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D.C. July 4, 2026 Fireworks Planned with 851,000 Shells to Mark 250th Anniversary
Organizers plan a 40-minute display starting at 10:30 p.m. ET on July 4, 2026, from the National Mall, West Potomac Park and eight Potomac River barges. President Trump said he will personally launch what he called the largest fireworks show in history.
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Will stage a fireworks display on July 4, 2026, using about 851,000 shells in an effort to set a new Guinness World Record and mark America's 250th birthday. The show, organized by the Freedom 250 commission, a White House panel, will begin around 10:30 p.m. ET and run for 40 minutes.
President Trump stated he will personally launch the display, which he described as the largest fireworks show in history. Pyrotecnico, the company staging the event, will launch shells from the National Mall, West Potomac Park and eight barges on the Potomac River. Stephen Vitale, Pyrotecnico's CEO, said the goal is to create the most memorable display the current generation has seen.
The largest shells will measure 10 inches in diameter, matching prior years and complying with National Fire Protection Association setback rules. The quantity of shells and effects is roughly 10 times the 60,000 to 85,000 used in Macy's traditional July 4 show, according to Julie Heckman, executive director of the American Pyrotechnics Association.
The previous Guinness record was set by a Philippine megachurch that fired nearly 811,000 fireworks over more than an hour a decade earlier.
Fireworks will be imported from Asia and Europe. The 2025 Washington display lasted less than 20 minutes.
