As the nation of Trinidad and Tobago prepares to mark the joyous Hindu festival of Divali, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has released a public advisory outlining clear, legally binding rules for fireworks use to ensure community safety and respect for vulnerable groups. The reminder, shared via the Prime Minister’s official social media channels, centers on the Summary Offences (Amendment) Act 2025, landmark legislation that was unanimously passed by both chambers of Parliament in December 2025 before receiving presidential assent from President Christine Kangaloo on December 16, and entering into full force on December 19 the same year. Under the new regulatory framework, members of the public are only permitted to set off fireworks without an official permit during two narrow, predefined windows: one hour between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. on all public holidays, and the 60-minute window spanning midnight on New Year’s Eve, from 11:30 p.m. December 31 to 12:30 a.m. January 1. For any other fireworks use outside these two exemptions, residents must submit an application to the Commissioner of Police and pay a $100 processing fee to obtain a valid permit. Even during the no-permit allowed windows, strict geographic restrictions remain fully enforceable: no individual may discharge fireworks within a half-mile radius of high-sensitivity sites including hospitals, operational airports, zoos, registered animal shelters, commercial livestock farms, forest reserves, and national parks. Additional safety clauses in the legislation ban the reckless detonation of fireworks inside, on top of, or directly toward private homes, moving or parked vehicles, and public roadways, while requiring adult supervision for any minor handling novelty toy fireworks. Persons found violating any of the act’s provisions face a fixed administrative penalty of $450 for unauthorised or non-compliant fireworks use. In her festival message, Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar emphasized that the vibrant, light-filled spirit of Divali should not come at the cost of distress to the nation’s most vulnerable residents: elderly community members who may suffer from noise-related anxiety, young children sensitive to sudden loud explosions, and domestic as well as wild animals that can experience severe fear and disorientation from fireworks blasts. She called on all citizens to prioritize neighbourly respect while celebrating, extending warm traditional festival greetings to the entire population with the wish: “Shubh Divali to all! May Mother Lakshmi bless every home with peace, happiness and prosperity.” The 2025 amendments were drafted specifically to curb the widespread, unregulated indiscriminate fireworks detonation that had plagued public spaces in previous years, with the House of Representatives approving the bill by a 38-0 vote on December 9, followed by full unanimous support in the Senate the next day.