1 July, 2013 2:24PM ACST

Alice readies for Territory Day crackers

Screamers, whistlers and loud bangs...locals buy up big ahead of tonight's traditional Territory Day fireworks

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"You just stand it up, light the wick...get out of the zone and enjoy!" says Peter Wooles, a Territory Day fireworks retailer for over 30 years.

As the Northern Territory celebrates 35 years of self government, Peter and his family members will work close to twenty hours - setting up, selling and packing up fireworks.

The Northern Territory is the only jurisdiction in Australia where the purchase and use of fireworks is still legal (on July 1st only).

In recent years, there have been increasing concerns around safety, fire issues and pet trauma, but it seems the tradition is as popular as ever.

In Peter's temporary retail space in the CBD, the doors opened at nine o'clock and there was a steady stream of customers all morning, some walking out with up to $500 worth of crackers.

Peter says around 16 tonnes of firecrackers have arrived in Alice Springs from China and will be sold by various distributors until doors close.

"Most of these fireworks have to be tested every year by licensed testers," he says.

"If they fail those tests they don't even get to us...part of the test is that they've got to stand up, they can't fall over and shoot out sideways which would obviously be dangerous..."

Peter says the demand for crackers has grown steadily since he first got involved 30 years ago.

"When we started there was only myself [and one other]...it's grown over the years, there's multiple outlets now, and there's a couple of big traders," he says.

"We sell some big bags with some big items in it that we call 'blokes bags' that have got a lot of loud noise and a lot of show...and women love them as well, but they don't go for the loud ones, they go for the pretty ones..."

With names like Grim Reaper, Earthquake, Scud Missile, Nitro and Sky Screamer, there's no shortage of choice but essentially, says one of the busy sellers, there's only three kinds.

"You've got your screamers, your whistlers and you've got reports...which is your loud bang type of thing..."

"I wouldn't complain if they banned them," says Peter.

"My daughter's got a dog that goes crazy on fireworks night...if the Government bans them, well, they're banned and we'll move on and do something else."

Ahead of tonight's festivities, Chief Minister Adam Giles urged those setting off their own fireworks to be safe and responsible.

-Make sure you have a hose or bucket ready in case of emergencies and observe your surroundings before lighting fireworks

-Never point, hold or throw lit fireworks and remember dud fireworks can still go off, so leave them for 15 minutes then douse them with water

-Fireworks can only be let off between 6pm and 11pm on July 1, so please be considerate and stick within that timeframe or face a $282 fine

-Animals have a much more sensitive and broader range of hearing than humans and fireworks can cause pets to take flight and try to escape the loud noises

-Losing a pet can be distressing for both the animal and the owners so please ensure your pet is safe and secure and has plenty of water.

A free Territory Government funded public firework display will take place at 7pm on Anzac Oval.

(Hear more Territory Day coverage on 783 Drive with Brendan Phelan)