Cabrillo Beach, in San Pedro, was packed on Sunday, July 4, as folks set up early on the tiny beach for a fireworks show that evening. (Photo by Chuck Bennett, Contributing Photographer)
Cabrillo Beach, in San Pedro, was packed on Sunday, July 4, as folks set up early on the tiny beach for a fireworks show that evening. (Photo by Chuck Bennett, Contributing Photographer)
Cabrillo Beach, in San Pedro, was packed on Sunday, July 4, as folks set up early on the tiny beach for a fireworks show that evening. (Photo by Chuck Bennett, Contributing Photographer)
Hundreds gather at Cabrillo Beach for fireworks on 4th of July in San Pedro, CA. Friday July 04, 2014. (Thomas R. Cordova-Daily Breeze/Press-Telegram)
Fireworks were shot off a barge in the harbor at Cabrillo Beach in the Port of Los Angeles Sunday July 4, 2021. (Photo by Chuck Bennett, Contributing Photographer)
Fireworks were shot off a barge in the harbor at Cabrillo Beach in the Port of Los Angeles Sunday July 4, 2021. (Photo by Chuck Bennett, Contributing Photographer)
Fireworks were shot off a barge in the harbor at Cabrillo Beach in the Port of Los Angeles Sunday July 4, 2021. (Photo by Chuck Bennett, Contributing Photographer)
Fireworks were shot off a barge in the harbor at Cabrillo Beach in the Port of Los Angeles Sunday July 4, 2021. (Photo by Chuck Bennett, Contributing Photographer)
Fireworks were shot off a barge in the harbor at Cabrillo Beach in the Port of Los Angeles Sunday July 4, 2021. (Photo by Chuck Bennett, Contributing Photographer)
Fireworks were shot off a barge in the harbor at Cabrillo Beach in the Port of Los Angeles Sunday July 4, 2021. (Photo by Chuck Bennett, Contributing Photographer)
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Cabrillo Beach, in San Pedro, was packed on Sunday, July 4, as folks set up early on the tiny beach for a fireworks show that evening. (Photo by Chuck Bennett, Contributing Photographer)
This year’s Fourth of July fireworks show in San Pedro — appropriately, the 76th annual iteration — will again take place at Cabrillo Beach and will include a salute to the America 250 celebration marking the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
This year’s free extravaganza will also include the traditional and popular fireworks show format and is expected to draw tens of thousands to the beach at 3720 Stephen M. White Drive.
Earlier discussions were in play about the possibility of moving the over-the-water show to the new West Harbor waterfront venue just north of Cabrillo Beach. But that development is already preparing for rollouts of summer tenant openings and major events of its own in late July, with World Cup viewing options to be set up on the site.
West Harbor has been designated as a Los Angeles World Cup Fan Zone to view matches on July 14, 15, 18, and 19. Those events will also fold in opportunities for the public to get a first-hand look at the long-awaited San Pedro waterfront development, with several vendors open for business.
A written comment from West Harbor also noted that community tradition was a factor.
“West Harbor is proud to support the Cabrillo Beach Boosters’ plans to continue hosting this year’s John Olguin Fourth of July Fireworks Show at Cabrillo Beach,” the statement said. “We understand the logistical considerations involved and fully support the Boosters’ efforts to ensure this longstanding tradition continues for families in our local community and beyond. We’re grateful to the Cabrillo Beach Boosters and all those who have helped keep this beloved tradition alive for more than 70 years.”
The Cabrillo Beach Boosters sponsor the July 4 fireworks show, now named after educator, conservationist and longtime community leader John Olguin, the former lifeguard who launched the tradition by raising the funds needed each year with donations. Olguin died Jan. 1, 2011, at the age of 89 and was one of the port town’s best-known figures, with a lifelong commitment to Cabrillo Beach and marine education — embodied now at the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium — that impacted generations of Harbor Area-residents.
The show can also be seen from some surrounding neighborhoods, with the fireworks emanating from Pier 46.
The Fourth of July celebration will also feature a special VIP party at the nearby Cabrillo Way Marina, offering guests premium waterfront viewing, food, drinks, music and an elevated Fourth of July experience overlooking San Pedro. The VIP event will serve as a major fundraising component supporting the Cabrillo Beach Boosters’ ongoing preservation, education and community initiatives along the Los Angeles waterfront. Tickets are $130 and available at the website.
A VIP ticket includes a catered dinner (served 6-7 p.m.), live music, one free raffle ticket, front-row viewing of the John Olguin Fireworks Show, access to project updates and some special announcements.
Tickets are limited and must be purchased in advance. No tickets will be sold at the door and parking passes must be purchased separately. To get early bird pricing, buy tickets before June 27.
But the show itself, viewed from the beach, is free and many families make a day of it with picnics and swimming at the harbor.
The Cabrillo Beach Boosters, meanwhile, is working to elevate awareness around several long-term waterfront revitalization initiatives, including the restoration of the historic Angels Gate Lighthouse, the proposed Cabrillo Beach Boathouse and a future Cabrillo Beach Pavilions project. Since 1993, the group has worked to preserve and revitalize Cabrillo Beach through environmental stewardship, historic preservation, youth programming and community engagement efforts.
In partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard, the organization has helped raise nearly $2 million toward restoration efforts for the historic Angels Gate Lighthouse.
In 2024, the Independence Day salute in San Pedro offered a drone show instead of the traditional fireworks, which are facing more restrictions and complications in local communities. Fireworks shows are more complicated and expensive now than in the past and face new environmental challenges.
But last year, the event returned to a fireworks show and will do so again this year.
Going forward, however, changes in the use of fireworks are likely to occur, organizers have said, with some local cities already offering or looking for quieter alternatives without the noise and associated debris.
New challenges to big fireworks shows are multiplying, with vendors who can still put on the big fireworks shows getting harder to find, the rising cost of insurance, and the challenges of getting all the needed permits submitted in time as extra steps and assurances of extensive water cleanups after the events are required.