When describing the Ally Pally fireworks, many terms spring to mind. Spectacular, of course. Big-budget, crowded, kitsch. But until this year, we couldn’t have dreamed we would be adding ‘unexpectedly cerebral’ to the list.

Yet what else can one say about a drone show soundtracked by the crisp, avuncular tones of Alan Watts, philosophising at length about lucid dreaming and our oneness with the universe? Especially one followed by a rendition of Dylan Thomas’ “Do not go gentle into that good night”, blasted through 196 acres of parkland on a sound system built to compete with the fireworks that followed? A daring choice, at the beginning of the end of an extremely pessimistic year; almost as daring as the decision to immediately contrast Thomas’ immortal rage with Chase and Status’ drum’n’bass banger “Baddadan”. But somehow — and don’t ask us how — it just all worked.

The fireworks, as ever, were an overabundance of delight, seeming to double in intensity every time one assumed they must, by rights, be finishing. The actual finale, set to an electronic remix of Dido’s “White Flag”, had the audience gasping and clutching each other’s arms. And the drone show — a first of its kind for a London fireworks display — was a revelation. In the palace itself, Oasis tribute act Definitely Mightbe had the German Bier Hall practically throwing its lederhosen and dirndls onto the stage.

Alexandra Palace’s Fireworks Festival is the kind of event you couldn’t make up. A bratwurst and sauerkraut-fuelled fever dream, which manages to turn an inexplicable list of ingredients into the most delicious night out of the year. Ludicrous, fabulous, and cheesy as hell — may it never change.

Check out the Alexandra Palace Fireworks Festival website for future events.