LEBANON — Upper Valley residents will have one less option for viewing fireworks on the Fourth of July this year.

Due to budget cuts, Lebanon will not hold a fireworks display in July or August as it has in the past. Meanwhile, other towns including Woodstock, have opted to continue to hold fireworks shows on days other than the Fourth due to the availability of fireworks technicians. Tariffs have also made it more challenging to import fireworks from China, which may dim some fireworks shows.

“Typically between those two dates we’d spend $12,000 on fireworks on the Fourth and then the another $5,000 for the August show,” said Paul Coats, director of Lebanon’s Recreation, Arts and Parks Department.

The Independence Day festivities — which also includes live music — cost $14,000 total in 2024, Coats said. The Flames, which typically perform on July 4 before the fireworks, will instead perform at 6:30 p.m. on July 3 at Colburn Park. The Red, White and Blue 6.2 race will go on as planned the morning of July 4.

Last July, the city went with a laser light show for around $10,000 due to scheduling challenges with Northstar Fireworks, the Vermont-based company that has overseen the city’s show for decades. There also was a fireworks show in August as part of the department’s summer celebration, which has been canceled this year due to budget cuts. The department’s Monday night summer concert series was also eliminated.

The City Council made budget cuts after hearing from residents who were upset at a proposed 11.9% tax rate increase; it was eventually reduced to 7.8% tax increase, according to previous Valley News reporting.

During city budget discussions late last year, Coats said a businessowner volunteered to donate $1,000 to put toward the celebration and while he appreciated the gesture, raising the rest of the money didn’t seem feasible for department staff.

“Lacking something to really supplement that and do that 13 more times was not something we were able to do,” Coats said.

As a result of the cancelation of Lebanon’s show, Hartford officials expect to have a larger crowd for the town’s fireworks display, which is set to go on as planned on the Fourth of July, said Scott Hausler, Hartford’s parks and recreation director.

People gather at Kilowatt Park South for the show, but they can also be viewable from parts of downtown White River Junction and West Lebanon, Hausler wrote in an email.

Fairlee, Hartland, and Woodsville/Wells River will have fireworks shows on the Fourth as usual.

Meanwhile, this year marks a return to normalcy in Sunapee. After trying out a drone show on June 29 last year, the town has gone back to a traditional fireworks display, which will take place July 5.

Sunapee Town Manager Shannon Martinez did not return phone calls or an email requesting a comment about the town’s decision before deadline.

Some communities that moved fireworks shows from July 4 to a different date last year are doing the same again this year.

There were few complaints after Claremont moved its fireworks show to July 3 and the city is sticking with it for 2025, said Justin Martin, Claremont’s parks and recreation director.

While the city had discussed moving the show back to the Fourth, Northstar Fireworks did not have the availability. Martin said they also explored using a different company, but it was cost prohibitive.

“There’s a handful of people who would have liked to see it on the Fourth, but when it comes down to budget and the flexibility of the company that actually shoots the fireworks, this was the best option for us,” Martin said.

The fireworks cost $15,000 and Wal-Mart has given the city a $2,500 grant to put toward the roughly 20-minute show. Each year, there is a 50/50 raffle to support next year’s event and donations are also accepted at the gate, along with income from vendor’s fees. That brought down taxpayers’ cost for this year’s show to $8,500. The rain date is July 11.

Woodstock’s Independence Day Celebration will take place Sunday, July 6. Last year, it was held July 5 due to Northstar’s availability, which was also the determining factor this year, Woodstock Municipal Manger Eric Duffy said. The entire event — which includes live music, food vendors and children’s activities — costs $15,000 and is funded by taxpayers.

“We’re going to have a larger encore this year than in years past,” Duffy said.

The Selectboard also is looking for another community organization to plan the celebration in the future, including a nonprofit, an alumni association or businesses because of the amount of time it takes for staff to plan the annual celebration.

“We’d be happy to support them,” Duffy said about any other group that stepped up to take on the event.

Tariffs and cost concerns

Scheduled fireworks shows will go on as planned this year, “but the show might not seem as full,” said Tom Swenson, general manager and choreographer at Northstar Fireworks.

“The cost of fireworks have skyrocketed due to tariffs,” Swenson said “…The price of things almost tripled in price this year.”

The company has been unable to import fireworks from China since February because of shipping challenges related to tariffs. Around 90% of fireworks used in commercial displays are imported from China.

“We don't really have any other choices,” Swenson said, adding that the main shipping window for Fourth of July fireworks is February and March. “It’s created an industry-wide, across-the-whole-nation, shortage of fireworks.”

In February, President Donald Trump placed a 10% tariff on Chinese imports and doubled it to 20% in March, according to an Associated Press tariff timeline published in early May. In April, the tariffs on fireworks was 145%, according to a June 28 report from NPR. Now, the tariff is 30%.

When tariffs first dropped, it created a shipping logjam, leading to higher prices and less availability on container ships bound for the United States, he said.

“Once the price went back down everyone was fighting for room on the ships to put stuff on there,” Swenson said. “We canceled orders because the cost was so expensive.”

Northstar produces more than 100 contracted shows across Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and New York in the two weeks surrounding the Fourth of July, Swenson said. Towns generally plan fireworks shows in the few months after the current year’s — well before the tariffs took effect.

“The price hasn't really changed because a lot of these towns have contracts,” he said.

To make the numbers work, Swenson said, “We’re just spreading them out more and making sure everyone gets a show for this year.” He declined to comment on the company’s exact prices and expenses.

It is too soon to speculate on what next year will look like other than there will likely be even more interest in fireworks displays because of the nation’s 250th celebration, Swenson said. Northstar will likely pencil in dates for shows in 2026, but wait to sign contracts.

“We’re going to have to hold off until we figure this out,” Swenson said. “Who knows what's going to happen down in Washington? Who knows what’s going to happen in a year?"

View a list of Upper Valley Fourth of July events at vnews.com/Upper-Valley-Fourth-of-July-events-2025-61701461. Liz Sauchelli can be reached at esauchelli@vnews.com or 603-727-3221.