For first time since shooting, fireworks will return to Highland Park’s Independence Day events in ’26

Highland Park’s 2026 Independence Day celebration will feature a fireworks display for the first time since the 2022 shooting, after the City Council on Nov. 24 approved a $35,000 agreement with vendor Mad Bomber Fireworks Productions.

The council unanimously approved the resolution with the fireworks agreement without discussion.

The Committee of the Whole discussed the Independence Day celebration and a remembrance event at its Sept. 25 meeting, recommending a return to traditional fireworks.

City staff said the drone show in 2023 was too costly for the performance provided. The quotes the city received for a drone show were about $50,000 compared with $35,000 for a July 3 fireworks display with a full program of colorful stacking special effects. 

The cadre of fireworks is expected to include favorites such as strobes, flower crowns, crackling Nishiki Kamuro, poinsettias, and red, green and yellow falling leaves among other illuminations, according to city documents.  

The city had avoided a fireworks show in the years following the shooting out of concern that the experience, specifically the noise, could have a triggering effect for those impacted by the tragic 2022 shooting. 

“As you can imagine, community feedback in the time immediately following the shooting was that fireworks displays were retraumatizing due to the character and nature of the sound,” said Amanda Bennett, Highland Parks communications manager. “At the same time, we were also advised by the Department of Justice that it was important for us to facilitate a return to familiarity wherever possible to support the community’s long-term resiliency.”  

The shooting, which occurred on July 4, 2022, resulted in the deaths of seven individuals and gunshot injuries to approximately 50 others. The convicted shooter was sentenced to life in prison April 24.

Led by the city’s Resilience Division, city officials have regularly discussed Independence Day festivities since the shooting, and the city surveyed residents before recommending the City Council approve the return to fireworks, said Amanda Bennett, the city’s communication manager.

The fireworks “sky show” will be held the evening of July 3 as the finale at the park district’s Independence Fest, while a parade will again take place July 4.

“At some point we have to try to get back to where we were before. This is a step in the right direction,” said Ashbey Beasley, who was waiting to participate in the 2022 parade with her young son when the shooting occurred and people started fleeing the scene. Beasley said the traumatic event affected her son at other events with large gatherings of people.

“We spent years working really hard to help our son gain a sense of normalcy,” she said.

The agreement with Mad Bomber Fireworks Productions of Kingsbury, Indiana, includes a 15% rescheduling fee if the display were to be canceled for a reason other than inclement weather. If the city decided not to reschedule the event within six months the cancellation fee jumps to 50%.

A 250-foot setback from the discharge area will be provided.

The agreement includes a $10 million liability agreement.

Holding the fireworks on July 4 in subsequent years would push up the price to $50,000, according to the agreement, while a July 3 display for $35,000 may be extended to 2027 and 2028.

The city said it has worked with Mad Bomber for years on fireworks shows with a sound system.

In the years following the shooting, the city and park district have collaborated on different events to recognize Independence Day. The commemoration has included a remembrance event each year, and a parade returned in 2024. After a drone show and live music in 2023, the first Fourth following the shooting, the festivities have not had a concluding event.

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