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Errant fireworks explode in front of a group at Chicago's Washington Park on July 4, 2016.
CHICAGO - In Illinois, only 713 individuals are licensed to display fireworks, according to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. And, despite the annual booming Fourth of July display that lights up over Winnemac Park in Lincoln Square every year, none of them are likely there.
Every Fourth of July, the city of Chicago erupts with countless sanctioned and unsanctioned fireworks shows, some carried out by professionals, but many more by unlicensed amateurs. It’s a tradition both loved, and hated, by neighbors in communities across Chicago.
“Dogs and sports teams and nature parks and fireworks can all coexist, being tolerant of each other,” said Joshua Hoyt, 66, who lives near Winnemac Park. “And I don’t think that anybody should get uptight about the fact that one day a year, there’s a community firework celebration in the park.”
But not all neighbors of the sprawling 22-acre park, home to baseball diamonds, playgrounds, nature areas and schools, are in agreement. The annual, unorganized fireworks show, which typically starts at sundown and ends in the late night hours with a hazy smoke settled over surrounding streets, draws crowds of people from both the neighborhood and outside of it.
“Why do we have to, one day a year, not only disrupt all of the nature that coexists in that park — but it makes a mess, it’s dangerous, there are people with PTSD,” said Marian Nixon, 61, who lives two blocks away from the park. “It’s scary to kids, it’s scary to dogs, and it’s scary to veterans.”
She said she has never attended the event herself: “I don’t want to get my head blown off.”
Ald. Andre Vasquez, whose 40th Ward oversees Winnemac Park, said that the Chicago Park District has been reticent about adding turf to a soccer field and the outfield of baseball diamonds in his ward because of the damage the turf sustains from fireworks every year. Park District spokeswoman Michele Lemons confirmed the district received a request for both fields.
“Thinking about the impact, over the long term, of what this event has on the neighborhood, it’s something people should consider,” Vasquez said, referring to the Winnemac Park fireworks display.
He also mentioned children, older citizens and those with post-traumatic stress disorder who might be disturbed by the loud noises of the explosives.
“Although I understand that people want to celebrate, I would ask that they be more considerate and mindful in how they do so, so we can all celebrate together,” Vasquez said.
Ald. Nick Sposato, 38th, said he didn’t like fireworks as a kid, liked them less when he became a firefighter, and likes them even less now that he’s an alderman. He often spends Independence Day riding with police officers to rein in the pyrotechnics.
“They have no respect for their neighborhood, the dog, veterans, anybody,” he said. “They don’t clean up. They wreck parks. They wreck schools.”
Illegal fireworks rage across all parts of the city, the Northwest Side alderman said. When people are caught shooting fireworks — which he described as “house-shaking aerial bombs” — he and police ask them to leave. They don’t arrest them, he said, because it would take too much time. The focus, he said, is getting displays off of schools and parks, where fireworks often leave larges messes and damage fields.
One year, he shut down an annual fire display at a park in his ward.
“People were pissed off at me, but I could care less,” he said. “It’s illegal. It’s wrong. It’s not safe.”
Nixon, who owns Marvin, an 8-month-old puggle, said she’s concerned about dogs being scared, but mostly about the danger fireworks pose to people and to nature.
“It’s gonna take, like, some child getting her hand popped off before it’s gonna stop,” she said.
But other argue that the Winnemac Park’s fireworks show is tradition.
“It does seem to be part of urban living, and people should just relax and understand that that’s the way it has been, is, and probably will be for an awfully long time,” said Hoyt, who owns a 5-year-old labradoodle named Harry.
Vasquez said his office has considered setting up a safe, sanctioned fireworks show in his ward. But that will likely not happen this year, since they haven’t been able to fundraise for the $65,000 they’d need.
“Well, they had a year,” Nixon said in response. “I mean, July 4 — you know what I mean? It happens every year.”
The Park District released a statement reminding citizens not to use rockets, crackers, torpedoes and fireworks in its parks, a policy enforced by police and park security. It also said it will activate lighting near artificial turf fields, trees and natural areas where fireworks can cause damage.
“We urge the public to help keep park patrons and employees safe and to protect our parks from damage by refraining from using fireworks and other explosive devices in our parks,” the statement reads.
The IDNR and the Office of the State Fire Marshal also urged people to leave fireworks displays to licensed professionals.
“Anyone possessing, using, transferring or purchasing display fireworks without a valid IDNR individual explosives license or storage certificate is violating Illinois law and could incur penalties,” they reminded the public on Thursday.
Violating the Illinois Explosives Act, they said, can be considered a Class 3 felony. Penalties include five years in prison and a fine of $10,000.
“Fireworks are illegal in this city. They’re illegal. That’s the bottom line,” Nixon said. “So, I have been pissed about it for years. I’m not wanting to rain on anyone’s parade, but go downtown if you want to watch fireworks. Go to the lakefront if you want.”
Chicago and neighboring communities will offer over 76 firework shows throughout the weekend.
Fireworks on the Fourth of July date back all the way to the nation's founding. On July 2, 1776, John Adams wrote to his wife that signing the Declaration of Independence—which would happen in two days—should be met with celebrations that included “illuminations,” the 18th-century word for “fireworks.” The pyrotechnic marvels have illuminated the skies since.
In the modern-day U.S., consumer fireworks are a $1.9 billion dollar business. Most of that consumption occurs right around the Fourth of July—and in all states but one (Massachusetts), some types of fireworks are legal to buy. Several states have additional restrictions on airborne fireworks, but allow sparklers and other, less powerful fireworks.
Americans’ love of fireworks isn’t limited to Independence Day, though: “Display fireworks,” which are used in commercial displays rather than set off by consumers, amounted to $262 million in revenue in 2021. Even in states in which consumer fireworks are tightly regulated, fireworks shows still happen regularly at sporting events, festivals, and concerts.
States that tightly regulate fireworks have a solid rationale: exploding things can be dangerous. ValuePenguin reports a 538% spike in injuries on July 4 compared to the third. Even sparklers pose threats, as they reach extremely hot temperatures and cause burns to children every year. There are some key steps to keeping everyone safe: Don't let kids near the fireworks, keep cold water on hand, and don't go anywhere near any airborne fireworks after they've been lit; even if they appear to be dormant, throw water on them first just in case.
In celebration of fireworks going boom this Fourth of July, Stacker ranked the states spending the most on fireworks per resident with data drawn from imports to the state per capita based on data from the Trade Census and Census Intercensal estimates. Fireworks and population data were calculated from 2008 to 2021. Some states and regions without historical data available were dropped including Alaska, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, Vermont, Delaware, Rhode Island and West Virginia.
States across the country saw a massive uptick in the number of fireworks being purchased and set off—often recklessly and illegally—during the pandemic, and total sales are only expected to grow. This list includes data through 2021.
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States in the middle of the country like Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas, the Dakotas, Montana, and Wyoming—where the population density is the lowest—have higher per-person spending on fireworks. The more populous coastal regions spend less per person.
Disparities in spending are due to many factors, including rural populations having more space to set off private fireworks displays and fireworks being illegal in parts of California because of wildfire risks. Setting off a display requires a permit in Oregon, while Massachusetts has an outright ban on fireworks. Due to shipping costs and supply chain issues, overall costs for fireworks in 2022 are up 35% nationwide, which may impact sales.
Nevada has seen its per-person fireworks spending increase by a factor of 13 since 2008. Georgia also saw a huge increase in per capita spending to coincide with the loosening of regulations. The state first allowed novelty fireworks such as sparklers to be sold in 2005, and in 2015 all consumer fireworks became legal to purchase.
Arizona in 2021 saw per capita fireworks spending increase to six times its 2008 spending levels. SB1275, which was signed into law in 2022, prohibits fireworks displays in Arizona between 11 p.m. and 8 a.m. – except on New Year’s Eve and Independence Day.
Despite predictions by some that light shows using drone technology would replace pyrotechnic displays, the market for fireworks has more than doubled in the past 14 years.
Demand substantially increased since 2020, when many municipalities canceled displays due to COVID-19. With continuing supply chain issues and the increasing cost of shipping containers across the Pacific, fireworks—nearly all of which are made in China—are retailing for about a third more than they did before the pandemic. In recent years fireworks regulations have become more relaxed and the vast majority of states now allow for the sale of fireworks.
- Fireworks imported in 2020: $2.67 per person
- Fireworks imported in 2021: $10.87 per person
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem in 2022 was denied a permit for a firework display at Mount Rushmore for the second year in a row. The National Parks Service cited Tribal opposition, wildfire risk and visitor service interruptions in its rejection.
The 2020 fireworks display at Mount Rushmore was the first display at the national park in 11 years. For 2022, residents will have to set off their own display or attend a municipal display.
- Fireworks imported in 2020: $13.36 per person
Missouri, with a population of just over 6 million people, spends the most per capita on fireworks at $13.36 per person. Fireworks are legal to buy in Missouri between June 20 and July 10 and with the exception of the capital, they are legal to set off around Independence Day.
The Missouri Department of Public Safety issues around 1,500 permits to manufacturers and distributors of fireworks each year. People 14 year of age or older are able to buy fireworks in Missouri without a parent. The state fire marshall recommends that teens are closely monitored, everyone wear eye protection, and that all fireworks are launched from open spaces free of flammable debris.
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Errant fireworks explode in front of a group at Chicago's Washington Park on July 4, 2016.
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