SoCal’s relationship with 4th of July fireworks might be changing. Here’s why

Fourth of July.

A holiday meant to be spent outside in the simmering Southern California summer sun — dining on freshly grilled hot dogs, donning your most patriotic ensemble, and communing with friends and family.

And, once the sun sets, enjoying fireworks.

But recently, in Southern California, fireworks displays — once seemingly inextricable from the Fourth of July holiday — have lost some of their sparkle because of growing concerns over the potential impact the shows have on animals, people and, particularly, the environment.

Worries that multiple large fireworks shows on Fourth of July, coupled with the use of personal ones, put pets at risk of running away or being lost, negatively impact veterans and others with PTSD, and hurt the environment, have long existed — but have come to a head in recent years.

There are still plenty of traditional fireworks shows planned for Fourth of July across Southern California this year, including in Redondo Beach, Long Beach, Torrance, Hollywood, Burbank and Oxnard, among others.

And the fireworks industry, according to the American Pyrotechnic Association, is more popular across the country than ever — with community fireworks displays generating more than $500 million in revenue nationwide last year alone.

But this year, several other Southland cities, including Laguna Beach, Lake View Terrace and San Fernando have opted for drone shows instead. And two beloved Fourth of July fireworks shows — one in Long Beach and one in San Pedro — were canceled outright.

So, what’s changing?

The California difference

A major factor in California, of course, is the law — particularly the way fireworks are regulated throughout the state.

California has long been a leader in strict environmental regulations — ranging from water quality to preserving natural resources — and that’s no different when it comes to the state’s relationship with fireworks.

Last year, the Los Angeles County Regional Water Quality Control Board, which is charged with protecting water quality in the LA and Ventura regions, adopted a new fireworks-related permitting process — which has thrown some event organizers for a loop.

One major fireworks producer, Pyro Spectaculars, pulled out several shows planned for Fourth of July in 2023, causing Redondo Beach’s King Harbor display to be canceled and forcing Long Beach’s Big Bang on the Bay to find another pyrotechnic company to put on their July 3 event.

Big Bang on the Bay and organizer John Morris have been at the center of the battle between environmentalists and fireworks proponents.

The show was canceled this year after Morris and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Long Beach — which took on Big Bang on the Bay planning duties to this year — were unable to secure a California Coastal Commission permit before the deadline.

In 2021, the Coastal Environmental Rights Foundation, a nonprofit advocacy group, filed a lawsuit against Morris and his Naples Restaurant Group, arguing organizers had violated the Clean Water Act by disseminating pollutants into the water. CERF sought to ban the show.

But a federal judge ruled against the environmental group, despite finding sufficient evidence to prove fireworks discharge entered Alamitos Bay during the 2022 show, a violation of the CWA.

The judge, though, also said there was not enough evidence to show a continuous problem — or that such issues were likely to occur in the future.

Still, because CERF was able to prove that at least one Clean Water Act violation occurred, the ruling set a precedent that over-the-water fireworks shows should be regulated under that law via a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit, which aims to prevent water pollution by regulating the sources that cause it.

A little more than a month later, the water board adopted the new permitting process, requiring fireworks show organizers to establish and comply with a “best management practices plan,” which describes the procedures they’ll use to avoid polluting the water.

And eventually, permittees will also have to comply with additional water quality monitoring provisions , but a process for those has yet to be established, CERF’s legal director, Livia Beaudin, said in a Friday, June 28, interview.

“That is a longer-term process that hasn’t come to fruition yet,” Beaudin said. “I think it’ll be a while before we fully see the benefits of the permitting.”

But still, some pyrotechnic companies and the American Pyrotechnics Association argue that California’s stricter rules have already made it more difficult for cities to put on grandiose fireworks displays.

“We’re in our own little country in California because the regulations are so different,” said the APA’s executive director, Julie Heckman, who also sits on CalFire’s Fireworks Advisory Committee. “The regulations for fireworks, as well as permitting and licensing fees, are being revised.”

And those additional requirements, Heckman said in a Thursday, June 27, interview, can cause trouble for some fireworks shows — especially since the industry is currently experiencing a shortage of pyrotechnics who are qualified to manage the logistics of putting on a fireworks show.

San Pedro’s nearly 75-year-old Fourth of July fireworks show at Cabrillo Beach was also cancelled this year, with the event’s organizer saying that the pyrotechnic company they’d hired pulled out last minute — with little explanation.

“Depending on that particular company and how many shows they have contracted for the Fourth of July weekend,” Heckman said, “it may be that they didn’t have enough equipment, crew or trained technicians.”

Some pyrotechnic companies, Heckman added, may be discouraged from doing business in places with more complicated regulatory processes.

“The permits, the type of monitoring that they’re requesting, is really cost prohibitive,” Heckman said. “It could be that (extra monitoring/permits) eats into their profits for the show.”

But to CERF, complying with the additional regulations — which haven’t all been put into practice yet — is a matter of proper planning. And willingness.

Pyro Spectaculars, which did not respond to a request for comment for this story, was staunchly against the new permitting process from the beginning — arguing that the requirements would be too much of a burden.

Beaudin, though, noted that most of the new monitoring requirements housed within the permit are fairly reasonable, and only mandate certain provisions where feasible for organizers of over-the-water fireworks shows.

“There are all kinds of caveats in the permit, like, ‘as long as it’s feasible, as long as it’s safe,’” Beaudin said. “So if (a company) can show that something just cannot be done, or puts the pyrotechnics operators or technicians at risk, compromises their safety in any way — the board’s not going to force them to do it.”

Drones over fireworks

But far removed from the controversies surrounding the water board’s rules on the coast, several other cities in Southern California have opted to go the drone show route instead of fireworks.

Laguna Beach officials, for example, decided earlier this year to switch the town’s more than 30-year-old Fourth of July fireworks celebration to a drone show.

The suggestion was made by the city’s Environmental and Sustainability Committee to be more conscious of the environment and the community’s animals, nearby wildlife and sea creatures impacted by the blast and debris.

The City Council bumped the budget for the 15-minute show to $75,000 for 300 drones, more than the $42,000 the fireworks show was expected to cost this year.

“This comes down to the environment,” Councilmember Alex Rounaghi said previously. “The impact on the ocean creatures is significant, the impact on the animals is significant, the impact on the veterans is significant.”

Laguna Beach has since received some pushback as a result of the decision, and the City Council has agreed to wait for additional community feedback before deciding how to celebrate the Fourth in 2025.

“Hopefully, we can design a show that is a cool experience for residents and visitors alike,” Rounaghi said. “The community could turn this into something great to celebrate our country and the community on the Fourth of July.”

The show will take place over Heisler Park, the beachfront park from which fireworks were traditionally launched.

It’s not just over-the ater fireworks shows that cause concerns, however.

Environmental concerns related to fireworks are also at the forefront in some San Fernando Valley neighborhoods.

The Slymar and Sunland-Tujunga communities, according to Sylmar Neighborhood Council President Kurt Cabrera-Miller, are in high fire hazard zones — and residents there are concerned about potential dangers posed by both organized fireworks displays and residents setting off their own fireworks.

“While we will enjoy the show, we hope that law enforcement will still wrap up and be diligent about cracking down on some of the illegal fireworks,” Cabrera-Miller said, “especially in the high fire severity zone.”

Other major drone shows this year will include one in Lake View Terrace on Sunday, June 30; one in Downtown Los Angeles at Gloria Molina Grand Park; and one in San Fernando Valley, to name a few.

Mixed reviews for drone shows

While both the decisions to and reasons for cities replacing fireworks with drone shows have been controversial, drones themselves have been divisive as well.

For some people, they offer an engaging, beautiful light show display — fit with charming figures prancing in the sky, music and more — while others find them, well, boring and underwhelming.

Redondo Beach Councilmember Nils Nehrenheim, for example, described that city’s last-minute drone show last year underwhelming at best.

“It was extremely undramatic,” Nehrenheim said of the show. “People were watching and saying, like, ‘Is that it? That’s all we got? Where’s the finale?’”

And given what it cost the city to put on the show — about $80,000 for an eight- to nine-minute display — it was especially underwhelming.

“It was not like a fireworks show; it was completely different,” he said. “(Fireworks are) cool. It’s the music, it’s the bang, it’s the smoke — it’s the surprise and the sudden immediacy of the (fireworks). It hits you and you say, ‘Wow, that’s cool.’”

And residents, Nehrenheim added, are excited for the return of the King Harbor Fireworks this July 4.

For others, though, drone shows offer a new and exciting take on an American tradition — without the potential negative consequences.

“It’s a new experience and gets people excited, said Kyle Pivnick, vice president of Sky Elements Drone Shows. “It’s really a niche offering.”

His company, which did the Redondo Beach show last year and also puts on drone shows at Dodger Stadium, said new technology allows for larger shows with more complicated, bespoke designs that include multimedia elements and curated music.

“I would say we haven’t seen anyone disappointed,” Pivnick said.

And, according to CERF, California isn’t the only state pushing for more drone shows: There’s interest nationwide, Beaudin said, even if fireworks still hold a firm grip on the way Americans celebrate the Fourth of July.

“There’s been a push for drones all over the country, like people have been taking issue with fireworks for a whole host of reasons,” Beaudin said. “Isn’t it more patriotic to say we care so much about our health, our people, our climate — we’re OK with celebrating in a different way?”

Still, fireworks remain immensely popular in both Southern California and across the country — and they likely won’t fizzle out anytime soon.

But public opinion, at least in some circles, does appear to be shifting, or at least opening up to the possibility that drone shows are a feasible alternative — and, in some cases, a great addition — to fireworks spectaculars.

“I (also) love fireworks,” Pivnick said.

There is, he added, a place for both fireworks and drones.

The coming years may reveal whether that’s true.

Staff writers Donna Littlejohn, Olga Grigoryants, and Erika Ritchie contributed to this report.