PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Fireworks shows are the latest casualty of supply chain challenges and inflation surges, so don’t be surprised if your local display is canceled this Fourth of July holiday.
It costs 35% more to put on a fireworks display this year, according to the American Pyrotechnics Association. There are several areas of inflation that have impacted the industry – including the rising costs of supplies, raw materials, shipping costs, insurance, labor, and gas.
“The past couple of years, it really has become difficult because products are hard to obtain,” said Louis J. Pantalone, president of Lady of the Mt. Carmel Society in Hammonton, Nj. “With the supply chain being as tight as it is, manufacturing overseas has really gotten tough. So that creates a strain on the industry and the strain on pricing.”
The Mt. Carmel Society has been putting on an annual large fireworks display for more than 15 years. Pantalone’s advice for communities that normally hold fireworks displays is to plan early.
“Anything that you're going to do with pyrotechnics, you have to get ahead of it,” said Pantalone. “I would say at least a year in advance to solidify everything.”
He says the Mt. Carmel Society has been able to offset some of the costs for its festival finale by planning well in advance and making payments upfront.
Not everyone has been so lucky. The Good Neighbor Day 2022 in Downingtown, Pa. has canceled its fireworks show on Monday, July 4th.
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