NYT: Tariffs could sharply impact 2026 fireworks celebrations

FORT MILL, S.C. – Buying fireworks for July Fourth is a tradition for Matthew Johnson and his daughter Madison. He says, “It’s become our thing.” She says, “Go big or go home!”

For now, they are going big. Dad Matthew says, “We like the big booms. Mom likes the fountains.” But what happens next year is up in the air. President Donald Trump enacted a 145 percent tariff on all goods from China, including fireworks, in April. The US and China agreed to a 90 day truce, dropping the tariffs to 30 percent for now.

Customers we talked to Thursday at Red Rocket Fireworks in Fort Mill say prices are steady here compared to last year. Johnson says, “They’re about the same, actually.”

Manager Kim Pyles says that’s because they stocked up. She says, “We already had all of our products taken care of before the tariffs were enacted.”

The New York Times reports fireworks are a $2 billion industry in the US, and that about 99 percent of fireworks that light up American skies are from China. The Times also reports that, “The bigger fear is 2026, as industry representatives warn that many of the festivities that are in the works to celebrate the nation’s 250th birthday could be diminished or even go dark.”

The National Fireworks Association website urges people to contact their lawmakers and President Trump to ask him to lift the tariffs.

But for now, at Red Rocket, tariffs have not caused any trouble. Pyles says, “They have not had any impact on our fireworks sales.”

Shoppers like Shaun Hoskins agrees, opening up her wallet to spend, “Between 4 to $500. We spent like almost five today,” she says, to keep her family tradition alive. Hoskins says, “They love it. From the adults, the older people down to the smaller ones. They love it.”