In honor of American Independence Day, here are some fireworks numbers to amaze, a list of shows you want to catch at least once, and some links to get you in the spirit.
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- 16,000 fireworks shows will be held across the U.S. this year. 225 million pounds of fireworks are blown up across the U.S. on the 4th of July.
- $900 million–the value of the fireworks spectacle production industry in the U.S.
- $3,000 to over $75,000–the budget for a fireworks show produced by trained professionals.
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Shows to see
- Washington DC: Half a million people, a huge parade, our capital, and all the history you could ask for.
- NYC, NY: 3 million people come to watch 40,000 shells explode in 30 minutes at Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks show.
- Boston, MA: The 23-minute show is synchronized to a live performance by the Boston Pops Symphony Orchestra. Just loading and wiring the mortars takes two weeks of work.
- Lake Tahoe, CA: The 10th-deepest lake in the world is the mirror for this 5,000 explosion show.
- Seattle, WA: 10,000 effects, 2,300 shells, 21 minutes and the Space Needle.
Be safe
Get out and celebrate the founding of our country, but be smart about it. Stay safe and check out the laws in your state before you light anything .
– Jens
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July 6th, 2008 at 4:22 pm
And a word of warning to those experiencing the 4th in the Bay Area in CA: ridiculously nagging fog can completely hide fireworks! Check the weather first. Also, fireworks were completely illegal here–even sparklers–due in part to the ridiculous amount of fires this summer. Nice post Jens. I’ll plan to spend next year’s 4th at Lake Tahoe.
July 7th, 2008 at 8:27 am
Bummer about the fog. I spent my fourth at Pacific City, and it rained most of the time… so maybe we should both try Lake Tahoe next year. Stay away from the fires, and come back to Oregon sometime–we’ll get some sparklers out and celebrate.