How to Make Fireworks in Minecraft

One of my favorite things to do in Minecraft is impress my friends (and outwit them, of course!) If you know how to make fireworks in Minecraft, you can do more than awe people with dazzling displays; you can also use the fireworks as ammunition for crossbows or jet fuel for the Elytra.

The information in the article applies to Minecraft on all platforms.

How to Make Minecraft Fireworks

To make a basic Firework Rocket, all you need is Paper and Gunpowder. However. for most purposes, you'll want to begin by crafting a Firework Star:

Craft a Firework Star. Combine 1 Gunpower with Dyes. You can add up to 8 Dyes of different colors.

Add Glowstone Dust for a twinkle effect and a Diamond for a trail effect. For a fade effect, combine a complete Firework Star with a matching Dye.
To make fireworks explode in different shapes, include one of the following items in the recipe for the corresponding effect:
- Gold Nugget: Star
- Feather: Burst effect
- Fire Charge: Large ball
- Head or Skull (any type): Creeper face
Once you've added materials, hover your mouse over the Firework Star to see the resulting effects.

You can only use one shape modifier per Firework Star, but you can combine twinkle, trail, and fade effects.
Craft your Fireworks. Combine a Firework Star with 1 Paper and at least 1 Gunpowder. You can add up to 3 Gunpowder total if you want to increase the duration of your Fireworks.

Craft Paper from 3 Sugar Cane stalks. Get Gunpowder by defeating Creepers, Ghasts, and Witches.

How to Make a Firework Show in Minecraft

You can set off Fireworks instantly by placing them on the ground, but creating elaborate fireworks displays requires more effort.

Craft a Dispenser. In a Crafting Table, place a Bow in the middle box, Redstone Dust in the box below it, and Cobblestones in the remaining boxes.
Craft a Redstone Comparator. In a Crafting Table, place 1 Nether Quartz in the middle of the grid, place 3 Redstone Torches above and on each side of the Nether Quartz, and 3 Stones in the bottom row.
Dig a hole in the ground and place the Dispenser in the empty space.
Interact with the Dispenser to open it up and place the Fireworks inside.
Place a trail of Redstone Dust on the ground to make a fuse. If you have multiple Dispensers, connect each one to the main fuse with more Redstone Dust.
At the end of the fuse, place the Redstone Comparator on the ground, then interact with it to turn on the red light.
Place more Redstone Dust on the ground to make a loop that connects to the Redstone Comparator on adjacent sides.
Place a Lever on the ground next to the Redstone Comparator.

To make a Lever with a Crafting Table, place 1 Stick in the middle of the top row and 1 Cobblestone in the middle of the second row.
Wait until nighttime, or use the Minecraft cheat command for changing the time. To set the time to midnight, open the chat window and enter the following command:
```
 /time set midnight
```
Interact with the Lever to ignite your Fireworks. Look up and enjoy the show.

Use Fireworks to Fly in Minecraft

When flying with the Elytra, you can use Firework Rockets to quickly propel yourself through the sky. Equip your Fireworks, start flying in the direction you wish to go, then shoot them off to dash forward.

How far you go depends on the amount of gunpowder your Fireworks contain. If you use Fireworks with a Fire Star, you'll take damage from the explosion, so stick with regular Firework Rockets for flying.

Flying with the Elytra and Fireworks in Minecraft

Use Fireworks With Crossbows

Fireworks can also be used with crossbows as a weapon. The more gunpowder they have, the farther they will fly. Likewise, the more Firework Stars attached, the more damage your Firework Rockets will inflict. Fireworks will not destroy blocks, but they will damage most living creatures on impact.

The Piercing enchantment doesn't work when using Firework Rockets.

Firework Rocket in Crossbow in Minecraft

How to Make Dyes in Minecraft

Different dyes can be obtained using different methods. Some can be crafted while you must use a Furnace to smelt others.

Dye	Method	Required Materials
Black	Crafting	Ink Sac or Wither Rose
Blue	Crafting	Lapis Lazuli or Cornflower
Brown	Crafting	Cocoa Beans
Green	Smelting	Cactus
Red	Crafting	Poppy, Rose Bush, Red Tulip, or Beetroot
White	Crafting	Bone Meal or Lily of the Valley
Yellow	Crafting	Dandelion or Sunflower
Light Blue	Crafting	Blue Orchid
Light Gray	Crafting	Azure Bluet, Oxeye Daisy, or White Tulip
Line	Smelting	Sea Pickle
Magenta	Crafting	Lilac or Allium
Orange	Crafting	Orange Tulip
Pink	Crafting	Pink Tulip or Peony

Some colors can be crafted by combining dyes of different colors:

Dye	Required Materials
Cyan	Green+Blue
Gray	Black+White
Purple	Red+Blue
Light Blue	Blue+White
Light Gray	White+Gray or 2 White+Black
Lime	Green+White
Magenta	Purple+Pink, Red+Blue+Pink, or 2 Red+Blue+White
Orange	Red+Yellow
Pink	Red+White

FAQ

How do I upgrade fireworks in Minecraft?

The only way to upgrade fireworks is to use more gunpowder when you make them. Add up to three to make your fireworks reach maximum height.
How do I make heart-shaped fireworks?

Minecraft doesn't have an option to make fireworks that explode into a heart shape, but you can do a workaround by arranging red fireworks into a heart shape. You can also put them on the vertical face of a floating square of blocks to make the effect more visible from ground level.