If you celebrate Chinese New Year, you’re probably well aware that the festivities are never complete without the crackles and booms of loud fireworks. Unfortunately, a grand outdoor firecracker display isn’t always doable for those living in an apartment or a condo unit.

A family in Singapore, however, has managed to come up with an ingenious contraption that presents all the atmosphere and noise of a firecracker blowout without using actual Chinese firecrackers, and all in time for Chap Goh Mei (the final day of Chinese New Year).

In an upload of a video of his family’s celebrations during the last day of CNY 2022, TikTok user @papa_goh showed just how an indoor “firecracker” display could be done inside a building using balloons and a simple rig.

Built using metal pieces, a wooden plank, and some nails, the rig was stood in the middle of the walkway of his unit’s floor, complete with lit sparklers and two red lanterns for added atmosphere.

For the “firecrackers”, a long string of red balloons was attached to the top of the nail-riddled plank. As the string was slowly pulled, the balloons began popping in quick succession as they moved towards the nailboard. The end result was a few seconds of loud popping similar to Chinese firecrackers, except without fire, smoke, and hard-to-clean debris.

“Spreading a little cheer for the neighbors, Happy Chap Goh Mei!” read the caption.

Quickly, the video went viral (now amassing over 374,000 views), with many people heaping praise on the clever design.

“Very creative way to create firecrackers,” said one commenter, while another even observed how the aftermath resembled that of a proper firecracker display.

Looking through @papa_goh’s TikTok account, it seems that he’s already made use of the contraption for previous celebrations, including Singapore’s National Day Parade.

For those interested in getting such a device for Chinese New Year 2023, you’ll be glad to know that the man who describes himself as a “friendly neighborhood uncle” also sells the devices online with basic sets going for SG$98 (US$73) a pop. Pun intended.

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Cover image sourced from @papa_goh on TikTok.