What to know about DC’s July Fourth fireworks

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A record-setting fireworks show will close out America’s 250th birthday bash on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., Saturday evening.

The celebration — which is set to feature more than seven hours of military flyovers and a speech from President Trump — will go on despite high temperatures and complaints surrounding the president’s participation in these anniversary events.

Here’s what to know about the fireworks display:

A record-breaking show

The show will include more than 80 times the typical amount of pyrotechnics used in the city for the Fourth of July — an amount that could set a new Guinness World Record for “largest fireworks display.”

Event organizers plan to launch more than 860,000 fireworks from 10 sites around the National Mall during a 40 minute period Saturday evening.

The previous Guinness record was set during a 2016 New Year’s celebration in the Philippines, which featured 810,754 fireworks and lasted an hour in the pouring rain.

Pyrotecnico, the company organizing the display, told The Hill in May that more than 50 trucks and 60 crew members will be involved in the setup process.

When is it?

The show was originally scheduled to begin just before 10 p.m., but it has since been delayed to accommodate a speech from Trump.

The president unveiled his plans to hold a “TRUMP RALLY” ahead of the show on July 4, an announcement that inflamed tensions over his involvement in the celebrations marking America’s 250th.

“On July 4th, at The Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument, in beautiful and safe Washington D.C., we are going to host the most spectacular TRUMP RALLY of them all, a ‘TRIBUTE TO AMERICA,’” Trump said Monday in a Truth Social post.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) told reporters Monday that the fireworks show is now expected to begin around 11 p.m.

The heat factor

Temperatures in the D.C. area have surged above 100 in the days leading up to the Fourth of July amid a weather event called a heat dome.

The heat has posed challenges to several of the festivities marking the major anniversary, including the Great American State Fair on the National Mall. Freedom 250, the White House’s organizing arm for these celebrations, announced Friday that the fair would temporarily close due to the heat. The event reopened its doors at 5 p.m.

The Great American State Fair organizers announced Friday that the fair and the FIFA Fan Zone on the National Mall will have their start time pushed back from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday because of the heat.

These extreme conditions are expected to persist throughout the holiday weekend, with a high of 102 degrees expected Saturday, according to the National Weather Service. There is also a chance of showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon and into the evening.

In a press conference earlier this week, Bowser advised people attending the celebrations to “watch what they’re drinking, and get home as soon as the fireworks are over.”

The District’s Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly Sr. confirmed that water will be available for attendees within the secured perimeter of the mall.

“I feel like we’re in really good shape as far as a response,” he said. “We just need everybody to do their part, take their time, drink a lot of water and be safe out there.”

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Donald Trump

Muriel Bowser

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