This joy however couldn’t happen without the people who tirelessly source fireworks, set-up stores and adhere to strict guidelines every year to provide people with crackers.

Matt ‘Rope Head’ Dillon and Bindi Kerkhoff have been Territory Day retailers for about 19 years.

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“20 years ago I came up from down south and I’d never seen anything like it,” Mr Dillon says.

“I was blown away, I just want to be part of it and the celebration of self-government.”

They sell fireworks along the Stuart Hwy into the CBD, where each year they prepare for lengthy lines and excited people.

“The last five years we’ve had people knocking on the door waiting for that 9am open time,” he says.

“It gets the whole family together. Sometimes cousins come up and my whole family help with the shop. It’s good educating people too.

“We try and educate people on why we have it, but a lot of people think it’s fireworks but, hang on guys, it’s Territory Day. Let’s have fun, let’s celebrate being Territorians.”

In a secret collaboration between Ms Kerkhoff and Fusion Fireworks, 2014 saw the release of Rope Head’s Local Commotion, Mr Dillon’s own cracker with his face on it.

“He loves fireworks, we get involved with it every year and I was more than happy to sneak a few photos of him,” she says. “Years ago I was whinging to my wholesaler there was better value with cakes (multi-shot fireworks),” Mr Dillon says.

“He came back with my design. I was impressed by the quality of firework, the colours and effects were amazing and top quality. With mine I’ve got 12 shots. Not as many shots blow out but they’re longer and bigger.

“I was happy to enjoy something with my name on it. “(People) think I’m famous. They say ‘You’ve got your head on your own firework, wow’. Some people even ask me to autograph the things.”

Aside from his own firework, Mr Dillon’s other favourite is the iconic Satan’s Fury.

“That is the best bang for buck firework, they just walk out the door,” he says.

“People know what they are, straight up from seeing how many we’ve got.”

When the last firework is carried out of the door, Mr Dillon and Ms Kerkhoff pack up the shop, go out to a park and let loose with a few Rope Head’s Local Commotions.

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About 290 tonnes of fireworks will be supplied by seven wholesalers on Territory Day.

Fusion Fireworks and Dominator Fireworks are two of the day’s main wholesalers and have been supplying the Territory for more than 10 years.

Fusion Fireworks director Luke Caridi says it’s a hectic few weeks in the lead up to Territory Day but worth all the stress.

“We get anxious, we get excited, we get tired cause we’re busy packing orders,” he says.

“On the day it’s actually madness. It’s almost as if, to put it into terms, like you’ve waited, your wife’s pregnant and it’s like you’re giving birth on that day. The excitement and when the day is over it’s just like, it comes to quick and then left even quicker.”

Mr Caridi was introduced to the world of pyrotechnics about 15 years ago and hasn’t looked back since.

He has many fond memories of bringing excitement to families, but one Territory Day in particular always warms his heart.

“I saw a family with their box of fireworks and they would have had about 10 kids out there,” he says.

“I think there were some kids there that were probably a little bit underprivileged and they didn’t have fireworks. I saw them bring the kids over and light the fireworks and the look of joy on the faces of those children, it’s priceless.

“That’s a memory I’ll never, ever forget and something we take with great pride, that we’re able to witness.”

“We bring a lot of joy to people. It’s not your average nine to five job. I’m probably blessed I’m in the industry and have the privilege to have our products in people’s backyards,” he says.

Dominator Fireworks director Marty Brady enjoys spending a month in the NT in the lead-up to cracker night, letting the spirit of Territorians consume him.

“Up here they have the civil liberty of being able to use fireworks while no one else can,” he says.

“That adds a level of colour to living in the Territory. My father used to come here, he’s been retired for a while and when I got into this I’ve been doing it ever since.

“It’s (Darwin) often called a cowboy or frontier thing, but you know, Melbourne has lattes but Darwin has a bit of a free spirit and I think there’s a sort of cultural energy involved.”

In an effort to ensure the future of fireworks in the Territory and Australia, Dominator Fireworks is moving towards more sustainably produced crackers, which the company hopes to release in the coming years.

“In Fireworks Australia, the parent company of this, we have had a bit of a shift towards trying to be a bit more environmentally stable,” he says.

“We’re moving away from making them out of paper, so we’re making them out of recycled rice stubble and a mineral out of the ground called calcite, so they’re actually organically made and fully biodegradable.

“That’s where we’d like to see it going, to have a much smaller footprint environmentally.”

Each year hundreds of interstaters approach Mr Brady with inquiries about where to get fireworks when they’re in the Territory.

From these inquiries, he believes the NT isn’t capitalising on Territory Day’s tourism potential.

“I think it has huge potential, it’s tricky because the loudest voice in that debate has probably been regulators interstate,” he says.

“The advantage of the Northern Territory is it has this thing and system of doing it. We’ve facilitated people who’ve asked us, we help them with the information, and we’ve flown in groups of people just specifically for this.

“It’s got massive potential because it’s completely untapped at the moment, just word of mouth now.”

June is a busy month for NT Worksafe with GleNTi, the Darwin Triple Crown and the Royal Darwin Show right around the corner.

NT Worksafe senior worksafe inspector Robert Feregay says despite the frenzy are diligent in ensuring Territory Day goes smoothly.

“It’s a great day for the families to get together if it’s a responsible use of the fireworks, it’s a great night for all,” he said.

Before the day and during, the 125 retailers across Darwin, Alice Springs, Katherine and in remote communities will be inspected to ensure they’re following guidelines.

“We try our best from our point of view the retailers and the wholesalers are doing the right thing,” Mr Feregay says.

“Everything’s set-up and stored properly, now it’s just up to the general public to ensure they do the right thing.”

While Mr Feregay applauds the responsibility of the public in the past, he like retailers and wholesalers across the Territory is pushing people to be safe.

“Read the instructions, make sure you’ve got a hose or water close by,” he says.

“Only buy as much as you can safely use on the night. We don’t want people hoarding fireworks because they can deteriorate.”

For more than 30 years NT Oriental Emporium have been providing Territorians with fireworks and with each transaction, their key message is safety.

Manager Christopher Lay and second in command Kieran Chin are eager every year bring joy to the public and educate the masses.

“It’s a lot of work to do but it’s a good day,” Mr Lay says.

“I think it’s a very Territorian day and that’s one of the reasons why we’re big on safety, pushing the safety message at the point of sale because we want people to be sensible and accountable for their actions to make sure we keep this day going.”

They always encourage people to light fireworks in a controlled environment and to collect their rubbish.

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“You can only control what you do, you can’t control what everyone else does,” Mr Lay said.

“We urge people to clean up after themselves because our Territory is a pristine place … we all need to take responsibility about dumping these things correctly because at the end of the day, we’re all guardians of the Territory and if we don’t look after it, no one’s going to do it for us.”

The future of cracker night hinders on the responsibility of Territorians. Mr Lay is one of many people who hopes to see cracker night continue.

“It’s very much apart of my life,” he says.

“I’m a born and bred Territorian and I can’t remember a year we didn’t have fireworks. The better we treat the day, the better the day will treat us.”