While the future of the Big Bay Boom fireworks show – which launches from barges in San Diego Bay – is now questionable due to pressure from the Coastal Commission, Coronado’s own Fourth of July firework display has so far received green lights for the upcoming holiday.
This year will be the 76th annual Coronado Fourth of July parade. It’s the city’s largest and most anticipated event each year, bringing in over 100,000 residents and visitors in 2024 for the 75th anniversary.
The day is chock-full of patriotic activities, and a defining element is the firework display in the evening, where people can enjoy a show put on by Coronado Fourth of July from the Coronado Golf Course, or anywhere with a view over Stingray Point.
The Coastal Commission recently directed the Port of San Diego to undertake a study exploring the possibility of replacing fireworks with an aerial light show or drones, beginning with the Fourth of July in 2027, according to the Big Bay Boom’s website.
According to Jamie Hartnett, the president of Coronado Fourth of July, the city’s fireworks show will continue as planned and she has not heard of any kinks in the chain for this year’s production.
At this time we are not aware of any proposed stoppage.
Coronado Fourth of July President Jamie Hartnett
“At this time we are not aware of any proposed stoppage,” Hartnett said.
She said the board has turned in paperwork to the Water Quality Control Board and the fireworks vendor has permits all lined up.
“It’s our annual tradition that is highly anticipated and celebrated,” she added.
Coronado is under the Port of San Diego’s jurisdiction, and Port Commissioner Frank Urtasun confirmed that the city’s show this year has not been affected.
Joshua Smith, the public information officer with the Coastal Commission, said that the Port has approved the island’s fireworks show with a coastal permit exemption.
The Big Bay Boom, which is located at the San Diego Bay, however, is under the jurisdiction of the Coastal Commission.
A few months ago, the Coastal Commission approved a permit for fireworks at the Big Bay Boom this year, but with several conditions that would ultimately “limit impacts of fireworks on San Diego Bay and explore options for alternatives in future years,” according to the commission’s staff report on Jan. 23.
The report said the commission was concerned about the event impacting coastal wildlife and impairing water and air quality as well as potentially increasing the risk of fire.
The Armed Forces YMCA, which puts on the show alongside the San Diego Unified Port District, had nine special conditions attached to its approval, including hiring a biologist to conduct bird nesting surveys and record any behavior that might be related to the fireworks show. A water quality monitoring report was also required to see if pollutants from the fireworks affect the bay.
Commission staff had asked the YMCA to look into a drone show for this year to avoid some of these environmental hazards, but it was decided that the YMCA had no experience operating a drone show and would not be able to put one up for this year’s Fourth of July. The YMCA was also unable to secure liability insurance in connection with the commission’s new requirements.
Another condition places limits on the type and design of fireworks that can be used. The commission has banned materials that don’t fully burn away when the fireworks go off, causing them to fall and contaminate the water such as plastic casings, labels and wiring.
The Coastal Commission’s intervention raises a question of how future fireworks productions will operate in San Diego and Coronado – if they operate at all.
However, at this moment, Hartnett said she is not aware of anything potentially blocking Coronado’s eagerly awaited Independence Day production in 2025.
“We are all systems go,” she said.
