&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "'It's our biggest show ever': Family-owned firm prepares for largest fireworks display on US 250th Independence Day")
As the United States celebrates its 250th birthday on July 4, 2026, the skies of Washington at night are expected to fill with a record-setting 850,000 individual fireworks for a 40-minute spectacle. The biggest fireworks show will be done by the fireworks company Pyrotecnico.
The company has five generations of family expertise and experience from major events such as the Super Bowl and large-scale music concerts to mark America's 250th Independence anniversary in spectacular fashion. "I mean, it is the biggest show that we've done," Rocco Vitale, president of Pyrotecnico, told CBS News. "...My earliest memories of fireworks displays and doing the Fourth of July were here."
Preparations for the show began in January, with the company using computer simulations to design and perfect the display before the live event. Pyrotecnico showcased one of its key preparations, eight barges positioned along the Potomac River, each equipped to launch the massive fireworks spectacle. "Each firing location has a communication device, and it's all set on GPS. And once the time of the show is put into the system, it goes at that time," Vitale explained.
When will the fireworks display begin?
According to Freedom 250, the organiser of the "Salute to America 250 Celebration & Fireworks" on the National Mall, President Donald Trump is scheduled to deliver remarks at 9:45 p.m. ET, with the fireworks display beginning at 10:45 p.m. ET. The celebration is expected to attract hundreds of thousands of spectators.
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In addition, the famous ball will drop eight separate times in New York City's Times Square to mark midnight across each American time zone. Philadelphia is set to bury a time capsule that will remain sealed until 2276.
"When it is opened in 2276, we want future generations to have a clear, authentic window into who we were at 250, what we valued, what we built, and how we saw ourselves as a nation," America250 Chair Rosie Rios said. A major concert at the Memorial Coliseum will also be hosted in Los Angeles, whereas cities like Milwaukee are organising neighbourhood block parties.
