DULUTH — This city is big on Independence Day. The annual Fourth Fest presents what has been variously described
“the largest fireworks display in the Upper Midwest,”
“Minnesota's Biggest Fireworks Display”
and
“one of the largest fireworks displays in the Midwest.”
Bob King / Archive / Duluth News Tribune
Is there any way to verify this claim? Not easily, I learned, in what I'll admit was a fairly brief investigation. However, what I discovered sheds some light (so to speak) on the matter.
This year's budget line for Fourth Fest fireworks is
$70,000 (from Duluth tourism tax fund);
which is indeed well above the typical upper range for municipal 4th of July fireworks. According to
of Newport, Oregon (fireworks budget: $47,250), only a few cities spend over $100,000.
Duluth's fireworks contractor is J&M Displays, formerly Pyrotechnic Display. Mark Hanson, the J&M employee who designed the Duluth display, estimated that attendees of this year's Fourth Fest will see “over a few thousand shells” exploding, with shell sizes ranging from “2 ½ inches all the way to 12 (inches).
That number of shells puts the fireworks in Duluth (pop. 86,000) about the size of those seen in
(sk. 300,000);
(sk. 469,000); and
(sk. 2,288,000). Not too shabby.
Elsewhere in Minnesota, on the Fourth of July, neither Minneapolis nor St. Paul are hosting fireworks this year, but there are plenty of displays in other metro municipalities. Hanson estimates the biggest is in Coon Rapids: “They use smaller shells, but their budget is right there.”
Jennifer Anderson, communications and marketing manager for the city of Coon Rapids, confirmed that assessment. According to Anderson, the city's fireworks budget is $57,600 (raised from local charitable gambling funds). Their largest shell, however, is only 4 inches.
Looking ahead to the rest of the year, “the only thing that's going to beat us in Minnesota is the Aquatennial,” Hanson said. This Minneapolis celebration takes place in late July, with this year's fireworks scheduled for July 22.
as “one of the five largest fireworks show(s) in the country.”
Contribution / Minneapolis Aquatennial
Mark Remme, director of communications and research for the Minneapolis Downtown Council, could not provide data on the quantity or size of the shells to be used this year. The Aquatennial's “pyro-musical” display typically uses over 10,000 pounds of shells,
certifies.
Clearly, further research is needed on this very important topic. Pending further data, it seems safe to say that Duluth does indeed have Minnesota's largest 4th of July fireworks display, and a much larger one than would normally be expected for a city of our size.
Whether Duluth actually has the largest fireworks display of the entire year in Minnesota, let alone the Upper Midwest or the Midwest in general, is more difficult to verify. For now, let's just say that if you're looking for a really great fireworks display and you're in Minnesota, Duluth is the place to be for Independence Day.
Arts and entertainment reporter Jay Gabler joined the Duluth News Tribune in 2022. His previous experience includes eight years as a digital producer at The Current (Minnesota Public Radio), four years as a theater critic at the Minneapolis alt-weekly City Pages, and six years as arts editor at the Twin Cities Daily Planet. He is the co-founder of the pop culture and creative writing blog The Tangential. He is also a member of the National Book Critics Circle and the Minnesota Film Critics Alliance. He can be reached at jgabler@duluthnews.com or 218-279-5536.
