It’s a tradition that goes along with cookouts and baseball games; it just wouldn’t be the Fourth of July without fireworks.
And with the United States’ 250th anniversary celebration — the semiquincentennial — companies specializing in pyrotechnics are seeing sky-high sales.
Brian Bush, a regional manager for Phantom Fireworks, said sales are projected to easily surpass the peak numbers it saw during the 2020 pandemic when people bought their own fireworks as something to do when other activities were canceled. He said there has been early-season foot traffic in stores that include Lehigh Valley locations in Whitehall and Williams townships.
What are customers looking for? He said interest is focused on 500-gram repeaters, which creates a full aerial show with a single ignition.
“We definitely saw a real up-tick at all sales during [the pandemic],” Bush said, “and we’ve had a lot of customers that have stayed on with us for many years from there. There’s a feeling we’ve been getting from a lot of them coming in that this is a very similar kind of jolt for fireworks sales at that point. This year, we were really prepared for it because everyone’s been looking at the 250th.”
Julie Heckman, executive director of the American Pyrotechnics Association, said it should be a record season, as sales haven’t slowed down since the pandemic.
“I believe this Fourth of July will be a blockbuster year for the fireworks industry,” she said. “It will be a challenge to meet that same demand in future years because it is the 250th anniversary. It only comes around once in a generation anyway.”
She added that public displays of fireworks will be larger, too, with some municipalities that had curtailed them in recent years bridging them back for the 250th.
“The signature events across the country are all going to be significantly larger than any display they’ve ever done.”
The pyrotechnics association said revenue from consumer fireworks was $2.3 billion in 2025 and has been steadily rising over the past 25 years. It jumped noticeably during the pandemic, going from $1 billion in 2019 to $2.2 billion in 2021.
Last year, consumers used about 300 million pounds of fireworks.
Another factor that could boost sales — July 4 is on a Saturday.
“It’s a Saturday Fourth, which are typically the stronger years as well,” Bush said. “So that on top of everything else is going to help a lot.”
Heckman said the industry has been trying to keep prices down, despite the fact that about 99% of consumer fireworks and 75% of display fireworks are imported and subject to tariffs. Businesses, she said, have mostly absorbed the costs rather than passing them on to the consumer.
Bush said Phantom increased its inventory early and then waited until the situation was clearer before increasing it.
“One good thing is we got a lot of stuff really early as well,” Bush said. “We kind of scaled it back for a little while, and then once the tariff situation improved, we were able to up our shipping back up to those levels. So we kind of were able to hit it on both ends.”
Public displays
Big displays are, of course, planned nationwide. Washington is attempting to set a world record, while Macy’s Fourth of July Spectacular in New York is expected to be twice its traditional size.
Heckman said some of the other bigger displays are planned for San Francisco; Nashville, Tennessee; Addison, Texas; and Melba, Idaho.
In the Lehigh Valley, Coca-Cola Park will have displays July 3-4, though the IronPigs will be on the road that weekend.
“Liberty Ignited: A Lehigh Valley Salute to America at 250” is scheduled for July 3 and will feature the region’s largest drone and fireworks display in partnership with Discover Lehigh Valley, Lehigh County and America250PA.
The event will showcase hundreds of drones, illuminated and synced to music, producing displays, visuals and patterns across the night sky. The drone performance will be followed by the largest fireworks display in Coca-Cola Park’s history.
The IronPigs said it would be “more than six times the size” of a normal postgame fireworks show.
“We are excited to host the Lehigh Valley’s pinnacle event celebrating our country’s 250th anniversary in such grand style,” said Kurt Landes, IronPigs president and general manager. “Designed to be the region’s apex 250th birthday event, it’s an honor to be opening Coca-Cola Park to the community for such a meaningful, memorable and patriotic celebration.
“This once-in-a-lifetime occasion will not only bring the area’s largest drone and largest fireworks display ever, but also impactful ceremonies recognizing our veterans, active military and first responders while also honoring our entire community’s legacy and history.”
On July 4, Coca-Cola Park will host the “Great American Blast” with food and family events.
Other displays have been included in other 250th anniversary celebrations in the Valley:
• July 3: Valley Preferred Cycling Center, Upper Macungie Township.
• July 4: Cedar Beach, Allentown.
• July 4-5: Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom, South Whitehall Township.
• July 5: Bangor Memorial Park.
• July 11: Hopewell Park, Upper Saucon Township.
• July 11: Easton Heritage Day.
Morning Call reporter Evan Jones can be reached at ejones@mcall.com.
Celebrating safely
For those who want to have their own backyard or neighborhood show, the pyrotechnics association has some safety tips:
• Always have a sober adult in charge and never let children handle fireworks.
• Only buy fireworks from a reputable, licensed dealer.
• Read and follow the directions on the label.
• Never carry fireworks in your pocket and never shoot them from a metal or glass container.
• Keep spectators at a safe distance.
• Wear safety glasses when lighting them.
• Don’t aim or throw fireworks at another person.
• Have a bucket of water or a working garden hose nearby.
• Light one firework at a time and never try to relight one that burns out.
• Only use them outdoors and away from buildings. Light them on a flat, fireproof surface with no debris.
• When finished, allow used fireworks — like sparklers and bottle rockets, as well as pyrotechnics that didn’t go off — to stand for at least 20 minutes. After that, submerge them in water overnight before throwing them out.