Will Tariffs Take the Spark Out of America’s 250th Birthday? The Fireworks Industry is on Edge
As Americans gather to celebrate this Fourth of July with cookouts, parades, and fireworks, there’s an unexpected worry behind the festivities. New tariffs on Chinese imports are threatening to dampen not only this year’s celebrations but also the massive milestone just around the corner. With the country’s 250th birthday set for 2026, the fireworks industry is warning that rising costs and supply shortages could seriously disrupt the biggest celebration in a generation.
Fireworks Are An American Tradition, but They’re Not American Made
For all of our patriotic spirit, the truth is that nearly all of the fireworks lighting up the skies each year are made in China. That includes almost every consumer firework and most of the professional displays used in stadiums, city events, and community shows. Julie Heckman, Executive Director of the American Pyrotechnics Association, put it plainly when she said that China is the global supplier of fireworks, and for the United States, it’s basically the only supplier.
Manufacturing fireworks domestically is not a realistic option. It’s highly dangerous, labor intensive, and tightly regulated. Even if companies tried to shift some production back home, the volume needed for a nationwide celebration just isn’t possible to achieve in time.
Tariffs Are Already Hitting the Supply Chain
Fireworks managed to avoid major tariffs during the last trade war, but that luck has run out. Under IEEPA and reciprocal tariff actions, fireworks now face steep import taxes. At the highest, tariffs have surged to 145%, and even at the current rate of 30%, the strain is clear.
Some importers have decided to hold off on shipments altogether to avoid the new costs. Others stocked up early, hoping to ride out the uncertainty, but that only works for so long.
At American Fireworks Company in Ohio, prices have changed four times this season alone. That’s according to John Sorgi, whose family has run the business for over a century. At one point, they were adjusting prices nearly every other week just to keep up.
Bruce Zoldan, CEO of Phantom Fireworks, said his company received most of this year’s inventory before the tariffs hit. That helped stabilize prices for now. But next year, he said, that could all change.
2026 Is Supposed to Be the Big One
The fireworks industry has been looking forward to 2026 for years. The Fourth of July falls on a Saturday, which usually means higher sales and bigger shows. And with the 250th anniversary of American independence, expectations are sky high.
The challenge is that fireworks orders have to be placed months in advance. Importers start locking in orders right after Labor Day for the following summer. Any delay in planning because of tariff uncertainty could mean entire product lines won’t be manufactured in time.
Sorgi explained what that could mean for shows across the country. A $50,000 show might end up looking like a $30,000 show. A $30,000 show could be reduced to half its size. And many smaller community shows might just get canceled altogether.
The Clock Is Ticking
Heckman and her team at the American Pyrotechnics Association have been in conversations with lawmakers and have a meeting scheduled with the U.S. Trade Representative later this month. But decisions need to be made fast. Without clarity before the fall, the production window for 2025 fireworks will start to close, and planning for 2026 will become almost impossible.
If tariffs stay where they are or climb even higher, the impact will ripple across the industry and into communities nationwide. The celebrations that bring people together each summer could be smaller, more expensive, or missing entirely.
What Businesses Can Learn
The fireworks industry’s struggle offers a broader lesson for any company tied to global supply chains. Trade policy can shift overnight, and those shifts can create ripple effects that are hard to recover from.
At Quickcode.ai, we help companies stay ahead of these disruptions. From tariff forecasting to smarter sourcing decisions, our AI-powered tools give businesses the insight they need to act quickly and confidently, even in uncertain times.
Because when the stakes are high and the timeline is tight, staying ahead of the curve makes all the difference. Just ask anyone trying to order fireworks this year.
Why Quickcode?
Choosing Quickcode means partnering with a solution designed to meet the demands of modern supply chain management. Our robust, AI-driven platform ensures your product catalog is always compliant, allowing you to operate with confidence and efficiency.
