Fireworks Show Information & Survey
Fireworks Show
The City of Redondo Beach has presented or co-presented a 4th of July celebration for decades.
The Seaside Lagoon has a gated admission that offers premiere viewing plus DJ, bounce houses, lifeguards, and other entertainers. Redondo is unique in that it offers a gated admission.
The Riviera Village 4th of July Fun Run is the same day and has grown in popularity.
Having both events on the same day has created 14-hour-mandatory-all-hands-on-deck shifts for our public safety and public works staff. Terrorism threats for large events have also added to the costs and time of keeping crowds safe.
This year Council decided to change the date of the firework show. The firework show happened on July 1, the Sunday before. There are many cities that do their firework shows on the weekend before when the holiday falls midweek. The decision was based on the information we had at the time presented here by Council Member Nils Nehrenheim:
The good, the bad of what happened by having the show on July 1st.
The Good:
- There was not a large crowd making traffic much easier.
- There was only 1 fight reported, historically there are several.
- The show costs less.
- Public Works and Public Safety were able to work normal shifts making expenses less.
- RB Police was available to address illegal fireworks. Several illegal fireworks were confiscated, 18 citations were issued and several warnings were given.
The Bad
- There was not a large crowd making revenues less.
- Decreased parking demand hurting organization that use parking as a fundraiser.
- It felt non-traditional.
This topic will arise again. I will receive revenue/expense impacts soon. In the meantime, please answer the survey below.
Thanks for the explanation. There is a proud history in Redondo Beach for being patriotic. My take:
Our two Veteran Park ceremonies: Memorial Day and Veterans Day are great examples. We should KEEP our Independence Day celebration for the following reasons:
1. Reduces impact on traffic or crowds by having in on off day
2. Favor the Sunday closest to/advance of the 4th… some calendar years would fall on the 4th BONUS
3. By having it on an off day, allows families to attend multiple celebrations in other areas.
4. Saves us money, so long as we can continue to fund it…knowing our budgets will be getting tighter.
5. Change is good – Communicating the WHY of the change helps in the adoption of new ideas.
Lisa, if you’re in favor of moving it to an off date, why is your #2 “a bonus?” Lol.
I understand why City Council made the decision. Had the Pedones show happened, it wouldn’t have been such a big deal. I personally don’t care, but I’m against moving it to a slightly off day as it’s a very engrained tradition for so many locals and visitors.
If anything, move the fun run and keep the fireworks on the 4th. And if that doesn’t relieve resources enough, I suggest we host a fireworks show in celebration of another holiday.
Seems like a good summary. Thanks Laura. Let’s see what the revenue/expenses impact will tell us.
The fireworks are fabulous and I’ve always enjoyed viewing them. However I feel the crowd has gotten bigger and bigger making it extremely difficult to maneuver whether by car or foot. I’m in favor of giving up fireworks for a few years.
We have always enjoyed the fireworks at the pier; however, the crowd has gotten bigger especially over the last few years. It has been extremely difficult to maneuver around Redondo whether by foot or car. It is difficult to find a good spot to see the fireworks, because people tend to camp out all day.I am in favor of taking a break from fireworks for a few years.