We had a firecracker
effect in last year's
Pageant. We used, American DJ Flash Rope, and stapled 8 of them to an 8 ft. long 1x12 board. We used 4 dimmers to
power the
effect, via a linked
cue sequence, with sections of the board powering up in sequence, starting at the bottom, and working up to the top. This was paired with a firecracker sound
effect. While it wasn't perfect, as Flash rope cannot be set to fire in sequence, it did a pretty good job of simulating firecrackers. The most difficult part of this was synching the light and sound cues, and even that wasn't too hard.
A google search for American DJ Flash Rope yielded more potential suppliers than I cared to sift through, but the average price I saw was about $80.00 a piece. I would, however recommend using a
cable tacker or some other cable fastening device to install the Flash Rope. You should be able to find something at your local hardware store. If you don't have the dimmers available, look into renting some variation of a
backpack dimmer from your local supplier.
Oh, and before I forget, Flash Rope is a
strobe effect, so you will need the appropriate signage posted at your
venue.
Hope this helps.