworks are classified as explosives under Section 2 of the Act because they produce sound, sparks, flashes or smoke through a chemical reaction (The Star, 17 February 2026).
He said the Explosives (Prohibition) Notification 2025 permits 45 types of fireworks, including the "Pop-Pop" and "Happy Boom" varieties, for import and possession with proper approval. The key line most people miss: that approval "remains subject to permits issued by the respective OCPDs" and must meet the authorities' specifications.
45 types, or only two?
Two days earlier, Kuala Lumpur police chief Fadil Marsus said only "Pop Pop" and "Happy Boom" fireworks were allowed for the Chinese New Year period, and that their sale still needed a permit from the district police headquarters (The Star, 15 and 16 February 2026).
The two statements fit together once you read the IGP's wording: Pop-Pop and Happy Boom are the names of the permitted families, and the 45 types sit within the approved list. We could not find the 2025 Notification's full list published online, so we cannot tell you which 45 products qualify. The practical rule is simple. If it is not sold as Pop-Pop or Happy Boom, by a seller showing a police permit, treat it as not allowed.
Items that are clearly outside the list include mercun bola (ball firecrackers), mercun kelapa and homemade devices such as bamboo cannons.
The penalties police cite
According to the IGP's statement:
- Section 6, Explosives Act 1957: causing an explosion likely to endanger life or property. Up to 7 years' jail or a RM10,000 fine, or both.
- Section 7: possessing, using or handling explosives with intent to endanger life or property. Same maximum.
- Section 8: making or possessing explosives without a lawful purpose. Same maximum.
- Section 3, Minor Offences Act 1955: setting off fireworks in certain circumstances. Up to RM100 or one month's jail, or both.
On timing, KL police said those who set off fireworks after midnight could face action under Section 13 of the Minor Offences Act and Section 7 of the Explosives Act. Both the KL and national statements told the public not to light anything after 12am.
Why enforcement is strict
Recent cases show what police are reacting to. At about 12.45am on 20 October 2025, a firework explosion on Jalan Paya Besar near Kulim, Kedah, injured 22 people during Deepavali. The Home Ministry said unauthorised pyrotechnics caused it, media described the device as a mercun kelapa, and police investigated under Section 8 of the Explosives Act and Section 326 of the Penal Code (The Star and Malay Mail, 20 to 22 October 2025).
On 17 February 2026, a man in his 30s in Bukit Siput, Segamat, lost his left leg below the knee after a "shoot cake" exploded during Chinese New Year celebrations. Johor police then went after the seller of the illegal fireworks (Malay Mail, 18 and 20 February 2026).
Supply is the other reason. Police said in March 2025 that they had seized fireworks worth more than RM106 million in the first quarter of that year, across 60 cases with 68 arrests, much of it from duty-free zones (Free Malaysia Today, 25 March 2025).
Before you buy
- Buy only from a physical seller who can show a police permit for the sale. Online listings and roadside stock with no permit carry the risk that the item is smuggled or prohibited.
- Stick to Pop-Pop and Happy Boom products, and ask your district police station if you are unsure about a particular item or need a permit to keep one.
- Light them only in open areas, away from houses, cars and crowds, as the IGP advised, and finish before midnight.
- Never relight a dud, never hold a cake or fountain, and keep children back.
The safest option is still someone else's display. Malls, hotels and city councils usually run licensed countdown shows, which use professional pyrotechnicians and their own permits.
*Sources: The Star, "Public must follow laws on fireworks for CNY celebrations, says IGP", 17 February 2026; The Star, 15 and 16 February 2026 (KL police); Malay Mail, 17, 18 and 20 February 2026; The Star and Malay Mail on the Kulim explosion, 20 to 22 October 2025; Free Malaysia Today, 25 March 2025.*
*Cover image: Fireworks stall, by HoweyYuan, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)*
