For some, it will be the third year in a row that their shows have been cancelled. “The first two years were related to the pandemic and this year, it’s related to the supply chain,” said Adam Waltz, a spokesman for the city of Phoenix, where the three major fireworks displays were canceled. According to Mr. Waltz, the vendor that usually supplies the city with its fireworks was unable to promise the product. “It’s just disappointing,” he added. Other cities canceled their fireworks because of wildfire concerns. Across the West in particular, drought and hot, dry and windy weather this summer has already helped create the conditions for fast-moving flames. As of Friday, there were 55 large fires in 11 states, including the Rices Fire in Nevada County, California, which had grown to more than 900 acres since it started Tuesday, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. In Flagstaff, Ariz., about 150 miles north of Phoenix, city officials decided they’d rather plan a laser light show than stage fireworks that they might have to cancel at the last minute if weather meant they couldn’t. perform the show safely. “We are dealing with dangerous conditions,” said Sarah Langley, a city spokeswoman. He said the city has yet to make any decision on whether to continue replacing fireworks with laser light shows in the coming years. In North Lake Tahoe, California, city officials said they decided to replace their annual Fourth of July fireworks display with drones, also because of fire risks, as well as other environmental hazards. (It takes a variety of chemicals that can be pollutants to make fireworks glasses big, loud, and colorful.) Fourth of July fireworks over Lake Tahoe in 2018. Many cities, such as North Lake Tahoe, are opting for laser or drone displays instead of fireworks for the 2022 holiday. Credit…Elias Funez/The Union, via Associated Press Shows at Don Pedro Lake, about 50 miles east of Modesto, Calif., and Claremont, Calif., about 35 miles east of downtown Los Angeles, have also been canceled due to the state’s crippling drought. In Claremont, this is the third year in a row the show has been canceled, said Melissa Vollaro, a city spokeswoman. He said it takes about 650,000 gallons of water to drench the area where the fireworks are released, which was impossible under current water restrictions. Instead, he said, the city was planning a concert in the park. Other cities have canceled their shows due to staff shortages. Cal Expo in Sacramento said it had to focus its staff and resources on the upcoming state fair and food festival, and therefore was unable to host the Independence Day fireworks. In Ocean City, Md., authorities said two fireworks shows could not be held because of “manpower shortages.” Officials in Minneapolis also said they had to cancel the show due to construction at a local park, as well as staffing issues. In many other parts of the country, including New York, Independence Day celebrations are going ahead as planned. For some, it is the first time they will display fireworks since before the coronavirus pandemic. “Everyone is ready to celebrate their independence from this virus,” said Julie L. Heckman, the executive director of the American Fireworks Association. Ms Heckman said that while some shows were being cancelled, she still expected the number of professional fireworks displays across the country to surpass those in 2020 and 2021. “Demand is at 110 percent of pre-pandemic levels,” Ms. Heckman said, adding that she expected nearly 17,000 shows across the country in the days following Independence Day. (Before the coronavirus pandemic, he said, there were about 16,000 shows during that time nationwide.) Some residents in cities with canceled shows are planning to set off their own fireworks. Some types of consumer fireworks are legal in 49 states, as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, although individual counties and cities can impose bans, Ms. Heckman said. Consumer fireworks are prohibited in Massachusetts. Families gathered in a downtown Atlanta neighborhood to set off fireworks on July 4, 2020. Credit…Joshua Rashaad McFadden for The New York Times Dennis Revell, a spokesman for TNT Fireworks, the nation’s largest distributor of consumer fireworks, said that in 2020, when the vast majority of public events were canceled, TNT’s sales increased significantly, both in terms of gross sales and the number of people. who buy their products. “We’ve kept a lot of that going into 2021,” Mr Revel said. However, he added, “it’s too early to predict what 2022 will look like.” Some smaller retailers, however, have also been hit by supply chain issues. Eyvonne Hall, owner of Discount Fireworks in Brainerd, Minn., about 130 miles northwest of Minneapolis, said she has been waiting for some orders, which previously took about a week to arrive, for more than a month. He said he had called 12 different suppliers looking for a particularly favorite firework: Pure Fantasy. “They’re nice and colorful and the fountain goes up a lot and people love that,” Ms Hall said. “It was late this year,” he added. “I’m just hoping that maybe in the next few days it will increase.” In Queen Creek, about 40 miles southeast of Phoenix, where public fireworks displays have been canceled, another vendor said her business has picked up, thanks in part to the cancellations. “They’re really disappointed, and that’s a shame, but they’re really excited to try these new fountains at home,” Christian Valles, who runs the fireworks booth, said of her customers. He added, “they’re going to have a good show.” Michael Lusiak, a fireworks fan from Green Bay, Wis., about 115 miles north of Milwaukee, said that starting in 2020, he’s trying to step up his private show, hoping for dazzling Independence Day delights that might not they had somewhere else to go. The best moment, said Mr. Lusiak, a farmer who hosts the shows in his employer’s field, is the grand finale. “I can feel the shock waves in my chest and I know I’m making a statement that people will see or hear for miles,” he said. “All the cheers and horns honking,” he added, “that’s one of the best feelings in the world.” Correction: June 30, 2022 An earlier version of this article misstated the location of the town of Queen Creek, Ariz. It’s southeast of Phoenix, not southwest.
