Marking the end of a longtime tradition, the Fourth of July celebration at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena will not feature a fireworks show this year. Instead, there will be a drone show.
The move comes as some venues have switched from fireworks to drone shows — in which a fleet of drones performs a choreographed light show — to celebrate the 4th of July.
But drone shows have fallen flat for some. Notably Redondo Beach and Laguna Beach switched back to fireworks after trying out drone shows, and some promoters of fireworks shows have voiced criticism over efforts to transition to drone shows.
For Pasadena, it’s a big change — the Rose Bowl Independence Day fireworks show was touted as one of the largest in the region, and was viewable not only in the stadium but also the surrounding area. A soccer match preceded the fireworks show on the last two July 4th holidays.
Before that, the Rose Bowl fireworks were the highlight of the decades-old AmericaFest celebration, but AmericaFest ended following substantial financial losses, according to news reports.
Other than the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, “this is the first time in many, many years — I’ve been here 23 years — and this is first year where we will have no fireworks at the Rose Bowl,” Pasadena city spokesperson Lisa Derderian said at a news briefing Wednesday. “There will be a drone show. If you attend the event, you won’t be able to see it from outside the Rose Bowl area.”
In a further change, there won’t be a soccer match this year at the Rose Bowl on Independence Day. A Galaxy-LAFC match was held in 2023 and 2024. Instead, the venue will host the food-and-entertainment festival FoodieLand.
Derderian urged people not to head to the area surrounding the Rose Bowl, unless they have a ticket for FoodieLand.
The change comes amid concerns about fireworks causing unhealthful air. The South Coast Air Quality Management District has previously said pollution levels of fine particles soar on July 4 and 5 — the worst of the year.
Fireworks shows remain a staple in other parts of California, including in San Diego and San Francisco.
But in Long Beach, this year may be the last Big Bang on the Bay fireworks show. The California Coastal Commission approved a permit for the event on May 9 with a major proviso. From 2026 to 2029, the 20-minute pyrotechnic display, which launches from a barge in Alamitos Bay, will be dropped in favor of a drone show.
“This year could be the final year of fireworks over the bay,” said the event’s website, which says the event raises money for nonprofits that benefit Long Beach’s youth.
Big Bang on the Bay has been held annually since 2011, after the city of Long Beach ended fireworks displays at Veterans Stadium in north Long Beach, according to a Coastal Commission staff report.
In its presentation, commission staff said birds were disturbed during past fireworks displays and that “a recent study concluded that fireworks can result in nest abandonment, caused fledging birds to fall out of nests, and cause birds to experience disrupted sleep and increased distress, vigilance and fear.” Staff also expressed concerns about fireworks debris landing in the environment and concluded that “a drone show would result in fewer adverse environmental impacts.”
John Morris, the organizer of the event and a restaurant owner, told commissioners at the May 9 meeting he was skeptical that the community would be as willing to donate significant money for future drone shows.
“I just have the mindset, I’m a fireworks guy. And I raised the money from all the houses around the bay,” Morris said at the meeting. “I got 300 houses around the bay to write checks. … Will half of them write a check for drones? I don’t know. If this is what it means, I’ll try it.”
But he noted that both Redondo Beach and Laguna Beach returned to fireworks after trying out drone shows. “I love watching a drone show,” he said. “I’ve seen a couple of them. They’re great, but they’re not July 4th.”
Justin Cummings, the chair of the Coastal Commission during the May meeting, said that drone shows’ emergence indicate they are a feasible alternative to fireworks.
“We are seeing drone shows pop up all over the country, and they’re really demonstrating to be a successful alternative to fireworks,” Cummings, also a Santa Cruz County supervisor, said at the meeting. Cummings’ tenure on the commission ended after the May meeting.
Commissioners asked to be informed of any drop in financial support for the 2026 drone show as compared to previous fireworks shows.
San Diego’s Big Bay Boom has received permission from the Coastal Commission to continue with fireworks shows this year and in 2026 — which happens to be the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
But commissioners in February required the organizers of the show to do a study of transitioning to drone shows or other alternatives to fireworks for 2027 and beyond.
Coastal Commission staff said during last year’s San Diego fireworks, California least terns and their fledglings became agitated and left their nest to run or fly; staff also said fireworks debris can impair water quality and that wildlife may entangle themselves in the debris, or ingest it.
In the meantime, the Port of San Diego — one of the sponsors of the Big Bay Boom — has agreed to reduce the annual maximum weight of fireworks that can be launched this year from fireworks shows launched from the waters of San Diego Bay.
Current Port of San Diego rules rules allow for up to 47 total fireworks shows over the course of a year, utilizing up to 9,056 pounds of fireworks, Coastal Commission staff said at the panel’s February meeting. The port has agreed to reduce that annual weight total by 15% this year, representing a reduction of 1,358 pounds. The cap will be reduced by another 5% for 2026.
“All reduction will be from fireworks shows launched from coastal waters, as those are more impactful to water quality than shows launched from land,” according to commission staff.
However, there were an average of 18 fireworks shows a year in San Diego Bay between 2021 and 2024 — far lower than the maximum number of shows allowed.
Nevertheless, commission staff called the port’s planned reduction in the cap of fireworks that can be launched from the water “a good faith effort to lessen the impacts of fireworks in San Diego Bay and shift away from regular fireworks shows.”
Times staff writer Karen Garcia contributed to this report.
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