Washington, DC’s Fourth of July celebration has officially made history. According to the Guinness World Records, the Freedom 250 and Pyrotecnico Inc. production was the largest fireworks display in history with 840,537 fireworks.
The previous record was set by a church in the Philippines in 2016. It used 810,904 fireworks and lasted just over an hour.
This year’s record-breaking show was part of America’s 250th birthday celebration. According to Pyrotecnico, the display used 10 firing positions, including eight barges on the Potomac River and locations near the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and West Potomac Park.
The show ran for about 40 minutes. It used 168,107 pounds of fireworks and used a crew of more than 75 workers. It took six months to design and three weeks to set up.
Weather Delays and Air Concerns
The event did face weather-related challenges. Lightning storms delayed the display, which was already scheduled to begin later than previous years. Many attendees were also briefly evacuated from the National Mall due to the weather. The fireworks began just before midnight and lasted about 40 minutes.
The July 4 celebration also caused concern for hazardous air quality conditions. Many officials recommended avoiding prolonged exposure to the area due to the increased smoke and dangerous heatwave.
Feature image courtesy Freedom 250/Youtube
