---
title: Rain during setup turned the opening cakes into duds at a timed start
domain: [pyrotechnics, fireworks display, event production]
conditions: [heavy rain during setup, product tarped or moved under shelter, client requested countdown start]
date: 2026-07-01
location: Blue Mountain, Ontario
source: first-hand, as supervisor in charge (the term used in Canadian display fireworks regulations)
---

## Situation
Canada Day show. A couple of hours of heavy rain fell in the afternoon,
during setup. Loaded product was tarped; unloaded product was moved into
a ski racing start hut. Setup was finished after the rain passed. The
client asked for a countdown to the start of the show, and I agreed.

## What happened
When the countdown ended, the opening cake had been made a dud by water
exposure. Several attempts failed to light it, and a second cake was
also a dud. I called for the crew to light anything that would go up.
There were roughly 5–10 seconds of empty sky after the countdown ended
(from memory).

## Lesson
If product has been exposed to rain during setup, don't agree to a timed
or countdown start: you can't be sure the first item will fire on cue.

## When this applies
Someone asking what to keep in mind when running a fireworks show after
rain during setup, or whether to agree to a countdown start.