Mount Rushmore Fireworks Return for July 4 Week After 5 Years: When and How To Reserve Tickets
This Independence Day, fireworks are coming back to Mount Rushmore for the first time since 2020. It will be part of the celebrations for America’s 250th anniversary. The National Park Service (NPS) announced on March 9 that the event is scheduled to be held on July 3, 2026. It is being organized in partnership with the state of South Dakota. It will be only the second time since 2009 that fireworks have been held at the monument for Independence Day.
However, the officials said that the tickets will not be open to everyone. According to the interagency website, tickets will be open to American residents only, and people will need to enter a public lottery to attend. The ticket lottery will run from April 8-12, and the results will be announced on April 14. Participants can request up to four tickets, along with either a parking pass or a shuttle ride to the event. There is also a $1 application fee to enter the lottery.
In 2020, during the presidency of Donald Trump, fireworks returned to Mount Rushmore after a 10-year break. The push largely came from then–South Dakota governor Kristi Noem, who worked with federal officials to bring the show back. The event drew national attention when Trump appeared at the monument on July 3 and delivered a speech alongside Noem.
However, the fireworks did not last long. When South Dakota tried to host the display again in 2021, the National Park Service, under the Biden administration, denied the request the following year. The request was denied because it could harm the environment, increase the risk of wildfires, and even disrupt the memorial’s cultural and historical programs during the busy holiday weekend. The officials also warned that a large crowd at the site could become a safety issue. Noem later filed a lawsuit against the United States Department of the Interior over the decision, though a federal judge eventually dismissed the case.
However, the new announcement did not mention anything about wildfire risks or fire prevention plans for the event. Some concerns are being raised after the United States Department of Agriculture National Water and Climate Center warned that South Dakota and much of the western U.S. could be facing one of the highest wildfire risks in decades. Moreover, experts say snowpack levels across western states are the lowest they have been in about 40 years, which could create the perfect conditions for severe wildfires this summer.
Desert Research Institute director Tim Brown said that the only thing that could reduce the risk of extreme wildfires would be a “major shift” in weather patterns that brings cooler and wetter conditions. However, as of now, there is nothing in seasonal forecasts or weather models suggesting that kind of change is coming anytime soon. “If the underlying conditions are much drier than usual, and then it’s also warm on top of that…that’s going to reduce the amount of prescribed fire activity and then that, in turn, could also increase the fire potential as we get more into the summer season,” he added.
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