NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The fireworks industry is expecting to get by this Fourth of July holiday, but trade tensions with China have some worried that sales leading up to America’s 250th birthday in 2026 could be a bust.
Pyrotechnicians and firework distributors have held out hope that the fireworks will be exempt from President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Chinese imports. Tariffs with China are held at 30% after the U.S. and China agreed to pause tariff increases for 90 days. In April, Trump’s tariffs on Chinese imports peaked at 145%.
However, those rates could shoot back up when the pause ends in August.
“It’s been a bit of a roller coaster since February with the constant change in the tariffs,” Julie Heckman, American Pyrotechnics Association Executive Director, said.
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Fireworks are an American tradition, but they rely on Chinese production.
The APA estimates that 99% of backyard consumer fireworks in the U.S. come from China. Heckman said about 90% of professional display fireworks also come from China.
“It’s almost impossible to produce fireworks in the United States. It’s a very laborious process. Everything is made by hand,” Heckman said. “You’re dealing with explosives. They are highly sensitive to heat, humidity, and friction. It’s a very dangerous job.”
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Firework prices remained steady this Fourth of July, but Heckman warned that supply could be low among newly released products. However, industry leaders think the price of fireworks could rise in the next year.
“Basically, all the importers contacted their Chinese suppliers and said, ‘don’t ship my product. I can’t afford to pay 145% tariff,'” Heckman said.
Nashville, Tennessee is home to one of the nation’s largest Fourth of July firework displays. Forty-thousand pounds of fireworks will soar in the sky over the Cumberland River for thirty minutes on Friday.
Pyro Shows Inc. President Lansden Hill is the man behind the fuse. His crew bought the fireworks for Music City’s Fourth of July celebration a year ago.
“The product we use here in Nashville doesn’t come on one container. It comes on a lot of containers throughout the year,” Hill said. “The fireworks that are used in the show this year weren’t subject to any of the new tariffs.”
Fourth of July celebrations reap huge economic benefits for the cities that host them. Over 355,000 people showed up to last year’s Fourth of July celebration in Nashville. The Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp. reported about 60% of the annual Fourth of July spectators are visitors.
Each year, visitors book about 30,000 hotel rooms and spend about $17.5 million during the Fourth of July holiday, according to NCVC President and CEO Deana Ivey.
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“That money goes to schools, it goes to the police force, it goes to sidewalks. All of the public accommodations we need for the community,” Deana Ivey, NCVC President and CEO, said.
