Everyone knows that fireworks are better in short doses - that's why we have Bonfire Night and not Bonfire Week.
But for one town in Scotland, this year's display was just a little too brief.
For while the local display was supposed to last 20 minutes a technical glitch ignited the entire display over a period of just 50 seconds.
More than £6,000 worth of fireworks were sent up in the short - but spectacular - display.
Now the company behind the error, Pyro 1, has offered locals a free display to make up for the mistake.
Councillor Roddy McCuish, who helped to organise the display, said locals had been "fantastic" about the farcical - and beautiful - mistake.
He told the BBC: "They are going to come back and do a free display in Oban at no charge over Oban Bay at the end of our winter festival."
"When I did announce 'that was it', people thought I was joking," he said.
"The operative explained to me there had been a terrible malfunction."