4th of July Fireworks at Southgate Mall Cancelled for 2016

For more than 30 years, Missoula’s Southgate Mall has hosted thousands of spectators each 4th of July to honor our nation’s independence with a festive fireworks display and more. Sadly, they have had to cancel this year’s fireworks show.

Southgate Mall Marketing Director Trisha Shepard says, “We are beyond disappointed to have to make this announcement and cancel one of our most beloved community events.  Five weeks ago, we were informed by our fireworks company partner of over 20 years that due to changes in their industry they would not be able to provide our show this year.  Our team has worked tirelessly since that meeting to find an alternative, but with no luck.  We tried everything we could, just short of me applying for an ATF explosives license, so I could shoot the fireworks myself.  There are a lot of federal safety regulations and restrictions when it comes to the size of the fireworks we shoot, and rightfully so.  We know lots of families and community members plan their holiday weekend around coming to our show, so cancelling it was truly the last thing we wanted to do.”

General Manager, Tim Winger, also noted, “The budget for the event was ready to go and we had even been working around some of the changes in the parking lot due to the construction of our movie theater.  Regardless, the decision didn’t come to us lightly.  Our team really tried every avenue, but with the short notice it just wasn’t possible.”

There are some other places to take the family to see fireworks in Missoula though. For instance, the Missoula Osprey will do fireworks on Friday, July 1st after the ballgame. And don’t get too rambunctious with explosives on your own, the City of Missoula would like to remind you that the use of fireworks within city limits is illegal. Questions about fireworks regulations can by answered by the Fire Prevention Bureau at 552-6210.

The Southgate Mall added the following:

The owners and management staff of Southgate Mall would like to sincerely thank each and every spectator who has come out in support of the 4th of July Fireworks in the past 30 years, as well as the generous sponsors and community volunteers who helped bring this event to Missoula each year.