The Virtual Fireworks Show

I couldn't get tickets for London's very popular New Year's Eve fireworks display, so I had to make my own virtual version.

My 3D Fireworks Map displays colorful bursts of fireworks exploding above the City of London. The map starts by loading real-world buildings from the Global Building Atlas, a massive dataset of city structures from around the world.

The real magic happens with the fireworks. Using Three.js, a popular 3D graphics library for the web, the map generates fireworks that launch from random spots above the city. Each firework explodes in a unique, vibrant color, sending hundreds of tiny sparks shooting outward in all directions.

To enhance the display, the map features a slow, sweeping camera motion. The viewpoint gently rotates and tilts, giving the feeling of a cinematic drone flight over the cityscape. You don’t have to move anything yourself - the camera does all the work, letting you focus entirely on the firework show.

If you want to create your own version of the fireworks map you can clone the code from the map's GitHub page.