(Dmytro “Henry” Aleksandrov, Headline USA) President Joe Biden’s rampant inflation caused Americans to fork over more of their money to celebrate the July Fourth, with the price of fireworks skyrocketing ahead of the holiday weekend and causing some celebrations to be canceled.
The overall cost across the industry spiked at 35%, the American Pyrotechnic Association reported, according to the New York Post.
Minnesota Pyrotechnics owner James Baxter said that in some cases the shipping costs alone have gone up almost 400%.
“You’re also seeing a lack of [fireworks] coming into the country,” he said. “So, it’s causing most of the shortages and affecting costs as well.”
Baxter also said that while fireworks would still be available at retail outlets, consumers wouldn’t have options to choose.
The Deseret News reported that the cost of the supplies and materials for fireworks increased significantly since 2019.
“The cost of supplies and materials for fireworks has risen 20%, along with shipping costs, which have seen a price increase of 50% since 2019.”
The outlet also reported that buying a shipping container will be more expensive, too.
“In 2019, it would cost anywhere from $8,000 to $10,000 per shipping container. Now that cost is around $45,000 per container.”
In general, the shipping costs have doubled since 2021, while the APA said that high gas prices were the driving force behind the Fourth fizzle.
Baxter also said that the skyrocketing prices for everything, including gas, caused the shortening of firework displays or even show cancellations.
“Some shows that have been shooting since, like, 1915, — they’re not able to get product for them,” he said.
He also explained that one of the reasons why there will be fewer firework shows is because organizers can’t find qualified professionals to create the shows.
“A lot of them have canceled here in Minnesota and across the country,” he said.
Some shows will not be canceled, but they will be trimmed to a very short amount of time.
“Some fireworks displays could be cut down by a significant two to three minutes,” he said.
