A MAN who suffered serious burns when friends lit a firecracker in his bum says he was just showing his visiting mates a good time.

Alex Bowden, 23, of Wagaman, Darwin, put a spinning "flying bee" winged firework in his butt crack during a party at on Saturday night and his mate lit the fuse.

"I had a few lads up from Queensland and I had to put on a good show," he told the NT News from his hospital bed.

"I just had a few beers with the boys and let off a few firecrackers.

"And I put one in my arse."

The cracker burned his bum cheeks, and his index, middle, and ring fingers on his right hand - which he used to pull the cracker from his crack.

Mr Bowden was not bleeding after it and he could walk afterwards.

His sober mate then drove him to the Royal Darwin Hospital burns unit where he is expected to remain for a few days.

He was in a stable condition last night.

The police confiscated the fireworks when they arrived at the house.

But the party could expect a $282 fine from NT Police for setting off fireworks outside of Territory Day.

Read more at the NT News

Originally published as Why I stuck a cracker up my clacker