Bonfire night event at Birmingham Botanical Gardens was advertised as suitable for small children

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

Parents have complained that their children were frightened by loud bangs produced by a display of “silent fireworks”.

The Bonfire night event in Birmingham was advertised as suitable for small children, who might be frightened by a traditional display. But some parents complained that it had been nothing of the sort.

Zoe Darlington (@ZoeDarlingtonUK) @BhamBotanicalGd could have been great....but they weren't silent. Cue 200 crying toddlers.... What happened?

jesskatelloyd (@jesskatelloyd) @ZoeDarlingtonUK @BhamBotanicalGd Yep most of them sounded like regular fireworks to me - had to take my baby inside where it was quieter!

Helen Panayi posted on Facebook: “Very disappointing that the advertised ‘silent fireworks’ weren’t actually silent, in fact they were very loud. Lots of upset children and angry parents.”

Katie Harrison wrote on the same site: “Very disappointed that the advertised ‘silent’ fireworks were far from silent. My frightened two-year-old (who I never would have taken to a normal display) did not appreciate them.”

Birmingham Botanical Gardens, which hosted the event on Thursday, had promised a “fireworks display with a little bit of a difference, with no bangers or loud noises, ideal for the little ones”.

Such displays attempt to favour colour over the loud bangs of traditional fireworks events, and are sometimes choreographed to music.

Birmingham Botanical Gardens has not responded to a request for comment.